THE Future Champions FEI Jumping Nations Cup Youth show at Hagen in Germany (June 10th to 14th) started well for Ireland’s pony riders, as the 1.25m two-phase special produced a one-two in the form of Ella Rush on Birchgrove Blue Delight (31.51) and Robbie Sheehan on Daytona (31.89) respectively.

Ireland’s Young Rider team then pulled off a remarkable comeback to finish third of eight teams in their Nations Cup class on Friday afternoon. The first round did not quite go to plan for Denis Flannelly’s squad, when they accrued 26 faults. Tim Brennan on Diadema Della Caccia picked up just four faults, while James Brennan on MHS November Rain collected 11, as did Aidan O’Brien on Gisborne VDL. Coen Williams on Dominante Z provided the discard score of 12 faults.

Things improved significantly in round two, when both Tim Brennan and O’Brien jumped clear, while James Brennan picked up a single time penalty. Williams’ score of three faults was once again discarded to leave the team on a second-round score of one and an overall total of 27, which was good enough for third place. Belgium won on 15 faults, with Italy runners-up on 21. Meanwhile, the Junior squad was very unlucky not to make it to their second round, despite finishing round one on just four faults - their time put them outside the top eight teams who progressed to round two.

Alice Wachman on Killarney placed eighth in Friday’s 1.45m speed class.

The Pony squad of Sam Widger on BP Bon Jovi, Jack Dore on K-Little Hero, Saoirse O’Neill on Barravalley Glory and Ted Fagan on Ballyfore Rosie finished second in Saturday’s Pony Nations Cup class. Widger and Dore both jumped clear first time out, with O’Neill picking up just two time penalties and Fagan’s score of eight being discarded to put the team on a halfway score of two. All four riders jumped flawless rounds second time out to finish on an overall total of two. They were only beaten by Great Britain, who finished on zero. Sweden completed the podium in third on four faults.

The day’s pony 1.30m speed class saw Rush place seventh on Galaxy V and Chantal Whitehead on Alonssa placed eighth.

There was another runner-up placing for Ireland in the Children On Horses Nations Cup class, when the team of Benjamin O’Connor (Fox Chapel), Charlotte Foley (Cillbhrid Excel), Blathnaid Murphy (Godiva Quality) and Lucia Keane (Elia) finished joint second of 11 teams, alongside Germany and the Netherlands, all on a four-fault total.

O’Connor and Keane both jumped clear in round one, with Foley picking up four faults and Murphy’s 12 being discarded for a first-round total of four. In round two, all four riders jumped clear, with O’Connor and Keane completing double clear rounds, for an overall team total of four.

Katelynn Horgan on Ajaccienne placed fifth in the Children On Horses 1.30m speed class when clear in 70.33.

Sunday’s 1.30m Children On Horses Grand Prix saw Lucia Keane take the win riding Elia, with Zahara Kirby Casola on Seraphine van het Weidse Hof in sixth and Horgan on Ajaccienne in eighth.

Jack Dore followed up with a win in the 1.30m Pony Grand Prix on board K-Little Hero, with the best of just four double clear rounds, followed by Robbie Sheehan on Pjotr van de Groenheuvel in ninth place.

Tim Brennan on Diadema Della Caccia finished on the podium in third in the 1.45m Young Rider Grand Prix, while James Brennan on MHS November Rain placed sixth and Alice Wachman on Killarney finished eighth.