Para Dressage squad named ahead of European Championships

Debora Pijpers names athletes to represent Ireland at the upcoming championships in Germany 

Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) announce Para Dressage squad to represent Ireland at the 2023 European Championships taking place in Riesenbeck, Germany from the 4^th to the 10^th of September.

The squad travelling, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

• Jessica McKenna and Davidoff 188, from Co Cork
• Michael Murphy and Cleverboy
• Katie Reilly and Impulz W, from Co Kildare
• Sarah Slattery and Savona, from Co Galway

Reserves, in alphabetical order:

• Helen Kearney with Tjornelys Zensation
• Michael Murphy with Dark Diamond

Debora Pijpers

Speaking about the announcement, Debora Pijpers, High Performance Para Dressage Director with HSI, said: “It has been exciting for me to see this year that several new promising CPEDI3* combinations have entered the Irish para dressage stage. The selected combinations for the European Championships are a mix of seasoned experience in Michael Murphy, and upcoming pathway athletes in Jessica McKenna, Sarah Slattery and Katie Reilly.

“Our official goal is a top 11 finish with the team, but our high-performance heart drives us to go after the challenging task of wanting to acquire a team qualification slot for the Paralympic Games.

“Our main focus will be on training individual improvements per rider and on creating such a team environment and management that we enable each individual athlete to perform at their best. If we achieve that, I am very happy!

“I am grateful for the support of HSI, Sport Ireland and Para Equestrian Ireland: together we will continue to build on a structured programme to provide a solid basis for performances.”