THE Association of Irish Riding Clubs held the last of its 2026 national competitions on Saturday at Emerald Equestrian where HSI Level 3 coach Gerald Bloomer was assessor for the grassroots jump training series final.

“I liked the format used,” commented Bloomer who, two days later, flew out to Abu Dhabi to coach for a week. “Every rider did one round of jumping after which there was a debrief where I suggested that they should focus on their lines, pace, quality of canter or whatever was needed to improve their round.