HORSE Sport Ireland kindly sponsors a training bursary to the winning team of the All Ireland Interschools Show Jumping competition each year and this year the talented winners were the students of Borris Vocational School.

The school is nested in the foothills of Mount Leinster in Co Carlow and its equestrian club’s numbers are increasing every year, bringing with it an increase in the trophies in the school trophy cabinet.

The school’s biggest success to date was the All Ireland Show Jumping victory this year and the school took advantage of the training bursary to take part in a clinic given by HSI level two coach Paddy O’Donnell in Springhill Stud, Co Carlow.

“It is a fantastic prize given by HSI. It is great that the industry’s governing body is getting behind the Interschools competitions,” said O’Donnell.

“On the worldwide stage Ireland punches well above its weight on the quantities of top-class riders it produces.

“I was greatly impressed by the standard of riders that the school has and Ireland’s show jumping future is in safe hands.”

With Mother Nature on their side, the Borris Vocational School students enjoyed a great training session with the former Irish national show jumping champion and picked up lots of training tips to work on at home.