WESTMEATH horseman Vincent Holian is due to make his English showing debut next Saturday when he partners Rufina Shiel Mullen’s homebred Madame Stella in the small hunter class at the Royal International Horse Show in Hickstead.

Rufina, Vincent and Paul Mullen are driving over on Wednesday to meet up with 16-year-old Ciara Mullen who is gaining experience this summer working at the Yorkshire yard of leading show horse producers Adam Forster and David Jinks. Ciara has been competing with Madame Stella in intermediate classes but, on Tuesday, Adam was on board the Irish Draught mare when she won the small hunter class, a HOYS qualifier, at The Scottish Show outside Edinburgh.

Vincent and the 2009 Crannagh Hero mare qualified for the Royal International at last year’s EquiFestival in Cavan after which they were second in the four and five-year-old class at the RDS to the Dublin small hunter champion, Heartbeat. Ciara then partnered the liver chesnut into seventh place in the intermediate show hunter pony class.

Madame Stella will be returning to Ireland after her appearance in Hickstead for another assault on Dublin where Vincent will also ride Sarah English’s Auburn Tina in the lightweight cob class. After the show, Vincent and Cyril O’Hara will be concentrating on the thoroughbred side of the business as they are consigning seven horses to Tattersalls’ August Sale under their Ennel Bloodstock banner.