Ireland’s Children On Horses take two Top Five European Finishes

IRELAND’S Children On Horses squad produced an excellent finish in both the team and individual classes at the European Championships in Spain this weekend.

Under Chef d’Equipe Comdt John Ledingham, the team at Vejer de la Frontera finished fourth overall, while in today’s (Sunday) Individual Class, Co. Clare’s Conor McMahon came home in equal fifth on a total of four faults, riding Deirdre Bourns’s Simply Be.

With 12 countries competing for the team prize in Friday’s Nations’ Cup, the Irish quartet produced six clear rounds to finish on a total of just eight faults and narrowly missed a medal in a gruelling four-nation jump off after France had taken the Gold on four faults.

Conor McMahon and Simply Be delivered three clear rounds for the team, while Laois’s Jessica Kuehnle aboard Ashford Farm’s Baby Guinness had two clear rounds and a single mistake in the second round. Jessica Harty from Waterford had an opening clear followed by four faults on Helen Harty’s Young Limerick, but was unlucky in the jump-off round, collecting 12 faults.

Cork’s Jennifer Rea with Deirdre Bourns’s Brecht Van De Romstee had a single time fault first time out, and then an unfortunate 16 fault second round, but recovered well to record just four faults in the vital jump-off round.