DRESSAGE Ireland’s High Performance Pony Dressage Squad fielded four riders at last weekend’s Addington CDIP in Britain. All of these riders were making their international debuts in the hunt for European Championship team qualification, which they secured in last Friday’s team test.

A member of HSI’s debut pony dressage team at last year’s Europeans, Katie Burns once again led the Irish challenge in last Saturday’s individual test with Caracas II. The Alison Mastin Moore-trained rider finished 17th on 63.415%, enough to earn her a place in the freestyle. With April Allen’s 17-year-old mare Tisrara Hill, Emily Kate Robinson earned 61.585% from the ground jury and was unlucky not to qualify for the freestyle, finishing just outside the cut in 18th place. Roisin Muirhead and Dunsallen also improved from their first day’s score to earn 59.512%. This combination came close to securing the 60% needed to qualify for the European Championships. Having secured her qualifying mark in last Friday’s team test, reigning pony Silver Spurs Champion Sofie Walshe had a difficult ride in the individual test with Loughfadda Horseleap Bruno, resulting in a mark of 57.805%.

In the freestyle, Katie Burns earned 64.625% to finish 14th with her mother Debbie’s 13-year-old bay gelding. In last Sunday’s consolation class, Sofie Walshe finished second on 64.658% while Emily Kate Robinson finished third on 61.880%. Roisin Muirhead finished her weekend on a good note, improving her score again to earn 60.00% and finish fifth.

High Performance Squad coach Anne Marie Dunphy said: “Despite being amongst some of the best combinations in Europe, none of the Irish riders were content to settle for a ‘safe clear round’, and so they all had highlights but also some mistakes. They took risks and I like that; it shows courage.”

At the top end of the leader board, the pony classes in Addington became a duel between the reigning Pony European Champion and reserve champion, Germany’s Semmieke Rothenburger and Britain’s Phoebe Peters. Rothenburger took the victory in the first round, winning the team test with Deinhard B on a massive 77.821%. Peters fought back to win both the individual test and the freestyle on board her 2013 European Champion, SL Lucci. However, Rothenburger did have some consolation in making a clean sweep of the junior classes with her new ride Geisha.