THE third and final RDS qualifier for show jumping horses took place at Barnadown Show jumping on Wednesday, June 24th. With over 300 entries for the last remaining coveted golden tickets, the day was filled with excitement, anticipation, nerves, elation and heartbreak over the four classes. Maurice Cousins, owner of Barnadown Show jumping, told The Irish Field: “We are delighted to have a RDS qualifier again this year and work hard to give horse and rider the best riding conditions to showcase their abilities. It’s great that all the classes are livestreamed, so people all around the world can watch and follow the incredible standard of show jumping in Ireland.”

The Plusvital arena played host to the seven and eight-year-old qualifier and, when asked about his thought process behind the course, designer Tom Holden mentioned that, with the standard of horse and rider always improving, he wanted to build a fair and flowing course that allowed the horse to jump to their ability. With 75 combinations taking on the 1.40m course, 33 combinations went forward to the jump-off to battle it out for the nine golden tickets on offer. There were 14 double clears and, with just over two seconds separating the top nine, it was a thrilling jump-off to watch.