IRISH pony riders won three Nations Cups in 2018 and, having just missed out a team medal at the FEI European Championships in Bishop Burton, UK, Tipperary’s Max Wachman made sure Ireland didn’t come home empty handed when taking individual silver.

The first Nations Cup win came in Wierdan, where a magnificent performance from an all-girl team saw them claim the important competition. The Irish quartet of Orla Duffy (Atlanta), Katie Power (Ghost Rider) Lucy Shanahan (Caliber-De) and Ella Quigley (Clemens) had been in second place at the halfway stage on just two-time faults, one fault behind leaders Great Britain. Ireland added just one-time fault to their total in the second round to finish on three faults.