IRELAND’S younger show jumping representatives headed to Zuidwolde in The Netherlands last week for the FEI Youth Nations Cup Show, which ran from Wednesday until Sunday.

Billy Sinnott was first off the mark for Ireland, when he rode Macgyver into seventh place in Wednesday’s Spruce Meadows Prize Young Riders’ Big Tour class, while in Thursday’s Corton Prize Young Riders’ Small Tour class, Alex O’Connor and Carreras 12 placed 10th.

Cian McMunn placed fifth in the day’s Anemone Horsetrucks Prize CSIJY Small Tour class riding Bellevue Celestial (ISH).

In the Ponies Nations Cup on Thursday, Ireland finished a very commendable second behind Great Britain. The team consisted of Robbie Sheehan, Ella Rush, Saoirse O’Neill and Cathal McKeon-Devaney and, following a first-round score of four (equal to Great Britain), the team finished round two on zero, as did Great Britain. A jump-off was required to determine which team would win and both teams again finished on zero. It was down to time to decide and the British team just clinched it in a very close finish.

Individually, the four Irish riders all finished in the top seven, with Sheehan second, Rush fourth, McKeon-Devaney fifth and O’Neill seventh.

In the Big Tour Ponies In Between class, Georgia De Bromhead rode Shamrock Du Gite into sixth place, followed by Chantal Whitehead on Alonsa in eighth.

There was a huge turnout of 17 teams for the Junior Nations Cup on Friday, where Ireland finished third. The team of Cian McMunn, Jamie Clarke, James Derwin and Senan Reape (and Ruby Lily Gaines in reserve) finished the first round on a zero score, but round two resulted in a score of eight faults.

Germany took the win on a zero score, followed by The Netherlands, who picked up just a single time penalty.

Individually, Reape rode Creevagh Special (ISH) into second place, while McMunn placed 10th with Oberon van’t Lohof.

In the Ponies’ Small Tour class, De Bromhead and Coppenagh Gatsby placed fourth, while in the Young Riders’ Nations Cup, Ireland finished sixth of 12 teams on a score of 25. Belgium won the class on a score of eight, followed by Great Britain in second on 13 and Germany in third on 16.

There was a run on fifth places on Saturday, as Brid Ryan on GCS Jasmine (ISH) finished fifth in the Juniors Small Tour class, while Ellie Sheane on Monbeg Hendricks (ISH) also placed fifth in the Children’s Grand Prix and Ben Walsh rode Zenith Vd Donkhoeve Z into fifth place in the Young Riders’ Small Tour class.

The Ponies’ Grand Prix saw three Irish riders finish in the top 10. Whitehead placed third with Alonsa, Rush on Galaxy V were fourth and De Bromhead on Coppenagh Gatsby were ninth.

In Sunday’s Junior Grand Prix, Ryan rode Cariati D’Elsendam Z into ninth place from the 95 starters and Benjamin O’Connor took fourth place in the Children’s Small Tour class on board Katy Perry Terma Wm.

Ben Walsh was back with another top-10 placing, this time finishing ninth in the Young Riders’ Grand Prix riding Zenith Vd Donkhoeve Z.