IT was a night of glitz and glamour as pony riders and their parents travelled to the annual SJI Pony awards ceremony at the Mullingar Park Hotel last Saturday night. Tickets sold out quickly, with over 500 tickets being bought last December. The event featured more than 40 awards recognising national and international achievements.
Pony Committee chairman Killian McCarthy offered sincere thanks to the Awards Committee, to Rhiannon Maher and to the SJI office and to all those who worked tirelessly to organise the event. He acknowledged the work of the riders, their families, trainers and support teams.
He also extended thanks to all the sponsors and show centres around the country, saying: “We are deeply grateful to our valued sponsors, whose generosity and continued support allow us to run leagues, shows and competitions across the country each year.
“A special word of appreciation also goes to my fellow committee members, who give so freely of their time and energy to ensure the success of our pony programmes.
“We are delighted to contribute funds to Crumlin’s Children’s Hospital through the Children’s Foundation, a cause close to the hearts of many within our community. As always, the majority of the proceeds raised from the event go towards running our National Pony Championships, which once again proved to be a fantastic and memorable show in 2025.”
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Pony Masters Under 10 final award recipients Emily Mason, Saoirse Murphy and Jack Derwin at the SJI Pony Awards in Mullingar last Saturday \ Emma McCabe Epic Management
During the week, there was an online auction and, alongside the awards on the night, 14 lots were auctioned off after the award ceremony, with all proceeds donated to Crumlin Children’s Hospital through the Children’s Health Foundation, helping to support life-saving equipment, vital family supports and essential paediatric care.
The evening also featured a raffle with over 67 donated prizes. Children in attendance enjoyed entertainment from multi-award-winning caricaturist Niall O’Loughlin and magician Aidan Murphy, and every child went home with a goodie bag.
Amongst those accepting awards were winners of National Leagues, such as the Walter Reape, Ark Equine Discovery, Equi Jump Spring Tour, PRL Pathway Series, Boomerang Balmoral Karlswood Under 10s, Starfinder, to mention but a few. Riders who qualified for the Dublin Horse Show were also recognised, as were the Champions and the Reserve Champions. National Champions and All-Ireland Interprovincial riders were also honoured.
One rider who stood out in the National Championships was Sarah Delaney, who won the 148cm 90cm, 1m and 1.10m overall Championship. Up and coming riders in the regions were also awarded, with Charlie O’Hara taking the Connaught accolade, Cara O’Connor (Leinster), Rory McBride (Ulster) and Lauren Walsh (Munster).
Henry De Bromhead was on hand to present The Jack DeBromhead Overall Speed Derby Award to Finn Russell and Coppenagh with No Fear.
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FEI award winners at the SJI Pony Awards in Mullingar last Saturday \ Emma McCabe Epic Management
Those who took home international awards included the European Championship Children on Horses gold medal team, along with the bronze medal team. In the individual category, bronze medal winner Charlie Flynn accepted his award.
A huge round of applause followed for individual gold medallist Cian McMunn, who was later presented with the Special Achievement Award. Riders who competed at Wales and West and South View were also honoured on the night.
On hand to present the FEI European Championship awards were Chef d’Equipe Denis Flannelly and Liz Brennan. Denis told the audience of the great pride that he had in all the athletes. Regarding the championships, he said: “It all happened very fast, but the teams had demonstrated great promise at the Nations Cup leading up to the Championships.”
He said that the athletes were incredible and that Ireland was the envy of many in Europe. To produce such results for a small nation was something to be very proud of.
He praised the coaching that the athletes receive and the supports from Horse Sport Ireland and, of course, the hard work of parents. He thanked Sallyanne Tobin for her help and ended with words of encouragement for 2026.
European Individual gold medallist, Cian McMunn accepted many awards on the night. Speaking about his medal win, he said: “Going into the final day, I tried not to think too much about it. I knew a medal was in reach, so I just had to stick to the plan.” He went on to thank his parents for their hard work and support.
Lucia Keane was awarded the Edward and Margaret Fagan Children on Horses International Rider of the Year, while Sam Widger was awarded the Ian Fearon Inernational Rider of the Year. Ruby Kelly won The National Overall Pony Points Championship.
Reuben Foley was presented with a special recognition award for winning the 128cm, 138cm and 148cm championships in Dublin - a feat only ever achieved by one other, Bertram Allen. Reuben Foley said on accepting the award: “To win all three championships was a great feeling, even though the 128cm didn’t have the same crowds, as it was during Covid.”
He said he was looking forward to moving into the young rider arena, where he hopes his success will continue.
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Karlswood U10 award winner Tim Morton at the SJI Pony Awards in Mullingar last Saturday \ Emma McCabe Epic Management
Flor Madden presented the Dublin Horse Show Awards to those worthy recipients. In his speech, he congratulated all riders and praised the SJI for their hard work at the qualifiers and in Simmonscourt. He said: “Without the support of the SJI, jumping in Simmonscourt wouldn’t work.” He told the audience that the RDS was on schedule for 2026 and that the building of the stand was on target.
He thanked everyone for their patience while the building work was underway and said that this year, which is the 100th anniversary of international jumping in Dublin, is going to be a great year. He also mentioned the hard work of the Army Equitation School, which is celebrating its centenary this year.
He pointed out that Army Equitationriders have been representing Ireland in show jumping long before there were Nations Cup competitions and praised their achievements over the years.
Finally, retiring riders received their final pony awards, with a big crowd coming forward to accept their plaques.
The evening wrapped up with attendees filling the dancefloor and dancing the night away at a disco until midnight.