THE Irish Sport Horse Studbook Young Breeders’ team, who contested the 2026 WBFSH International Young Breeders’ World Championships, which were held at the Celle State Stud in Germany from July 16th to 19th, has come home with both team and individual silver medals.

The team of Robert Deegan, Faye Delaney, Edward Hennessy, Ben Kavanagh, Sarah Kavanagh Ellen McWey, Rowan-Alice Murphy and Ashling Wall finished as reserve champions, behind the host nation, while McWey also secured the runner-up spot individually.

At this 12th running of the championship, 19 studbooks were represented by competitors of 10 different nationalities. Participants completed a theory test of 50 questions, assessed conformation of four horses, athleticism (movement and jump) of a further five horses and presented an unfamiliar horse in-hand over three days of competition. Ben Kavanagh finished in gold position for athleticism assessment in the junior age group and ninth overall individually, just ahead of Faye Delaney. Sarah Kavanagh placed 14th individually in the senior group.

Teagasc Equine specialist and team trainer, Wendy Conlon, said: “To achieve the title of Reserve World Champion is a tremendous reward for the dedication, commitment and teamwork these young breeders have shown throughout their preparation. They embraced every challenge with professionalism, worked enthusiastically to develop their skills, and supported each other every step of the way. Representing the Studbook on the world stage is a privilege, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they conducted themselves.

“This result reflects not only their hard work, but also the strength of our young breeders’ training programme and the many people who contributed to their journey. The success achieved is a testament to the talent, commitment and enthusiasm of the young people themselves, and to the strong collaboration between Teagasc, Horse Sport Ireland, young breeder tutors Tiernan Gill, Damien Griffin, Andrew Hughes, and Philip Scott, and the many Irish stud farms and production stables that have generously supported training and championship preparation. We look forward to building on this success in the years ahead.”

The young breeders’ programme, which is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and delivered by Horse Sport Ireland and Teagasc, provides young people with opportunities to develop expertise in horse breeding, conformation assessment, presentation, and evaluation, while fostering friendships and networks across the equine sector. The programme is open to all young people between the ages of 15 to 30 years, and participants do not have to be breeders or horse owners themselves.