SPLAINE NAMES IRISH SQUAD FOR FIRST EUROPEAN NATIONS’ CUP

IRISH show jumping manager Robert Splaine today (Friday) announced the show jumping squad who will represent their country in this year’s first European Nations’ Cup of the elite FEI Furusiyya super league series.

A five-star competition, the Nations’ Cup will be held at Lummen in Belgium on May 2nd.

The squad of five, from which four will be selected as the Irish team, is, in alphabetical order:

Bertram Allen with Molly Malone
Dermot Lennon with Loughview Lou Lou (ISH)
Mark McAuley with Isco de Miranda 
Thomas Ryan with Caribo 
Billy Twomey with Diaghilev 

Though Lummen will attract some of the world’s top combinations, Splaine has elected not to count Lummen as one of Ireland’s point-scoring competitions in the series.

Under the new rules introduced in 2013, the world’s top show jumping nations may compete in eight venues but will only be able to gain points in four.

For Ireland these will be La Baule, France (May 15-18), Rotterdam, Holland (18-22 June), Hickstead, Britain (31 July-3 August) and Dublin Horse Show (6-10 August).

Robert Splaine