AS hosts of the 2027 European working hunter championships, the Irish Pony Society will be under pressure to select a home squad, some of whom got their 2026 season under way last Saturday at the first qualifying leg of this year’s three-phase Sports Pony Challenge held at Raheen Na Gun Stud.

Both the working hunter and show jumping tracks were built by John O’Boyle, with Shauna Gillian judging the show jumping phase throughout the day. The dressage phase for the majority of the eight classes was judged by Anne Kirwan, while Cindy Hamilton assessed the flat work of those in the starter stakes and novice class.