THE FEI WBFSH eventing world breeding championships for young horses are taking place this weekend at Le Lion d’Angers in north west France, where the weather has been inclement at times but not as bad as here or in Britain.

Speaking to the Irish Horse World during yesterday’s lunchbreak, Horse Sport Ireland’s team manager Dag Albert commented: “They hadn’t had rain here in about 80 days before this week and, in fact, they were watering the cross-country course when we arrived.

“The weather was very bad here on Thursday afternoon and into the night but, at the moment, the rain is soaking into the ground. Padraig McCarthy walked the course again this morning and said that there were some soft patches around the track, but otherwise it was fine.”

Ahead of today’s cross-country phase, British riders fill the top three places in the CCI2*-L for six-year-olds, where Co Wicklow-based New Zealand international, Amanda Goldsbury, lies fifth with Cooley Farm’s Zangersheide mare Cooley On Ice (27.6 penalties).

Goldsbury, who is making her Le Lion debut, was among the many to withdraw before the cross-country phase of the CCI2*-S Ballindenisk last month. However, prior to that she and the chesnut daughter of Cicero Z finished third in the EI110 national championship at Kilguilkey, having previously won the CCIYH2*-S for six and seven-year-olds at the inaugural Lisgarvan House international in August.

The British combinations at the top of the leaderboard are Mollie Summerland with the Dutch Warmblood gelding Mojo (25.1), winners of the CCIYH2*-S at Jardy in July, Izzy Taylor with the British-bred Barrington Alice (26.1) and Kitty King with the Anglo European Studbook-registered gelding Kantango (26.4).

Best-placed of the three Irish riders after dressage is Sian Coleman, who is lying 17th with Kate Jarvey’s home-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Diamond Mistress (31.6). Coleman and the Dirado bay finished second in the CCIYH2*-S at Charlbury last month, having earlier placed fourth behind Summerland and Mojo at Jardy.

Ian Cassells riding Greenogue Gigi in the six-year-old class at Le Lion d'Angers \ Equus Pix

Steven Smith, the only one of the trio to compete in yesterday’s second session of dressage, is in 25th place on Terry Johnston’s ISH gelding Strangford (33.2), while Ian Cassells occupies 34th spot with Con McCarthy’s home-bred ISH mare Greenogue Gigi (35.2).

Riding Gerry Leahy’s ISH gelding Millridge Athos (30.7), Cassells is in joint-17th place after dressage in the CCI3*-L for seven-year-olds, with Padraig McCarthy next best of the 10-strong Irish squad on board his own home-bred ISH gelding MGH Zabaione (30.8).

Here, local hero Nicolas Touzaint, who rode his test yesterday, took over at the top of the leaderboard with the Selle Francais gelding Gauguin du Busson (23.5). Thursday’s ‘winner’, Britain’s Alex Bragg with the AES stallion Masterclass now shares second place on 26 penalties with Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and the Belgian Sport Horse Kiarado d’Arville.

Today’s cross-country phase of the six-year-old championship is due to get underway at 10am local time, with the first of the seven-year-olds scheduled to start at 1pm local time.