IRELAND’s next generation of equestrian athletes made history at the FEI European Championships for Ponies (U16) in Strzegom, Poland last weekend, winning six of the eight medals on offer showing the amazing strength and depth of youngsters in the country.

It began on Friday afternoon when Gary Marshall’s pony team of Kilkenny’s Eoin Brennan with Glor Tire Cruise (ISH), Kilkenny’s James Brennan with MHS Glow (ISH), Sligo’s Paddy Reape with Valma De Fougnard, Clare’s Coen Williams with Saxton Freedam (ISH) and Westmeath’s James Derwin with Rincoola Babog (ISH) finished on a zero score to take the gold medal ahead of France who took the silver on four faults and The Netherlands collected the bronze on 12 faults.

The team made the perfect start on the opening day with all five combinations producing clear rounds. They kept that perfect score through the second day and lead heading into Friday’s final. Williams got the team underway with a clear, before Reape picked up eight faults, however two more perfect clears from Brennan and Derwin wrapped up the gold.

France also added nothing on the final day, but had to count four faults from the second round.

“We are over the moon. We worked hard, had a plan and the team all executed it brilliantly. They are a great bunch of kids and were well prepared. We didn’t have the best preparation last year with Covid but this year we were prepared. I want to thank all the support staff at Horse Sport Ireland, all the people on our committee that helped me with everything I needed, our fantastic sponsors and of course the riders and their families.”

Individual whitewash

A truly remarkable performance in Sunday’s individual final saw Irish riders fill every spot on the podium with 13-year-old James Derwin coming out with the gold medal. Both Derwin and James Brennan jumped five rounds without picking up a single fault and were forced to jump-off for the gold.

Brennan, riding Sinead Brennan’s home-bred nine-year-old mare MHS Glow (Dondoctro Ryal K) had the ultra-fast time of 30.66 but finished with four faults. Derwin then took it steadier with his father Jim’s 11-year-old stallion Rincoola Babog (Luidam), who was bred by the late Harold McGahern, to cross the line with nothing to add in 35.19 and become the new European champion.

Coen Williams was another not to touch a pole over the five rounds, but finished with three time penalties on Sunday with Deirdre Grant’s 12-year-old mare Saxton Freedam, another by Luidam who was bred by Lisa Smyth. Eoin Brennan finished in fifth place on yet another Irish Sport Horse, Tim Brennan’s Glor Tire Cruise (Ars Vivendi), bred by Marian Russell, on a final score of five.

A very proud Gary Marshall said: “Our riders have made history here today, to have Irish riders fill all three places on the podium is unbelievable. We had a plan and worked hard on it. This takes incredible dedication and the programmes we have put in place have delivered the results.

“You don’t win medals by accident, the margins are so close these days that if you don’t give 100 per cent you won’t win medals. A huge congratulations to all the riders and their families and of course a big thank you to everyone involved, especially our sponsors who made this such a successful Championships.”

Horse Sport Ireland CEO Denis Duggan added: “This has been a truly remarkable and historic week for Irish equestrian sport. To come away from the European Championships winning six of the eight medals on offer in the eventing and show jumping competitions really is an amazing achievement. This shows that the future is extremely bright for Irish equestrian sport and I want to offer my congratulations to all the athletes, coaches, grooms and families involved and of course thank all of our excellent sponsors.”