THE Irish eventing team captured the bronze medal at the European young rider eventing championships at Strzegom in Poland last weekend, in a hugely impressive performance considering the team were without the benefit of a discard score in the final show jumping phase.

Harold Megahey with Chuckelberry had produced Ireland’s best score of the dressage competition last Friday (44.70) and the team were in fourth position heading into Saturday’s cross country on a combined score of 142.40.

Megahey and Chuckelberry suffered an uncharacteristic refusal at the third element of fence 15 in Saturday’s cross country, before they were eliminated two fences later when they jumped the wrong fence. However Cathal Daniels on the Irish Sport Horse Rioghan Rua, Susie Berry with Carsonstown Athena (ISH) and Tony Kennedy riding Westeria Lane (ISH)(TIH) all completed the cross-country course without any penalties, to leave Ireland in third position heading into the show jumping phase on a score of 150.8, with Germany second on 132.4 and Britain in the lead on 121.9.

All three Irish scores had to count in Sunday’s final jumping competition. Berry and Carsonstown Athena finished with just one fence down, while Kennedy riding Westeria Lane collected eight jumping faults and two time faults. A perfect clear round from 18-year-old Daniels and Rioghan Rua, saw Ireland hold off the challenge from Sweden to take the bronze medal on a score of 164.80, with Germany taking silver (140.40), while Britain held their position to take gold on a score of 128.10. Galway-born Daniels finished in sixth place overall in the individual competition, which was won by Britain’s Will Furlong.

Speaking this week to The Irish Field, Irish young rider high performance manager Sally Corscadden said: “We are all delighted, this is five years in-a-row that we have won eventing young rider European medals. The team were under real pressure from Sweden who were close behind. Our riders jumped brilliantly to get as many clear rounds as we did in the cross-country. Harold was very unlucky, he was probably still thinking about the previous fence when he jumped the wrong course.’’

“Mark Kyle did a great job as our show jumping coach and the team were very confident going into the final day. We could easily have been much closer after dressage, each rider had small mistakes which were probably down to the horses being so fit and fresh. Cathal’s mare in particular did some amazing trot and canter work but she finds the walk difficult as she has so much energy.”

IMPRESSIVE

Corscadden went on to give particular mention to two Irish riders who scored impressive results in the individual standings: “Jamie Nolan who was competing in his very first championships here as an individual, really raised his game,” she said, “He scored a personal best in dressage, jumped a brilliant jumping round and it was really good to have him here. Kelley Hutchinson also had a great championships finishing in 21st position overall. I would like to thanks all the team who helped including our dressage trainer Heike Holstein, team veterinary surgeon Will Lawlor and Jack Hutchinson who drove the truck to Poland. In particular our two grooms Fraiser Kirby and Emma Sayers did a fantastic job and I would also like to thanks our sponsors Gain Horse Feeds, TRM, Horseware Ireland, Berney Bros, and Charles Owen Hats.”