THREE young Irish dressage riders winning four classes at the international dressage show in Keysoe marked an unprecedented achievement for the sport in Ireland last weekend.

British-based Martha Jobling-Purser scored her first of two wins on the opening day of the young rider international classes scoring 68.364% with the nine-year-old KWPN gelding Ivan Carlos in the FEI Junior team test.

The grandniece of Irish Olympian Juliet Jobling-Purser won for a second time the following day in the FEI Junior individual test class on a 68.412% total. Martha completed her Keysoe campaign scoring 67.290% in the FEI Junior freestyle to music class for fourth place.

County Offaly’s Maeve Deverell opened her Keysoe account placing third in the FEI Children on Horses preliminary competition B class with the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse dun gelding Annaharvey Dunowen on 70.732%. The next day, Deverell scored an impressive total of 75.025% to win the FEI Children on Horses team competition class. On the final day, Maeve’s score of 72.135% proved to be good enough for second place in the individual competition.

Pony rider Ellen McDonald and the 12-year-old chesnut gelding Dante Alighieri scored Ireland’s second win on the opening day, scoring 69.343% for victory in the FEI Pony team test.

Fellow Irish riders Lilly Larkin (Blokland’s Hoeve’s Amor) placed sixth on 67.829% with Jessica Grogan (Klein Roderijis Gold Fee) in seventh on 66.200%. Co Armagh native McDonald placed second in the FEI Pony individual competition on 69.189%.

There were two Irish riders on the podium in the FEI Pony freestyle to music class on the final day when Ellen McDonald (Dante Alighieri) scored 71.610% for another second place result with Lilly Larkin (Blokland’s Hoeve’s Amor) in third on 70.375%.

Delighted

Reflecting on an incredible three days for Irish dressage, youth dressage High Performance director, Anne Marie Dunphy, commented: “I am very pleased with the results, in addition to the wins we had good scores and good placings at Keysoe. Martha rode really well and I look forward to her progressing to young riders with this quality horse.

“Maeve did exceptionally well at only her second international show and it was great to see her achieve her win and good placings on a home-bred horse. Of our pony riders, only Lilly will be available to us next year with Ellen and Jessica moving to the junior ranks. Ellen has been ‘knocking on the door’ for some time and it was great to see her win and good placings in Keysoe.

“Blokland’s Hoeve’s Amor has been a wonderful servant to Irish dressage. Lilly took over the ride last October and her good score and podium finish in the freestyle to music class augurs well for the future. We have never had this number of wins from three different young riders at one international show and I’m really delighted with the results this week.”