2 March 2023 - Flipbook - Page 68
HORSEWEEK
FARMWEEK
AUGUST 26 2021
67
Irish Show Jumping and Dressage teams
named for 2021 FEI European Championships
H
ORSE Sport Ireland (HSI) are pleased
to announce the Irish Show Jumping
team for the 2021 Longines FEI Jumping
European Championships, which will be held
at Riesenbeck in Germany from September
1 to 5 and also the Irish Dressage team for
the FEI Dressage European Championships,
which take place at Hagen in Germany from
September 7 to 12.
SHOW JUMPING
Irish Show Jumping team manager Michael
Blake has named his Show Jumping team as
follows:
Derry’s Daniel Coyle with ‘Legacy’, owned
by Ariel Grange and Daniel Coyle;
Galway’s Michael Duffy with ‘Zilton SL Z’,
owned by HMF Equestrian and Katherine
Duffy;
Louth’s Mark McAuley with ‘Jasco VD
Bisschop’, owned by Scea La Tuiliere and
Mark McAuley;
Clare’s Eoin McMahon with ‘Chacon 2’,
owned by Madeleine Winter-Schulze.
Reserve combination: Bertram Allen with
‘Harley VD Bisschop’.
Speaking ahead of the Championships,
Michael Blake said: “We are really
looking forward to competing at these
Championships. We have some exciting new
combinations, who have been in impressive
form in recent months and this is a great
opportunity for them to jump at a European
Championships, where the competition will
be intense and the squad also includes a nice
balance of experienced riders.”
DRESSAGE
Horse Sport Ireland are also pleased to
name a team for the Longines FEI Dressage
European Championships, which take
place in Hagen (GER). It was hoped to send
a full team of four to the Championships,
however, due to the unavailability of some
combinations, a team of three athletes
and horses will compete for Ireland at the
Championships.
The Irish team for the 2021 FEI European
Dressage Championships is:
Alex Baker with ‘Dutchman’, owned by
Daniel Champion and Alex, Carol and Tim
Baker;
Carolyn Mellor and ‘Gouverneur M’, owned
Power NI energises
Crosskennan Lane
animal sanctuary
C
SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT: Barbara
Ellison was delighted after completing
her first Grand Prix class with
‘Jaydancer’. (FW34-502NN)
Barbara debuts
at Grand Prix
B
ARBARA Ellison, dressage rider
and trainer from Saintfield,
County Down, travelled to
Redhills Stud in County Kildare on
Sunday, August 15 to the Leinster
Dressage competition, where she
competed in her first Grand Prix class
with ‘Jaydancer’, who was very happy
to show the judge her new skills as
her last show had been Small Tour!
Barbara was also very excited about
this achievement, as there is only
a very small number of riders from
Northern Ireland that have trained a
horse to and competed at this level
and she is looking forward to what
the future holds.
ROSSKENNAN Lane Animal Sanctuary has received a £300 community grant from Power
NI, Northern Ireland’s
leading energy supplier.
The Antrim based animal
sanctuary was nominated to
receive the community funding
by Power NI employee, Maria
Fyfe, as part of the company’s
staff sponsorship scheme ‘Helping Hands’, which gives staff
the opportunity to put forward
local groups and organisations
to receive funding. Thanks to
the donation, the group was
able to purchase much needed
equipment, such as head collars,
lead ropes, wheelbarrows, shovels, durable hoses and buckets.
Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary, a registered charity
since 1996, is the only welfare
and rescue organisation for
horses and ponies in Northern
Ireland, providing volunteering
opportunities, work experience,
Animal Therapy and education.
Power NI are delighted to
support Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary by providing
funding for new equipment
which regularly needs updated
as it can be damaged by the
horses and through general
wear and tear. With the help of
Power NI, the sanctuary was able
to purchase a range of essential
tools and accessories including
a number of large wheelbarrows
which allow the staff and
volunteers to safely transport
SUPPORT: Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary celebrates as it
receives £300 thanks to Power NI’s staff sponsorship scheme,
‘Helping Hands.’ Pictured from left are Power NI employee and
volunteer Maria Fyfe, with Power NI’s Aoife Magennis, and Lyn Friel
from Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary.
heavy loads of waste and feeds
in a safe manner.
Grateful for the funding, Power NI employee Maria Fyfe
commented: “As a volunteer
at Crosskennan Lane Animal
Sanctuary, I am delighted that
Power NI can help a small,
independent charity providing
care to approximately 100
animals daily. Like all charities
our fundraising efforts have
been impacted by Covid so all
support is gratefully received.
The equipment will help all the
volunteers and staff who work
tirelessly to look after all the
beautiful animals that have been
entrusted into their care.”
Founder and manager of Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary,
Lyn Friel, commented: “We
would like to thank Power NI for
the grant of £300 that will help us
buy much needed equipment and
tools for use in the sanctuary.
“This equipment is needed to
help our volunteers and staff
complete daily tasks and provide
the best care to the animals.”
by Carolyn Mellor;
Anna Merveldt and ‘Esporim’, owned by
Mario Greco, Eleonore Higgins, Michael
Higgins and Giovanna Mazza.
Horse Sport Ireland Dressage High
Performance Director, Johann Hinnemann
said: “I am very happy to send a team of
three athletes to the European Dressage
Championships in Hagen next month. This
will be a great experience and learning curve
for Carolyn Mellor and Alex Baker, which will
stand to them in the future and, combined
with Anna Merveldt’s experience, I hope that
we can achieve a good result for Ireland. We
will also have a training camp in Germany
the week before and I am looking forward to
working with all athletes.”
Third Drammen
Nations Cup
win for Ireland
IRELAND’S incredible winning run in the
Drammen Nations Cup in Norway continued
last week as Michael Blake’s Show Jumping
team of Harry Allen, Shane Carey, Capt Geoff
Curran, and Max Wachman claimed a superb
victory in the 11-team contest.
Ireland has a hugely impressive recent
record in the Drammen Nations Cup and
this latest result means Ireland have won
four of the last five Nations Cup’s in Norway
including the last three in-a-row. Ireland first
won the Drammen Nations Cup in 2000 and
have now won it six times in total.
Michael Blake’s team included a perfect
balance of youth and experience with
20-year-old Harry Allen from Co Wexford
jumping a brilliant double clear round with
the 10-year-old gelding Guinness. Making
his Nations Cup debut at just 17-years-old,
Tipperary’s Max Wachman and Dorette had
two fences down on their first attempt before
posting a perfect clear second round
Waterford’s Capt Geoff Curran and The
Irish Sport Horse Glengarra Wood jumped
clear in round one and picked up just four
faults in round two, while Limerick-born
Shane Carey was clear first time out with
Skorphults Baloutendro and didn’t need
to jump in the second round with Ireland
already assured of victory.
The win in Drammen was Capt Curran’s
second Nations Cup win at the venue while
Carey has now tasted victory on three
occasions in Norway over the last 20 years.
Ireland finished on a two round total of 4
faults while France, Australia and Belgium
all shared second place on 8 faults.
Exciting plans
for 3-year-old
loose jumping
Irish Paralympic dressage athletes set for action championships
T
HE 2020 Paralympic Games
are underway in Tokyo
with Ireland set to be
represented by a full team in
the Para Dressage competition
which starts today (Thursday).
All four Irish athletes, Michael
Murphy with Cleverboy, Tamsin
Addison with Fahrenheit 212,
Rosemary Gaffney with Werona
and Kate Kerr Horan with
Serafina T, will be making
their Paralympic debuts, with
the action taking place at the
Equestrian Park in Tokyo’s
Heritage Zone.
Tamsin Addison (Grade V)
and Rosemary Gaffney (Grade
IV) will be the first of the Irish
quartet in action on Thursday in
their individual competition with
medals awarded on that day.
Michael Murphy (Grade I) and
Kate Kerr-Horan (Grade III) will
be in action in their individual
medal competition on Friday.
Horse Sport Ireland Para Dressage High Performance Director
Debora Pijpers will select three
athletes from the Irish quartet
for the team competition which
takes place on Saturday and
Sunday.
The top eight combinations
from the individual competitions
will qualify for the Freestyle to
Music competition which brings
the Paralympic Dressage action
to close on Monday, August 30.
RTE TV will be showing the
Irish Para Dressage athletes in
action live from Tokyo with daily
updates across all Horse Sport
Ireland social media channels.
THE Northern Ireland Horse Board has
announced plans to hold a 3-year-old
loose jumping series in Autumn 2021. The
Championships will run as a series with
three qualifying legs and a grand finale that
will culminate in an elite auction.
Expressions of interest are being sought
from suitable indoor venues. Interested
venues are asked to email the NI Horse Board
office at info@nihorseboard.org before noon
on Monday September 6. Successful venues
will then be notified following a meeting of
the NIHB Directors.