THE Irish Junior (U18) eventing team of Maeve Deverell (Annaharvey Dunowen), Carla Williamson (Powers), Zara McCarthy (Romans Special Envoy) and Katie Gibbons (Milchem Free Spirit) won the team silver medal after an outstanding performance at the FEI Eventing European Championships in Segersjö, Sweden, last week. Deverell also finished individual third to claim the bronze medal at the event.
Ireland began their campaign very well, sitting in third place after a strong performance in the dressage phase on Friday. They moved up to equal second with Great Britain after Saturday’s cross-country, with the Irish quartet producing a stunning performance to add just 0.4 time penalties to move onto a score of 89.6.
The final show jumping phase saw the Irish move clear of Britain to take the team silver medal on a final score of 94.4. Germany took the gold medal with a score of 84.8, while Britain were bronze medal winners on 104.0.
Germany actually swept all four titles at the Championships, with Teresa Leowald and DJ Continus leading the Junior individual Championship from start to finish. The 17-year-old completed on her dressage score of 25.8, just ahead of teammate Iliane Hannalisa Hein and Akeby’s Quemiro Silla on 26.1 and Ireland’s Deverell on 26.8.
All three individual medallists finished on their dressage scores, and with only 1.0 penalty separating them before the final jumping, none could afford a fence down.
“It was a very difficult and tricky situation for me to go as the last rider into the arena, but the conditions here are perfect, and we had a brilliant round,” said Leowald.
Segersjö was Leowald’s first Junior European Championship after competing at Pony level in 2025. DJ Continus, previously a jumping horse, has been competing in eventing for only around 18 months.
Leowald’s other teammates Jona Isabell Heine and Chantilly 38 (31.7 penalties) and Pia Sophie Schreiber with Cliemann (32.9) also finished on their dressage scores for individual sixth and seventh.
Irish team
Individual bronze medallist Deverell led the Irish team charge ahead of Zara McCarthy, who finished in individual ninth, and Williamson, who finished in 10th. McCarthy added just 0.4 time penalties in both jumping phases to a 32.9 dressage score for a 33.7 final score. Carla Williamson added four show jumping and 0.4 time penalties to her dressage score of 29.5 to finish on 33.9. Katie Gibbons added four show jumping penalties to her 34.4 from the dressage phase to finish individually 21st on 38.4.
Also representing Ireland as an individual were Izzy Barrett riding Oakfield Cooley, who finished 28th on 41.5, and Niamh Verkade riding Duniro, who finished 48th on 72.3.
The third-placed team, Great Britain, comprised Arabella Henderson who was individual 11th with Cavalier’s Law, Ella Howard who was individual 15th on Marchwood and Florence Drewitt who was 16th on EG Michealangelo.
The highest-placed Irish Sport Horse among the juniors was Emerald Katie (Sligo Kannan Ball), ridden by Annabel Ridgway (GBR) into fifth place on 28. 3.
“This was a brilliant performance from the Irish Junior Eventing team to win the European team silver medal,” said Irish Horse Board Director General Alison Corbally.
“Congratulations to Carla, Zara, Katie and to Maeve, on an outstanding achievement. It was also fantastic to see that all four of the medal-winning horses were bred in Ireland and congratulations to their breeders.”
German sweep
Chef d’Equipe Karl-Heinz Nothofer had little time to celebrate his double junior victory, with his Young Riders, the eventual victors, still to come.
Here, Mathies Rüder added Young Rider gold to an already impressive youth championship record. Rüder and Hjoptimus claimed the title on their dressage score of 23.7, ahead of Great Britain’s Elizabeth Barratt and Ride For Thais Chaman Dumontceau on 26.0. Pita Schmid (GER) and Favorita V completed the podium on 30.4.
21-year-old Rüder came to Segersjö with an impressive youth championship record, including individual Junior gold in 2022 and team gold in 2023, as well as individual fifth and team bronze at Young Rider level in 2024. He arrived as the reigning German Young Riders’ champion, having won the national title with Hjoptimus at Luhmühlen in July.
The individual title was decided in the final minutes of the Championship. Rüder entered the show jumping just 0.1 penalties behind overnight leader Carl Voigt (GER) and DSP Descansado and produced a composed clear round to remain on 23.7.
Voigt was the last to enter the arena, but two fences down and time penalties dropped him from first to fourth on 32.8. Barratt, competing as an individual for Great Britain, touched the final fence but left it standing, adding just 0.4 time penalties to secure silver, while Schmid’s 0.8 time penalties were enough for bronze.
Team tally
There was far more breathing room for Germany in the young rider team competition, where they completed on 86.9 - 30.8 penalties ahead of Great Britain on 117.7. France rose from fifth after cross-country to take bronze on 120.1, with all three of their counting combinations clear over the coloured fences.
The Irish young rider (U21) team meanwhile finished in eighth place in their competition at the championships, with Ben Connors finishing best of the Irish individually in seventh place.
Connors, riding Zuperlative, was 12th after dressage on 30.6 and rose to fifth after cross-country, after a superb clean sweep. One coloured pole to the floor and 1.2 for time in the final phase saw him lead the Irish field here in seventh place on a total of 35.8.
Team-mate Ciara O’Connor finished on 92.1 for individual 35th with Ashwood Iron Lady, while Amelia McCarthy and Finsceal Endeavour were unfortunately eliminated in the cross-country phase and Jasper Kelly and Agatha Raisin withdrew before dressage.
Riding as an individual, Molly O’Connor and Stillbrook Aoife finished in 23rd after adding 11.2 cross-country time penalties and 13.2 show jumping penalties to a super dressage score of 30. 3 for a final tally of 54.7. Ireland’s other individual rider, Anna Nangle, was unfortunately eliminated on the cross-country with Stroke of Genius.
The highest-placed ISH in this competition was the Michael Hayde-bred Balief de Reve by Hermes De Reve, ridden by Britain’s Ivy Fischer into individual 10th.
Girl power
Speaking after the event was Chef d’Equipe Debbie Byrne, who said: “They were fantastic. It was very positive going and thinking we could medal, because obviously you’ve got to have all the performances coming together - and a bit of luck - and it all felt the correct way.
“Maeve was superb right from the start, obviously with her dressage and for Zara’s pony to only have 0.4 of a time penalty, he was just amazing. He doesn’t think he’s a pony, he thinks he’s 16.2!
“It was a great team effort and it was actually funny that the entire podium was full of girls, and only one male Chef d’Equipe, so it was a real girl power moment. I’m delighted with them.”
Speaking on her arrival home to Ireland, Deverell, who also represented Ireland on the same horse at the Junior Europeans in pure dressage last month, was full of praise for her mount. “He really went in there (to the dressage) and showed off what he could do. I think he definitely finds the eventing tests a bit easier than the FEI junior test!” she said. “We went on the cross-country and he was really good. He was like an arrow the whole way, he just knew exactly what to do. Then, for the show jumping, I was just trying to keep the nerves together - it definitely wasn’t like your usual Saturday show. I tried to not think about it, but there is definitely a lot more pressure.
“There was a lot of emotion after I finished my round. My parents were there and so was my grandad. He actually bought Dunowen’s grandmother, who my dad learned to ride on, from a neighbour and bred him at home, so that was very special.
“I definitely think focusing on pure dressage as well as eventing has helped give us an edge and I hope to continue with that. The Europeans for both disciplines are on the same date next year, so I might have to choose, but there may be a chance to do the dressage at Young Rider level, so we will see!” For now, Dunowen is gettng a well-earned break, while Deverell focuses on some younger horses coming through.
Breeding
Junior European
Championship horses:
Annaharvey Dunowen - 13yo ISH gelding by Radolin, bred by Henry Deverell and owned by Sam Deverell.
Romans Special Envoy - 10yo ISH gelding by Sligo Candy Boy, bred by Kirsten McCarthy and owned by Tom McCarthy.
Powers - 8yo ISH gelding by Colandro, bred by Eileen Duggan and Brendan Hearty and owned by Janet Williamson.
Milchem Free Spirit -14yo ISH mare by Contra A, bred by Ralph Conroy and owned by Marie Dunn.
Duniro - 13yo ISH gelding by Abbeyfield Comet, bred by William Stephenson and owned by Mary Horgan.
Oakfield Cooley - 10yo ISH gelding by Luidam, bred by Peter O’Toole and owned by Kate Barrett.
Young Rider European
Championship horses:
Stillbrook Aoife - 10yo ISH mare by Watermill Swatch, bred by David Wallis and owned by Paul O’Connor.
Ashwood Iron Lady - 9yo ISH mare by Iron Man Van De Padenborre, bred and owned by Sharon O’Connor.
Zuperlative - 9yo AES gelding by Cevin Z, bred by Felicity Collins and owned by Ben and Kieran Connors and Michelle Nelson.
Stroke of Genuis - 16yo ISH gelding by Jacks Delight, bred by Matthew Rogers and owned by Fiona Nangle.
Finsceal Endeavour - 11yo ISH mare by Metrople, bred by Gerald Moynan and owned by Zazel McCarthy.
Agatha Raisin - 10yo ISH mare by OBOS Quality 004, bred by Mary Carter and owned by Lucy Kelly.