Rachel Dowley

THE Irish contingent of Kate Kerr Horan, Helen Kearney, Breda Bernie and Rosemary Gaffney made their trip to France for the CPEDI*** in Deauville a successful one.

The best Irish performance came from Grade II rider Kate Kerr Horan, a member of last year’s para dressage team at the World Equestrian Games.

Riding the bay mare Arlande, she finished second in the opening team test on a mark of 65.794%. She went on to finish third in the individual test, a feat she repeated in Sunday’s Freestyle on a score of 69.70%. The Dutch rider Rixt van der Horst enjoyed a clean sweep at this level, consistently scoring over 70% with Uniek Nop.

Speaking from France, Kerr Horan said she was disappointed with her scores, although she noted that the judges were marking harshly: “I was very pleased both with my placings and with my mare Arlande.”

With her new ride Rock And Roll II, former Paralympic medallist Helen Kearney was also in the placings in Deauville. She began her weekend with a fifth place in the Grade Ia team test on a mark 66.435%, and her marks gradually improved with a score of over 70% in the Freestyle. Like Kerr Horan, Kearney was disappointed not to have received higher marks, but she was happy with how her scores improved.

Rock And Roll II is a new ride for Kearney, filling the shoes of Mister Cool, the horse on whom she won three medals at London 2012, and she noted that “everyone was very positive about my new horse Rocky and he behaved like a saint.”

A little over a year since she broke her right leg in more than 20 places, newly-classified Grade III rider Rosemary Gaffney returned to international competition in Deauville. Riding Aldham Mill Dubloon, she scored 66.317% to finish seventh in the team test, and a similar score left her ninth in the individual test. “It was wonderful to be back competing internationally again, and to prove to the doubters and doctors that all things are possible- six months ago this was just a dream!” said Gaffney about her comeback.

Breda Bernie performed well with Donal Healy’s former international eventer, Master Mexico. Among her results was a fourth place in the Grade 1b team test with a score 68.280%. Former international eventer Pepo Puch won this class for Austria on a score of 74.760%.