Pop-up hotels, Olympic show jumps and the fastest fingers in the west… the Duggan family in Millstreet, Co Cork have pulled out all the stops to ensure that the upcoming FEI European Championships for Ponies will be an event to remember.

There are now just 10 days to go to the opening ceremony of the European Championships and from next Monday, teams from all over Europe will be arriving in Ireland to prepare for the competition.

Riders from 17 countries, plus their entourages, will descend on the picturesque town of Millstreet, where they will be treated to a spectacular line-up of both competition and entertainment. Renowned accordion player Liam O’Connor, often referred to as the ‘Michael Flatley of the box’ is just one of the acts scheduled to entertain the European guests during their stay.

With so many international guests on site, the opportunity to showcase the best of Ireland is being seized upon with gusto. The Connemara Pony Breeders Society is to run several events aimed at promoting Ireland’s native pony breed to the international audience.

The ICCPS Connemara Green Hunter competition will take place at 9.30am on Thursday, July 31st, in which 10 ponies will compete for a share of the €1,000 prize fund, while later the same day, ponies that placed in the top three at selected working hunter classes all over Ireland will compete for another €1,000 prize fund. That evening, a Connemara pony stallion parade and musical dressage demonstration will be hosted in the main arena at 6.30pm.

Plans are also underway to exhibit a limited number of potential junior/young rider eventing and show jumping horses at the championships. Suitable horses should be at least six years old and have competed in pre-novice (EI100) eventing or show jumped up to 1.20m at least six times. Horses should be sound and have a full competition record and their owners must be willing to place their horse in a price band for the specially-prepared programme. Horse owners interested in taking part in this demonstration should contact Catrion Buckley (info@millstreet2014.com) as soon as possible so that interest in the proposal can be gauged.

Getting back to the core of the championships, Ireland will be represented by strong teams in all three disciplines at Millstreet.

The dressage team is an all-female squad consisting of Katie Burns (Caracas II), Alana Cazabon Sullivan (Schermeer S Hof Arendsoog) and Linnea Larkin (Goofy) and will be supported by Horse Sport Ireland’s dressage manager Anne Marie Dunphy.

The six-strong eventing squad is Sophie Buller (G Maha), Fionn Clarke (Black Velvet Band), Patrick Dennehy (Rose Down), Lucy Hancock (Newtown Westie), Shannon Sheridan (Drop The Subject) and Mary Smiddy (Mr Hale Bob). From this six, the eventing team manage Polly Holohan will select the final team of four. Meanwhile the team reserve riders, Emma Kennedy (Laburnum Ineer) and Maresa Ronan (My Rustic Clover) will compete as individuals at Millstreet.

As the host nation, Ireland is also allowed to run additional individual riders and these four are Lucy Arkwright (Sally McNally), Jessica Kuehnle (Fernhill Ruby), Isabel Persse (Mr Blueskies) and Alex Power (Keredern Little Heather).

Jumping for Ireland in show jumping will be the squad of Nicholas Connors (Mighty Patch), Susan Fitzpatrick (Rock Dee Jay), Grace McHugh (Cassandra Van Het Roelhof), Sean Monaghan (Attyrory Rebel) and Michael Pender (Doon Laddie). Four of these five riders will be selected for the team competition by show jumping manager Tom Slattery, while the reserve rider is Kayleigh Soden (Castle Hill King).

In next week’s The Irish Field, Emer Bermingham will take a closer look at the Irish squads and how each rider has performed in the run-up to these championships.

Ireland has a very impressive record at under-age level and this year’s show jumping team includes the reigning European pony gold medallists Susan Fitzpatrick and Rock Dee Jay and the 2014 team of took home the team bronze medal. In fact Irish underage riders have secured no less than 15 medals (see panel) at the European Championships since 2010, a remarkable achievement by any standards.

Millstreet has hosted the European Championships in the past. In fact, it was 25 years ago that top senior riders like Ireland’s Cameron Hanley and Germany’s Marcus Ehning stepped onto the podium in the Green Glens arena for the first time.

The 2014 incarnation of the championships is just as likely to produce future senior riders and in the main show jumping arena, the young riders will be tested over a track that includes some of the iconic fences from the London 2012 Olympics. The Green Glens facility includes 10 acres of all-weather arenas and the beautiful 350-acre Drishane Castel Demesne, which was profiled in The Irish Field last week.

For those interested in spotting the stars of the future in dressage, eventing and show jumping, entry to the upcoming championships is completely free of charge.

Running alongside the championships are several other opportunities for pony riders to compete in the charged atmosphere of a top European competition.

The Millstreet organising committee is to allow younger pony riders to compete in the main arena at the championships and qualifying competitions have taken place throughout the country for this over the past two months. In addition, there will be a full programme of pony classes which are open to all without having to qualify in advance.

For more information on the FEI European Championships for Ponies, go to Millstreet2014.com