THE Irish senior show jumping team finished their 2018 season on a high note when taking third place on the podium at the Longines FEI Nations Cup World Final in Barcelona, Spain, last Sunday, where Belgium made up for their disappointing performance at the World Equestrian Games to land the spoils.

Irish chef d’equipe Rodrigo Pessoa brought a team with plenty of experience with Billy Twomey, Anthony Condon, Shane Breen and Darragh Kenny lining out in Friday’s first round. Breen was then replaced by the rookie – 21-year-old Michael G Duffy, who made his senior debut in Sunday’s big final aboard the Irish Sport Horse Lapuccino 2.