IRELAND’S leading riders across youth, amateur and international divisions were recognised for outstanding performances over the past season at the Showjumping Ireland awards last Saturday night at the Newpark Hotel Kilkenny.
TRM Spring Tour League Winner Robin Carey opened the season in exceptional form with Luicruiz, clinching the TRM Spring Tour title after wins at Maryville, Tipperary and Barnadown, completing a remarkable hat-trick. With six double clears from seven rounds, and placings at JAG and Warrington, Carey sealed the league in Coilog and also added a North Star 1.35m victory at the Irish Breeders Classic.
The National Young Rider Champion title went to Ruby Lily Gaines, who rode Castle Lux Clover to the top spot at Mullingar after a two-day points contest where she won on Saturday and finished third on Sunday. Castle Lux Clover previously represented Ireland on the Children’s European team in 2023, and the pair have also enjoyed a Young Rider win at 1.25m level at the Dublin Horse Show.
Colm Fitzpatrick was crowned National AA Amateur Champion following an exceptional year with Maretto Flight and Bluestone Diamond Fly. His Mullingar performances included victories in the Aloga Amateur Power and Speed and Paddy Mullen Memorial Amateur Grand Prix, alongside first and third in the Demlay Equestrian Amateur One-Round Speed. With 11 class wins across the season and an early Grand Prix triumph at JAG Equestrian, Fitzpatrick also competed at the RDS Amateur Championship in 2024.
Nadia Rea from the Irish Horse Board presents Eoin Brennan with his award at the SJI The Showjumpers Awards Ball 2025
The National A Amateur Champion, Kate Houlihan, achieved major success with Boss Z. She topped the Peter Dargan Memorial Farmers Journal Championship and placed fifth in the Paddy Mullen Amateur Memorial Grand Prix. A derby win and Veredus Table C Speed success at Cavan were further highlights of her year, alongside triple clears at Galway to secure qualification for the Dublin Horse Show.
Team success
Two of Ireland’s European Championship teams were awarded on the night for their medal-winning ways. A standout highlight of the season saw Ireland’s Junior riders secure European gold in Riesenbeck. Alice Wachman (Killarney), Emily Moloney (Temple Alice), Tabitha Kyle (BP Goodfellas), Jack Kent, and Paddy Reape (Mr Rocky Blue) claimed top honours with a team score of 6.99, finishing ahead of the Netherlands and Belgium. Clear rounds from Reape, Kyle, Wachman and Moloney were instrumental under proud Chef d’Equipe Denis Flannelly.
There was also major European success for the Ireland Young Rider Team, as Tom Wachman (Oboras Laura), Niamh McEvoy (BP Rocket Man), Max Foley, Coen Williams (Floris R Z), and Timmy Brennan (Diadema della Caccia) brought home the silver medal in Riesenbeck. Their score of 7.61 placed them just behind Belgium, with some superb clear jumping from Wachman, Williams, Brennan and McEvoy.
The Premier Performance National Grand Prix Champion, Francis Connors, enjoyed wins in Charleville, Maryville and Hollypark with Carrigshawn Vendi Royal, alongside placings in CoilÓg and Barnadown. He secured the title at the Irish Breeders Classic and also collected the Mervue Equine Leinster Summer Tour 1.35m Championship riding RNH Valentino. Further success came with a third-place Grand Prix result at Millstreet CSI2*, all while running the popular Ballylawn Show.
Niamh McEvoy added another major accolade as the Plusvital Premier Series National Champion riding Olympic GL FVD. With six Grand Prix wins - Barnadown, Mullingar, Maryville, Cavan, Tattersalls and the Irish Breeders Classic - her season extended internationally with a CSI5* Dublin Stakes victory aboard Flora du Mesnil and a six-year-old World Championship silver medal at Lanaken on BP Othello, following her previous Lanaken five-year-old gold with Orange de Baugy. She also reached the CSI4* 1.55m Andalucia Grand Prix podium during the season.
Nadia Rea from the Irish Horse Board presents Eoin Brennan with his award at the SJI The Showjumpers Awards Ball 2025
Outstanding achievement
Michael Pender earned the Irish Horse Board Outstanding Achievement Award as FEI WBFSH five-year-old World Champion with HHS Private Ryan, bringing his WBFSH medal count to eight. His year included major wins at the Irish Breeders Classic, two victories at the Dublin Horse Show with HHS Fortune, second in the Boomerang with HHS Venice, a Balmoral Premier Series win on Madgeslane Louis, and a Nations Cup double clear in Abu Dhabi on HHS Los Angeles.
The seven-year-old World Champion, Eoin Brennan, was also honoured for his FEI WBFSH title with his homebred Augustus Z. His season featured a fourth-place finish in the six-year-old final at Dublin on GCS Angelina and he was a Lanaken consolation runner-up with Fernhill SDF Five Star. He also qualified three other horses for the RDS - MHS Attractive, Fernhill SDF Five.
Double European gold medallist Emily Moloney was named International Junior Rider of the Year after winning both team and individual titles in Riesenbeck on Temple Alice. She secured a Junior Grand Prix win in Opglabbeek with Tick A Lu, jumped triple clear in the Junior Nations Cup there, finished second in the Nations Cup Final at Lier, and claimed a CSI2* 1.30m victory in Mullingar with Cruising on the Ridge. She also qualified three horses for the Dublin Horse Show.
The J Ryan Group International Young Rider of the Year, Tom Wachman, excelled on the world stage with multiple wins in Wellington on I’m Here, podium finishes in CSI5* and CSI4* Grands Prix, and a Nations Cup win in La Baule. He delivered the best Irish result in Rotterdam, jumped double clear in the Aga Khan at Dublin alongside a win in the Anglesea Speed Stakes, placed fifth individually at the Europeans, and recently captured his first career 5* Grand Prix at Olympia. He also received the prestigious Longines FEI Rising Star Award.
Finally, Seamus Hughes Kennedy was recognised as Aloga Equestrian Rookie of the Year after a breakthrough Senior European Championships, finishing fifth individually with five clears and only one time fault on ESI Rocky. His season also included top results in Vejer, Lier, Balmoral, Rome, La Baule and an unforgettable double clear on his debut Aga Khan appearance at Dublin.