TIPPERARY’s Olivia Swan had a disappointing start to her international career last year but, following two much improved performances in internationals and a second-place finish in the national championships last September, she has had an excellent start to 2019 with her mother Carol’s Rockon Pedro.

The combination won a very competitive EI110 (P) at Tyrella (1) in March and were then second in similar company at Clyda (1) to Susan Shanahan and Little Indian Feather. On Sunday, following the concluding cross-country phase, Shanahan had to settle for third as Swan recorded her first international success in the CCI2*-S for ponies.

On a score of 32.4 penalties, Co Laois’s Grace Tyrrell and Fiona’s Fionn led after Friday’s dressage phase which was judged by John Lyttle (C) and Bernie Foley (B). Swan at this stage was in second with Rockon Pedro, sharing that spot on 33.7 with Co Westmeath’s Holly Love riding Cloughreagh Charlie. Shanahan and Little Indian Feather were lying fourth on 35.9.

Unfortunately, these young riders did not fare very well in Sunday’s show jumping phase. Not one of them went clear while Tyrrell and Brian Kuehnle, the latter on Tullibards Sixth Sense AC, both picked up 24 penalties over the Tony Hurley-built track.

There were far better performances across the country later in the day although Geoffrey Gibbons picked up 20 jumping penalties when Coolnaleen Rebel ducked out at the first skinny element of the castle water at 16 while Cloughreagh Charlie did so at the third, both also incurring a small number of time penalties.

Among Swan’s many supporters at the finish and again at the presentation were her parents, Charlie and Carol, and her maternal grandparents Timmy and Trish Hyde. On Saturday, they had congratulated two of their Westmeath grandchildren, Jodie and Ted O’Leary, on recording a double in Finvoy.

This is Swan’s final year in ponies and the 15-year-old Junior certificate student is very much hoping to be selected for the European team with Rockon Pedro who she only began competing in March last year. The eight-year-old grey gelding is by the Connemara stallion Newtown Pedro and was bred in Co Down by Brenda Andrews out of the Supreme Edge mare Gasoline Alley.

“I was disappointed to have a show jump down but I had no problem at all across the country,” said Swan who is coached by the team trainers, Sue Smallman and Tom Doherty.

With four show jumping penalties but coming home clear within the time across the country, Ruth Burke moved up into second (41.1) with her father Michael’s 10-year-old grey gelding Atlantic Dreamer, winners last time out at Crecora.

The rider wasn’t at all sound when walking to the podium having been kicked earlier in the day.

Susan Shanahan finished third with last year’s European pony team and individual gold winner, Little Indian Feather (41.9), whose previous rider, Britain’s Saffie Osborne, was present to see her at the weekend while she was winning the Junior class at the event.