THE Irish pony team, led by chef d’equipe Ian Fearon, scored a stunning win in the Pony Nations Cup in Wierden, the Netherlands, when fielding just three riders.
Torrential rain made conditions difficult at the Dutch venue but the Irish team of Ciaran Nallon (Rexter D’Or), Charlotte Houston (Lea Du Genier) and Abbie Sweetnam (Dynamite Spartacus (ISH)) finished on a brilliant team total of four faults to clinch the win without a discard score.
Nallon got Ireland underway with Kate Wachman’s 12-year-old grey stallion by Dexter Leam Pondi (CP), coming home with just one fence down for four faults. However, he corrected his mistake second time out to produce a clear round.
Houston guided the 18-year-old chesnut mare Lea Du Genier, owned by her mother Joanne, to two foot-perfect clear rounds, before Sweetnam did the exact same with Barra Sweetnam’s lovely 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse Dynamite Spartacus.
This left Ireland on the winning team score of four faults, landing their first Nations Cup win this season. The home team from The Netherlands finished as runners-up with seven faults, while France took third spot on the podium with eight faults.
SOPOT
Meanwhile, at the five-star show in Sopot, Poland, Ireland had a tough day in the Division 2 Nations Cup, finishing in 10th place and not progressing to the second round.
Under the leadership of Michael Blake, the team looked strong on paper with Captain Geoff Curran (Ringwood Glen (ISH)), Paul Kennedy (Cartown Danger Mouse (ISH)), Bertram Allen (Izzy by Picobello) and Cian O’Connor (Callisto) lining out.
O’Connor produced the best round of the day, coming home with just one time fault. Ringwood Glen was unfortunate to lose a shoe early in the round and finished with 14 faults, before an uncharacteristic 24 faults from Kennedy with Cartown Danger Mouse who never looked comfortable during the round.
Allen picked up four faults at the water when Izzy by Picobello took off a stride too early, and a stop at the vertical straight after meant he also ran into trouble on the clock, coming home with 10 faults.
Ireland were not competing for points as they are a Division 1 team. The competition was won by Team USA.
Derry’s David Simpson picked up a five-star win in Thursday’s 1.40m class with Starfighter (Stalypso x Contendro I), posting the quickest clear round in 63.37 seconds, earning just over €2,000.
O’Connor finished fourth in Thursday evening’s 1.50m speed class with his new mount, the Irish Sport Horse Cybel II (Varo x Lancer). O’Connor guided the nine-year-old mare to a clear round in 60.51 seconds, in a class won by Italian rider Emanuele Gaudiano (0/0 58.05).