TIPPERARY’S Tom Wachman has had great success in recent times and added to his tally of podium finishes at last week’s FEI Jumping European Championship for Children, Juniors and Young Riders at Hagen in Germany.
Having already made his presence felt at the show, Sunday started on a very positive note for 21-year-old Wachman and Do It Easy, who jumped clear to take the silver medal in the Young Rider (U21) 1.50m individual championship, after being on the silver medal-winning Irish Young Rider team at the venue on Friday.
Just like his fellow Irish man Jack Kent, who went on to win Junior Individual gold later in the day, Wachman went into the final individual contest in fifth place, but another perfect double clear moved them up to second.
Wachman’s final score of 1.62, maintained from the first competition, was only bettered by Italy’s Greta Lepratti on Mercy van’t Ruytershof, who scored 0.58 to claim gold. Britain’s Noora von Bülow and Primavera took the bronze medal on 4.00.
Speaking afterwards, Wachman told The Irish Field: “I was delighted - it is very difficult to get those medals at those championships and I was delighted to be selected for the team by Denis Flanelly, who does a brilliant job.
“It’s great to ride alongside such talented young riders and great to be a part of the whole thing.”
Of his horse, Do It Easy, Wachman said: “He’s a brilliant horse and he’s done a lot for me and my career. It’s a great team of people that I work with and I’m just very lucky to be in the position I’m in.” The combination now head to the international classes at next week’s Dublin Horse Show.
Wachman is trained by Cian O’Connor who said: “I couldn’t be more proud of Tom’s achievement. To have been with him since his first pony Europeans in 2018 and to now reach the end of his young rider career in 2026 has been a special journey. Brilliant horses, fantastic people supporting us, Tom’s unwavering belief and sheer grit, culminating in eight medals throughout his youth career. But perhaps what’s even more special than all that is the top class man he has become.”
Team Ireland pictured in second place on the podium along with winners Team Netherland and third-placed Team Belgium in the Young Rider team championship at the FEI Jumping European Championship for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2026 at Hagen
Team silver
The championships had got off to a good start for Ireland’s Young Riders on Tuesday, when the Young Rider 1.45m individual class saw Timmy Brennan finish best of the Irish, placing second of the 80 starters with Diadema della Caccia, while Tabitha Kyle on Desterly placed eighth.
The first Young Rider team competition saw the Irish squad place second of the 15 teams taking part, with a score of 3.11. On Friday, Team Ireland’s Young Rider squad of Wachman, Brennan, Kyle, Ben Walsh and Coen Williams finished as runners-up in the final Young Rider 1.50m team competition with an overall score of 11.11 - which included fantastic double clear rounds for both Kyle on Desterly and Wachman on Do It Easy.
The Netherlands completed with an unbeatable score of 5.80 to take the win, with Belgium taking the bronze on 16.68.
Children on horses
The Irish Children on Horses team of Charlotte Foley, Ellie Sheane, Ben O’Connor, Lucia Keane and Zahara Kirby Casola finished 11th of 19 teams contesting the first Children on Horses (COH) 1.25m team competition.
The second COH 1.30m team competition saw Ireland in seventh place on a score of 13.30. In Friday’s final, they added nothing to their first round tally to finish on 13.30 just off the podium in fourth place. Great Britain took the gold on 5.61; The Netherlands claimed silver on 7.10 and Germany took bronze on 10.47.
The result included clear rounds for two Irish-bred horses on the team, with Foley on the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cillbhrid Excel, bred by Richard Power, and Sheane on the 12-year-old ISH gelding Monbeg Hendricks, bred by Michael Byrne, both keeping all the fences intact.
The final COH (U14) individual class, at a height of 1.30m, saw Lucia Keane and Elia finish just off the podium in fourth place. The pair added nothing further to their score of 3.51 from the first class, which was just a fraction behind Germany’s Mila Osing on Capitaine who took bronze on 3.10. Dutch winner Pedro Mansur on Hotmail des Forets was the worthy winner with the only zero score. Tabby Morgan-Evans (GBR) on Catoki took silver.
Junior team
The Irish Junior (U18) Show Jumping team of Annie Boland (Calisto Blanc), Jack Kent (Ollie van de Klotputten), Cian McMunn (Oberon van ‘t Lohof), Senan Reape (Creevagh Special (ISH)) and Brid Ryan (Cariati d’Elsendam Z) were seventh of the 20 teams after the first Junior 1.40m team competition.
Thursday afternoon saw the final Junior 1.40m team competition being held, with Ireland finishing in eighth place on 17.63. Germany took the win on their first-round score of 5.30, with all combinations jumping clear in round two.
Saturday saw the final Junior 1.40m team competition being held, with Ireland finishing eighth on 21.63. Germany took first place on a score of 9.30, with Great Britain taking silver on 11.59 and Switerland the bronze on 13.87.