MICHAEL Murphy added to his championship medal collection when winning the individual silver at the FEI Para Dressage European Championships in Riesenbeck, Germany, in September. Ireland’s Grade I para dressage rider and double world bronze medallist scored 79.887% with the 16-year-old KWPN Vivaldi gelding Cleverboy for a Freestyle podium finish.

The Irish rider was just half a percentage point short of the bronze medal in the opening Grand Prix class won by Latvia’s Rihard Snikus and King of the Dance, who was not accepted at the second horse inspection, ruling them out of the Freestyle.

Riesenbeck

Horse Sport Ireland Para Dressage High Performance Director Debora Pijpers selected three championship debutants for Riesenbeck. The team of Jessica McKenna (Davidoff 188), Katie Reilly (Impulz W), Sarah Slattery (Savona) and Murphy were reduced to three counting scores when Reilly, at just 15 years of age and the youngest competitor at the Championships, retired leaving Ireland 10th of the 13 teams competing.

Michael started his 2023 international campaign with a hat-trick at the three-star show in Addington, Great Britain, in March, scoring 75.375% to win the Grand Prix A class, 78.333% for Grand Prix B honours and 81.087% for first place in the Freestyle.

Kronenberg

At Kronenberg, The Netherlands, in June, Murphy placed second behind world number one rider Rihard Snikus in the Grand Prix B class on a 73.542% total. The following month, he scored 80.020% to win the Freestyle at Hartpury, Britain. With the Paralympic Games in Paris on the horizon for Michael next year, he will be looking to join Joan Salmon and Helen Kearney on the Irish individual equestrian paralympic medal roll of honour.

Katie Reilly in action

Whirlwind

Team Ireland Grade V rider, Sarah Slattery, described her 2023 season as “a whirlwind”. Sarah sat up on her European championships mount Savona for the first time five weeks after giving birth to her second child and four months before Riesenbeck.

On their debut international outing at the end of June, they secured two podium finishes at the three-star show in Grote-Brogel, Belgium. In an impressive debut Grade III international season, Corkonian Jessica McKenna and Davidoff 188 won international Para Grand Prix classes in Hickstead and Hartpury.

Eventing Olympian Jonty Evans made his para dressage international debut for Ireland at Hickstead in May.

Jonty and the Irish Sport Horse Cooley Rorkes Drift placed third in the Grade IV Freestyle Grand Prix at the three-star show in Wellington, Britain, in October.