James Kernan named interim Chef d’Equipe of Irish Children, Junior and Young Rider Show Jumping teams

Horse Sport Ireland are delighted to announce that James Kernan has taken up the position as interim Chef d’Equipe of the Irish Children, Junior and Young Rider Show Jumping teams.

From Crossmaglen in County Armagh, James Kernan (pictured left), has a wealth of experience as a rider and trainer. He was crowned Junior European Show Jumping champion at Lucerne, Switzerland in 1974. He represented Ireland at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, finishing as the highest placed Irish rider with the stallion Touchdown, and together they were part of the winning Aga Khan team at Dublin Horse Show the same year. James was part of the famous Irish team that won the Aga Khan trophy three years in-a-row from 1977 to 1979 at the RDS in Dublin.

Speaking after his appointment, James Kernan said:

“I have been Chairman of the Children, Junior and Young Rider Show Jumping High Performance committee for the last three years. We have done extremely well under the leadership of Comdt John Ledingham, including winning the Young Rider team gold medal last year in Millstreet and I wanted to keep the momentum going and bring back more medals for Ireland. We currently have a very strong group of dedicated riders in all underage sections.”

Horse Sport Ireland interim CEO James Kennedy added:

“We are delighted to have James Kernan acting as interim Chef d’Equipe of the Children, Junior and Young Rider Show Jumping teams. He brings wealth of experience and we wish James all the best.”