Ruane is star of the month

AOIBHINN Ruane has been voted Gain Star of the Month for June, after she won two consecutive Dublin working hunter qualifiers with Birol Nadir’s Zavy Echo. The day after her second win, she was crowned Intermediate Champion at the IPS Western Area Summer Show in Claregalway, before she travelled to Scotland to contest Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Show. There, she achieved the best result among the many Irish competitors when she won the Intermediate working hunter class before being pulled in as reserve champion, again with Zavy Echo. The focus now turns to the Gallagher Dublin Horse Show for the Kilkenny-based Ruane, for which she has also since qualified Birchill Pianoman in the intermediate side saddle section.

Equestrian exhibition opening

ARTIST Tony O’Connor is set to open his first solo exhibition in many years at The Doorway Gallery in Dublin, next Thursday July 30th. Entitled ‘Fire and Shadow’, the collection will feature 18 new pieces with an equestrian theme, some of which move away from O’Connor’s trademark dark background. Tracy Piggott will be present on the night as guest speaker, and the occasion will give attendees the chance to view O’Connor’s work as for the first time in 15 years, he will not be present at the Dublin Horse Show.

Irish teams perform in Hagen

CONGRATULATIONS to the Irish Children on Horses team, who finished fourth at the FEI Jumping European Championships on Friday morning. Ben O’Connor, Zahara Kirby Casola, Ellie Sheane, Charlotte Foley and Lucia Keane, led by Denis Flannelly, jumped two combined rounds of team jumping on a zero score to remain on their opening day tally of 13.30. Great Britain took home the gold medal, with The Netherlands runners up and Germany in bronze. Individually, Sheane with Monbeg Hendricks and Keane with Elia will both jump in Sunday’s final. At time of print, we had just learned that the Irish Young Riders team of Tom Wachman, Coen Williams, Ben Walsh, Tabitha Kyle and Tim Brennan finished second in their team event at the championships. A full report on the Europeans will appear in next week’s edition.

Nations Cup podium place

THERE was a podium finish overnight on Thursday for Ireland in the CSIO3* Nations Cup at Traverse City. The team of Christian Coyle (Ballyoskill Big Bucks), Dylan Daly (Cinderella Z), Paul O’Shea (Manglar LS La Silla) and Shane Sweetnam (Pegina VD Bisschop) finished third on a final tally of 24 faults. Meanwhile, at the Nations Cup in Hickstead on Friday, the Irish team of David Simpson (Pjotr van de Kruishoeve), Lt. Michaeli Byrne (MHS Claregalway), Shane Breen (Scarteen) and Conor Swail (Clonterm Obolensky) finished second. Further reports on these events will appear in next week’s edition.

Correction

LAST week’s edition carried a Breeders 10 column featuring Julie Radden where a picture of Julie referred to her horse Galileo Dance as having won the Croker Cup ‘last year’. Galileo Dance in fact won the Cup in 2024 and the 2025 winner was Alhebayeb owned by the McCarthys of Meelin Stud, Bandon Co Cork.