EACH year, it’s the country’s show jumpers, from pony riders to seniors, who take up most of the international coverage in the Irish Horse World and 2024 was no different from the exploits of the top pony riders at Mechelen as 2023 came to a close (Saturday, January 6th).

Team competitions matter most according to Michael Blake, Horse Sport Ireland’s high performance show jumping director, in the issue of February 10th. In advance of the first leg of the inaugural Longines League of Nations in Abu Dhabi, Blake stated: “Nothing is more important to our riders than jumping for their country and, even though jumping could be seen as an individual sport in most cases, for riders the dynamic changes completely when it comes to a Nations Cup.”