Joseph Murphy was “really happy” after helping Ireland to a solid start that left them fifth of 11 teams in the European Eventing Championships at Blair Castle, Scotland, yesterday.

Ireland eventing manager Nick Turner believes “there’s a lot to look forward to”, as he announced his squad for September’s European Championships at Blair Castle, Scotland.

Having finished third of the three teams in last year’s inaugural FEI Eventing Nations Cup at Ballindenisk, the Irish will be bidding for improvement this weekend, writes John Tynan.

Ireland eventing high performance manager Nick Turner says securing qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro has meant for a “switch in focus”.

Sam Watson slotted into third after dressage yesterday in the long-format three-star class at the Johnson and Perrott Land Rover International Horse Trials at Ballindenisk, Co Cork, but was in no mood to get ahead of himself.