WHAT a year and what a result! Turning months of commitment, hard work and no small amount of talent into achievement, Ireland’s event squad ended a senior team medal drought of 23 years. Sally Corscadden’s squad had set out to the World Equestrian Games with the homework done, and returned triumphant with a team silver in the bag as well as the coveted Olympic qualification. Adding to the celebrations, there were some outstanding individual results with Padraig McCarthy mounting the podium to take silver and Sarah Ennis just missing out in fifth.

It was an outstanding performance from all four riders, and although long overdue, it was not totally surprising. Brilliantly managed by Corscadden and her dedicated team, the squad of Sarah Ennis, Cathal Daniels, Padraig McCarthy, Sam Watson and with Patricia Ryan as the reserve, had been meticulous in terms of preparation, and this time, fortune also went their way.