THE all-female Irish pony team stood top of the podium in Wierden, The Netherlands last Thursday after a dominant performance at the Dutch Youngster Festival. The first of three underage podium finishes of the week came from the pony team in spectacular fashion.
Guided by chef d’equipe Harry Marshall, Orla Duffy (Atlanta), Katie Power (Ghost Rider), Lucy Shanahan (Caliber De) and Ella Quigley (Clemens 43) came out of top after they finished on a total of three faults, with Shanahan jumping one of only two double clear rounds in the class.
The Junior team, led by James Kernan, had their Nations Cup postponed due to adverse weather conditions, but the team of Harry Allen (Cheese W Z), Jack Ryan (Cavalier Teaca), Ciaran Nallon (Zaronda II) and Sean Monaghan (Simone) finished joint-second with Britain when it resumed on Friday morning, on a total of four faults. Allen and Ryan both jumped double clear rounds.
The Children on Horses team rounded off a fantastic Irish campaign at the Dutch show to finish second. Sarah Fitzgerald (Master Holiday), Isobel Hughes Kennedy (ESI Carvalho), Lucy Morton (Delton) and Rhys Williams (CES Cruson) finished on a two-round total of 12 faults, level with Spain and The Netherlands.
INDIVIDUALS
The best Irish Grand Prix result came from Jack Ryan on Saturday when he guided the seven-year-old gelding Essenar High Hope to second place in the 1.40m Junior Grand Prix. A fantastic jump-off round saw him just miss out on the top spot by two hundredths of a second. Victory went to Belgium’s Mathias Hazebroek and Jurre (0/0 37.61).
Anabelle Heffron had a good placing on Saturday when she took second in the Young Rider and Junior 1.40m small tour aboard her mother Diane’s Porsha. Ciaran Nallon guided Patricia Squibb’s Canant to fourth place.
Heffron was also second in Friday’s 1.40m Junior Big Tour class with X Flow Lightyear 2. She sped to a clear in 72.4 seconds in the class which was a qualifier for the 2018 European Championships.
Harry Allen finished fifth in Friday’s Junior small tour 1.35m aboard Fairytale, ahead of Heffron in sixth with Porsha and Ryan eighth with Essenar High Hopes.
Co Clare pony rider Rhys Williams was placed seventh in the 1.30m Pony Big Tour aboard Cian Melia and Adrian Williams’ Shadow’s Dancer (CP by Silver Shadow).