20/07/08 TWENTY year-old Nicola Fitzgibbon from Saggart, Co. Dublin, finished eighth in the Young Rider Individual European Show Jumping Championships in Prague, Czech Republic this afternoon (Sunday), riding 'Puissance', a regularly high-ranked horse on the Irish National Grand Prix circuit. Carrying 9.74 penalties from previous championship rounds, Fitzgibbon had one fence down on her first attempt today but collected just one time fault on her second round to finish on a total of 14.74. In eleventh place was Portlaoise's Benny Kuehnle on the Irish-bred 'Cruising's Micky Finn'. The 20 year-old rider carried just 8.84 penalty points overnight, but faulted once in each round this afternoon to complete the championships on 16.84. Switzerland's Philipp Zugler won the individual Gold Medal at Prague, with Germany's Thomas Weinberg taking Silver, and the Bronze going to fellow-countryman Christoph Bruse.

20/07/08 A FORMER racehorse took the winner's prize at a sunny Newcastle West in Co. Limerick this afternoon (Sunday), piloted by local rider Joan Greene. Owned by Patrick Quinn, 'Inis Deilbh' broke the beam just over a second ahead of runner-up Francis Connors and Sean Hayden's 'Lundy Lad' in a five-horse jump-off, a result that also gave the Waterford rider enough points to regain the lead in his lengthy League rankings battle with Tholm Keane. After the victory, Joan Greene said: " The owner has been extremely patient with this horse. He has been with different riders and is now back with me. As a former racehorse he's a bit of a handful, but he certainly did the business in this competition. I am doubly delighted because we are on home turf today." Peter Moloney captured third place on John Moloney's 'Bonmahon Sailor', while an in-form Francis Connors also took fourth place with the reliable 'Merlin's Magic'.

19/07/08 MAYO-born Cameron Hanley took the winner's laurels in last night's (Friday) Grand Prix Qualifier at Cortina, Italy. The 35 year-old rider put Sevil Sabanci's bay stallion 'SIEC Royal Star' across the line just under one-and-a-half seconds ahead of Finnish challenger Sebastian Numminen at the three-star show. Hanley, who rides out of the S-Equestrian Stables in Istanbul, was not the only Irish top ten finisher at Cortina, with 22 year-old Ivan Dalton taking third place in the qualifier with 'Corcovada'. The Italian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday.

19/07/08 HORSE Sport Ireland has announced the five ponies and riders who will represent Ireland at the European Pony Eventing Championships in Avenches, Switzerland from July 22 - 27 2008. The squad, in alphabetical order, is: David Hannigan; Castleview Rakish Milly Joseph O'Brien; Calvin Lauren Persse; Tullibards Squaw Shane Power; Keredern Little Heather Melanie Young; Newtown Westie. The squad have just finished their final training camp in Kildalton College, Piltown and Horse Sport Ireland Eventing Pony Team Manager John Watson said: “All squad members have built well on their form of this year with some excellent work at this final training camp, under trainers Sue Shortt and Sue Smallman.

19/07/08 IRELAND'S Denis Lynch was runner-up in a Medium Tour qualifier at Spangenberg, Germany today (Saturday) with the 11 year-old 'First Love', and he also took a third place in the earlier Young Horse Tour qualifier. Tipperary-born Lynch, who is to be Ireland's sole show jumping representative at the Olympics in Hong Kong next month, was less than half a second off the pace of German winner Gilbert Brockmann in the two-phase qualifier for the Medium Tour, and in the Young Horse class, steered the seven year-old 'Double O Seven' into third place. The Young Horse qualifier was won by Switzerland's Paul Estermann. Spangenberg's three-star Grand Prix will be held on Sunday afternoon.

19/07/08 TWENTY-three year old Ger O'Neill ran up back-to-back victories when he captured the trophy in today's (Saturday) National Grand Prix at the Limerick and District Show in Crecora. The Kilkenny-born rider won the Premier League Grand Prix in Ballina, Co. Mayo last week on Vincent Digby's 'I Caesar', and on his second outing with the horse today added the Limerick ribbon to his collection. Afterwards he said: "I am of course delighted with the result here. This is my second Grand Prix of the season and both have been winners. It was an excellent course, although the combination fence was a bit tricky, and the ground was in good condition." Olive Clarke was less than half a second off the pace of O'Neill to take the runner-up spot at Limerick on John Melia's 'The Nutler's Pantry Spitfield', with the points gained putting her into third place in the ShowJumping Ireland National Grand Prix League.

19/07/08 KILKENNY-born Ivan Dalton had a comfortable win in the 1m45 competition at Cortina d'Ampezzo today (Saturday) riding the German-bred 'Lolly Pop'. Dalton held off a challenge by Italy's Giovanni Consorti, but the Irishman broke the beam by a wide margin of five seconds ahead of the runner-up at the three-star venue. The 22 year-old rider also had a speed win with the horse in Belgium's two-star competition in Bonheiden last month, and in Italy last night (Friday) recorded a third place with 'Corcovado' in the Grand Prix qualifier, which was won by fellow-countryman Cameron Hanley.

19/07/08 AFTER an enforced five week break, Jessica Kurten returned to the international Grand Prix circuit tonight (Saturday) with a second place and a 20,000 euro prize at La Coruna, Spain. Kurten, who had been suspended by the world governing body, the FEI, over a medication issue, rode Lady Georgina Forbes's mare 'Castle Forbes Libertina' and was one of just 13 riders who made it through to the second round of the Grand Prix Telefonica at the four-star show. Austrian Thomas Fruhmann was first to record a double clear round on the Westphalian 'The Sixth Sense', but Ireland's Kurten clocked up the only other double clear of the competition to take the runner-up spot, just over half a second slower than Fruhmann, who earned 25,000 euro for his performance. Ireland's other rider in the Grand Prix, Kilkenny-born Marion Hughes, took a tenth place tonight on 'Heritage Transmission', with the fastest time but four faults in each round.

17/07/08 THE SEVEN HORSES of the Irish Olympic Three Day Event team enter quarantine at 11am today (Thursday) in Aachen, Germany, and will remain there until July 29th. The Irish horses, including two reserve mounts, go into quarantine to ensure they do not carry any infectious diseases with them to the Olympic equestrian facility at Hong Kong. Over 40 Eventing horses from different nations will be quarantined at Aachen, and there are other Olympic quarantine stations situated in different parts of the world. Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Coach Ginny Elliott, herself a four-time Olympic medallist, said today: “ Quarantine is a unique situation, and with the riders facing the biggest competition of their lives in two or three weeks' time, it can be very unsettling for them and their horses, some of whom will not have not experienced quarantine before. ” After Aachen the team will travel to Amsterdam, Holland from where they will fly to Hong Kong. Four of the Irish horses have never flown before.

17/07/08 IRISH Sport Horses achieved results at several shows throughout Europe over the weekend. In Estoril, Portugal, John Whitaker (Gbr) and Casino (ISH) placed sixth in the €20,000 1m50 class. In Vichy, France, Phillip Spivey (Gbr) and Nenagh (ISH) were sixth in the 1m40 class, while in Santander, Spain, Sharon Quigley (Gbr) and Lugana Beach (ISH) finished fourth in the 1m35 class. Results and breeding information are detailed below.