HOPEFULLY, having seen the Irish eventing team win silver at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina, Banbridge-born Paddy Young will be inspired when he attends the three-day event at Plantation Field near his home in Unionville, Pennsylvania tomorrow.

It’s not that he decided to skip the dressage and cross-country phases and go straight to show jumping in the international event, Paddy is competing in the Real Rider Cup “a celebrity charity equestrian competition aimed at bridging the gap between the on-track and off-track worlds … the event consists of four teams of four riders, with each team representing a different sector of the racing community. Each rider will be mounted on an off-track thoroughbred and together they navigate a stadium jumping course, trying to keep the rails up and beat the clock.”

As he continues to recover from the very serious head injuries he received in a fall at the Radnor Races in May last year, Paddy has been riding out daily for his trainer wife Leslie who commented: “He has schooled and worked horses. To see him on a horse, so natural as he used to be, is wonderful. He is a much happier person when he is on a horse.

“He’s looking forward to Sunday’s show jumping competition which is to raise money for the retired racehorse project.”

Paddy, whose late father Leo was as much at home on a show jumper as on a racehorse, will be competing as a member of the Exercise Riders Team who are taking on the Owners, Racing Analysts and Trainers.

There is one Irish rider that we know of competing at the event, Westport-born, Virginia-based Tim Bourke who has five mounts entered over two grades. Tim’s horses are all Irish-bred as are a host of others throughout the classes. Scarteen joint-Master and huntsman Chris Ryan is one of the commentators for the cross-country phase of the event and he would have Paddy’s pedigree worked out if he was to commentate on the Real Rider Cup as well.