THERE are five Irish riders in the top 20 of the latest FEI World rankings released this week.

The best of these is Conor Swail in 10th place, moving up from 11th the previous month. Next best is Cian O’Connor in 14th place (previously 16th), followed by Daniel Coyle in 15th having slipped from 12th previously. Shane Sweetnam holds on to 17th place, while Darragh Kenny has moved up one place from 19th to 18th.

Sweden’s Henrik Von Eckermann retains his number one position for a remarkable 30th consecutive month. Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat remains at number two, followed by Ben Maher (GBR) and Kent Farrington (USA) still in third and fourth places respectively.

After a very successful month, Swiss rider Martin Fuchs has jumped from ninth up to fifth place this month, with American rider McLain Ward hopping up from eighth to sixth. Christian Kukuk is a non-mover in seventh place, while Austria’s Max Kuhner has slipped from fifth to current eighth place. Germany’s Richard Vogel (previously sixth) now sits in ninth.

Under 25

In the Under 25 Jumping Rankings, Ireland has three representatives in the top 20. The best of these is Michael Pender, who retains his second place on 2,040 points, not far behind Britain’s Harry Charles who remains at the top of the table on 2,096 points. Harry Allen lies just outside the top 10, moving up to 11th from 12th last time. Tom Wachman has also improved his position from 16th to 14th.

Para Dressage

While there are no Irish names featuring in the top of the dressage rankings, para dressage has seen some positive moves, with Michael Murphy moving up a place from seventh to sixth place in the Grade I rankings. In Grade III, Jessica McKenna has entered the top 10, moving up a place from her previous 11th position, while Kate Kerr-Horan also moves up a place from 12th to 11th, to sit just outside the top 10. In Grade V, Sarah Slattery has moved into the top 10 - up two places from 12th to 10th. As a team, Ireland sits in 11th place in the 2024 rankings.

In eventing, Austin O’Connor is best of the Irish, maintaining his 22nd position, with Jennifer Kuehnle retaining her 40th place, followed by Padraig McCarthy, who has moved up one place to 42nd.