The Irish Young Rider (under 21) eventing team put on a stellar performance at the FEI Young Rider Eventing Championships to claim the team silver medal with Kildare native Alannah Kelly claiming individual bronze as the best of the Irish riders.

Riding at Montelibretti, Italy, Sue Shortt’s team of Kelly, Heather O’Connor, Godfrey Gibbons and Chloe Fagan got off to a strong start after the opening dressage phase, sitting in second place overnight. Saturday’s cross-country proved testing for many teams but Ireland rose to the challenge moving into the top spot by the end of the day.

Fagan moved from individual silver after a stunning dressage score of 25.7 into individual gold post a penalty-free cross-country but a small injury to her own Comte Ligniere Z meant she could not complete the final phase.

Following Fagan’s withdrawal, Ireland moved into team bronze behind Germany and Italy with very small margins in play.

Only four riders show jumped clear and three of those exceeded the time allowed. With only one fence down for Kelly and the Irish Sport Horse Cooley Bounce (Grange Bouncer x Master Imp), bred by Thomas Duffin, and just 1.2 cross-country penalties, they jumped up the leaderboard to finish third on 37.7. It was the pair’s fourth European medal and the perfect send-off from the young rider ranks.

Individual athlete and Tipperary native, Daniel Meagher also had a brilliant championship debut finishing fifth on a score of 39.6 with James Meagher’s A Classic Sportsfield (Mermus R x High Roller), bred by Siobhan McGuinness. This pair added just four jumping faults to a dressage score of 35.6 to finish on 39.6.

Galway’s Godfrey Gibbons had two fences down with Milchem Free Spirit (Contra A x Nautilus), bred by Ralph Conroy, in the final phase to finish in seventh place individually on 41.6. Waterford’s Heather O’Connor and HSH Has It All (Puissance x Aldatus Z), bred by Sean Barron, finished 12th, adding 12 jumping faults to their dressage score of 32.

Ireland’s success in the show jumping arena saw them move up a place on podium to claim the team silver just behind the home team from Italy who took gold and ahead of third-placed Germany.

The Irish U18 (Junior) team of Tom Nestor (Cooley Diamond Dancer, ISH), Momo Sheehy (TMX Herby), Ted O’Leary (Master Swatch, ISH) and Julia Adams (Milchem Ardeo, ISH), managed by Dag Albert, finished in seventh place overall. Germany took the Junior team gold ahead of Britain who claimed silver while the bronze medal went to France.

Wonderful rollercoaster

Young rider team manger Sue Shortt described the week as a “wonderful rollercoaster.

“We started off great with the dressage, all down to Heike (Holstein), she does a wonderful job with them, they are so well prepared, mentally strong and confident in themseves and their horses,” Shortt said.

“At the end of the cross-country, we were in team gold – an outstanding achievement and testament to the HSI training programme, it works.

"Chloe’s lad picked up a little injury and was just a bit sore so we decided to withdraw after the trot-up which was very disappointing for her as she was lying in gold and is an extremely talented rider but the team silver softened the blow.

“The show jumping track was the most difficult I have seen at the championships, and at the end it was so tight that the German chef d’equipe came up to ask us who won! In the end there was just 0.7 of a point in it which just shows the strength of the squad we have.”

Shortt’s young riders will all move up from under 21s after this season bar Gibbons, leaving her optimistic about the future. “The future is looking bright for Irish eventing,” she added.