IRELAND’s pool of talented pony riders are once again the talk of the show jumping world with their latest Nations Cup win.

Many congratulations to Lucy Allen (chef d’equipe) and her brilliant U16 show jumping team of Ryan Sweetnam, Jack Brennan, Niamh McEvoy and Alex Finney, victors of the FEI Pony Nations Cup held at Sentower Park in Belgium.

These young riders have truly done our nation proud and this Nations Cup win is a great tribute to their collective hard work and dedication in the ultra competitive sport of show jumping.

They could not do it without the support of their families, coaches, owners, supporters and Horse Sport Ireland. Hats off to one and all.

(See the winning team photo and report on the international pages 84-85).

Brexit support

With less than 100 days to go before Britain leaves the EU, our Government announced grants of up to €9,000 for each employee either taken on or redeployed to help businesses manage the avalanche of new customs changes.

Equestrian businesses need all the help they can get with Brexit looming so make sure you are aware of all the available supports out there.

The European Council also announced a special €5 billion Brexit reserve fund to help member states deal with the fallout from Brexit. The clock is truly counting down now.