JESSICA Kurten today (Wednesday) scooped The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council ‘Sportswoman of the Month Award’ for February, her seventh time to win the category since the awards began in 2004. The award was given following her triumph at the World Cup class in Gothenburg with 'Castle Forbes Libertina', which lifted Kurten to third in the World Cup rankings and guaranteed her place in the World Cup final in Geneva next month..

IRISH riders will be flying the flag in six different countries this weekend, in jumping, eventing and dressage. In Wellington, Florida, three members of last week's third-placed Irish Nations' Cup team will be joined by Andrew Bourns for the three-star show, where a World Cup Qualifying class takes place on Saturday.

TEAM Ireland Equestrian Jumping Manager Robert Splaine has declared the Irish team that will take part in the four-star Florida Nations' Cup in Wellington, USA this week (Friday March 5). The Irish team is (in alphabetical order): Kevin Babington; Souvenir, Darragh Kenny; Obelix and Gale Force, Richie Moloney; Brooke van de Zuuthoeve, Shane Sweetnam: Rolette and Zamiro 16,

A TOTAL of 36 Irish riders will campaign in competitions throughout the world this weekend with 139 horses, 40 of them Irish-bred. Team Ireland Equestrian will be represented in Show Jumping, Eventing and Dressage in three locations in Florida, two in Portugal and one each in California, Germany, Spain and France. Highlight of the weekend should be the US Nations' Cup in Wellington, Florida.

IRELAND'S Jessica Kurten today (Sunday) won the Swedish World Cup Qualifier class at Gothenburg's five-star show with Lady Georgina Forbes's mare 'Castle Forbes Libertina', while fellow Northerner Dermott Lennon claimed third place.

WITH a top class international field lining out for tonight's (Friday) big jump-off class at Gothenburg, Sweden, two Irish riders made it into the top ten, with Antrim-born Jessica Kurten claiming the runner-up spot on Lady Georgina Forbes's gifted mare 'Castle Forbes Libertina'.
The competition, a qualifier for Sunday's World Cup class at the five-star show, saw nine combinations make it through to the second round from a startlist of 46.

THE WORLD Cup Qualifier at Gothenburg in Sweden will be the highlight of a very busy weekend for members of Team Ireland Equestrian, with participation in a total of seven shows across the world. Jessica Kurten, Billy Twomey and Dermott Lennon are the show jumpers in action at the five-star Swedish venue, where the main World Cup competition takes place on Sunday afternoon.

INTERNATIONAL horse sport has a new European association, the European Equestrian Federation (EEF), the FEI has announced. The new body was established yesterday (18th February) by 27 European National Federations present at a meeting in Warendorf (Germany).

HORSE Sport Ireland has confirmed that all horses ridden by Irish riders from which samples were taken for drug and medication testing in 2009 were negative. In total 107 horses and ponies were tested by the international governing body, the FEI, during international competition in 2009 and it has been confirmed that all were negative.

IN response to the tragic earthquake, which rocked Haiti last month, the FEI is inviting the equestrian community to gather financial support. Funds collected will be sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) to assist both organisations in their efforts towards the rebuilding of the sports movement and local sports installations in Haiti once local conditions permit.