FOUR teams of three and one of four have been selected to represent Ireland at the Youth Home Nations Competition which runs from Friday next, August 2nd, to Sunday, August 4th, at Mount Ballan, Wales. The teams attended final squad training this week with travelling coaches Fiona Hayes and Mark Ruddock, chairman of Dressage Ireland, at the National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown, where they received their Gordon Group-supplied team kit.

This time last year, and 12 months prior to that, Cork’s Amber Lane was preparing to compete in the show hunter starter stakes (finished sixth) and the first ridden pony class (third) at the Dublin Horse Show on Barkway State Affair.

Now she and the 20-year-old Rotherwood Statesman gelding have been selected as the Preliminary combination on Team Emerald alongside Maura McCune Moore and Blokland’s Hoeve’s Amor (Novice), Sadhbh O’Toole and Next Diamond (Elementary) and Isla Coad with Klein Roderijs Gold Fee (Medium and FEI Pony classes).

Team Shamrock comprises Yasmin Hughes and Loughmore Sambo (P), Georgia Cadogan and Star Of Jupiter (N) plus Evie Kennedy and Blackwoodland Breeze (E); Team Clover is made up of Darragh Whyte and Miss Uptown Girl (P), Niamh Winter and Marlton Rose (N) and Katie Lowry with Crosspoint Tobin (E).

Ellen Mooney and Christopher Columbus (P), Abbey Ferris and How Ya Sammy (N) plus Gwyn Holmes and Hillgrounds Flamenco (E) will line out as Team Shannon; and the Team Liffey trio are Ellen O’Hara with Miss Pollypockets (P), Niamh Kavanagh and Clonmethan’s Kingstar (N) plus Alex Potter and Bluelake Richard (E). The action gets underway on Friday with six warm-up classes, from Preliminary up to Advanced level. On Saturday, the Preliminary, Novice, Elementary and Medium classes will be followed by FEI team test competitions for Children on Horses, Ponies, Juniors and Young Riders. The programme is repeated on Sunday when those in the FEI competitions will ride the individual tests.