IRISH eventers once again proved themselves with an impressive performance in the four-star FEI Nations Cup at Boekelo in The Netherlands. It wasn’t to be for the team, but three Irish riders finished in the top 10 individually - all three of them riding Irish Sport Horses. Best of these was Sarah Ennis on board Grantstown Jackson (ISH), who kept a clean sheet in the jumping phases to finish on their dressage score in seventh place.

In fact, there was a fourth Irish Sport Horse in the top 10, as Britain’s Caroline Harris rode the David Harrison-bred Cooley Mosstown (Celtic Hero B Z (ZANG lic. ISH) x Rabaila (HOLST) by Riverman (HOLST)) into fourth place.

Dag Albert’s Irish senior eventing team of Padraig McCarthy on MGH Zabaione (ISH) (Zavall VDL x Vancara VDL by Acobat II), bred by the rider; Georgie Goss on Kojak; Susie Berry on John The Bull (ISH) (Luidam x Think About It by Houmayoun), bred by James Byrne in Westmeath; and Joseph Murphy on Calmaro made a great start in the dressage, with a score of 87.7 penalties putting them in second place after the first phase - just behind Britain on 87.1.

Individually after dressage, McCarthy sat third on a score of 27.4, while Goss was in 17th on 30.1, Berry in 19th (30.2) and Murphy in 21st on (30.3).

A strong performance on the cross-country course, despite the elimination of Goss and Kojak after a fall, looked like it had moved Ireland into the lead with a score of 91.5, with Britain in second on 92.3 and France in third on 96.1 before the show jumping phase. However, a review of Laura Collett’s (GBR) score with Count Onyx put the British team on 87.9 and into the lead, with Ireland in second and France in third.

McCarthy had appeared to move up to second place on 27.8, just behind New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell riding the Irish Sport Horse Speedwell [previously MGH Natrix] (Cobra x Me Two by Warrenstown You), bred by Ronan Tynan in Kilkenny, on 27.1, but the review of Collett’s score moved her into back the first place she held after dressage on 26.9.

There was disappointment for the Irish squad when Murphy withdrew Calmaro prior to the final horse inspection and, with the team already down to just three riders after Goss’s cross-country elimination, it put Ireland out of the running for a team place.

Change of fortune

Sunday’s show jumping phase changed the fortunes, with fences down and time penalties costing placings across the board. Sarah Ennis on board the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Grantstown Jackson (Clover Brigade x Winning Lass by Right Win), bred by Caroline Widger in Co Waterford and owned by Peter Cole and Susanna Francke, was among those who kept all the coloured poles standing to finish on their dressage score of 31.3 to place seventh and claim the accolade of being the best of the Irish.

Ennis was in 34th place after dressage, but moved up to 18th after cross-country, before their clear show jumping round (one of only four in the top 10) moved them up again. McCarthy and MGH Zabaione were extremely unlucky to knock the first fence and add four faults to their dressage score, putting them on 31.8 at the finish in eighth place - just three faults off the winning score. Berry and John The Bull also had a pole down to put them on 34.2 in 10th place.

The individual win went to Lara de Lidekerke-Meier (BEL) with Kiarado d’Arville, who sat sixth after dressage on 28.4, but remained clear on the cross-country and incurred just 0.4 time penalties in the show jumping for a final winning score of 28.8.

Team success went Britain. European champion Collett was joined on the team by Yasmin Ingham (Gypsie du Loir), Caroline Harris with the David Harrison-bred Irish Sport Horse Cooley Mosstown (Celtic Hero BZ x Riverman) and Tom Jackson with United 36. Germany were crowned the 2025 FEI Eventing Nations Cup champions.