Emer Bermingham

DUBLIN Horse Show proved to be a memorable occasion for 17-year-old Michael Pender when he was not only awarded the Michael Meller Young Rider Style award, but went on to win the coveted RDS bursary prize of two weeks’ training with Cameron Hanley, and the Iris Kellett Perpetual Challenge Trophy.

Mikey, who is from Castledermot in Co Kildare, has competed at three pony European Championships and was on two silver medal-winning Irish teams.

Currently based with Marion Hughes in Co Kilkenny, he won the Flexible Five-year-old Championship with Z Seven Canya Dance and took second in the Cruising Six-year-old Championship with Curra Clover Flight. This week he has been competing at the junior European Championships at Millstreet with Z7 Sheik It.

The four riders chosen by Lt Col Tom Freyne and Horse Sport Ireland team manager Gary Marshall to compete for the training bursary in the Linx Investment-sponsored class were Susan Fitzpatrick (Ursula D’Amaury), Jenny Rankin (Enrico Blue), Pender (Z7 Cordanos V) and Nicholas Connors (Abordable Du Talus).

Impressive performance

The four contestants were put through their paces by Dutch chef d’equipe Rob Ehrens. Overall Ehrens was impressed by the rider’s first round performance, he was focused on getting the horses to be more relaxed in the head and neck and encouraged the riders to ride with feeling.

In the second round, Nicholas Connors rode Enrico Blue, Susan Fitzpatrick rode Abordable Du Talus, Mikey Pender rode Ursula D’Amaury, and Jenny Rankin rode Z7 Cordanos V, implementing the instructions received from Ehrens.

Emphasising the importance of training, the Dutch coach said: “Even the best rider in the world needs to be coachable, if not they won’t reach their full potential. Riders must also be eager to learn.”

He spoke highly of all four riders, saying that the competition for the prize was very close and that all riders had a lot of positives and showed that they could change their style.

He added that the winner, Pender, stood out for him as he had a lot of feeling and the gift of finding the rhythm between fences.