Not only would Cian O’Connor say the sale of this country’s best horses is not necessarily a bad thing, he would go so far as to declare it as a “positive”.

A win wasn’t part of Vinnie Byrne’s grand design in yesterday’s HSI /Blue Grass Spring Tour at Maryville Equestrian Centre in Cork, so when it came it proved a nice bonus.

Bishopstown 1-05 Nemo Rangers 0-08

Shane Sweetnam believes his 11-year-old mare Siri will be out for up to a year after injuring her tendon in the US nations cup in Florida on Friday night.

Robert Splaine is hoping the team that placed second in last year’s US nations cup will get his new term as manager off to a good start today when they line out in Florida.

Olympic bronze medallist Cian O’Connor leapt into the history books yesterday when he brought show jumping to Croke Park for the first time.

“I’m over the moon. It’s fantastic,” said Ireland show jumping manager Robert Splaine after his team captured the Aga Khan Trophy with aplomb at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show yesterday.

Ireland's show-jumpers have won the Aga Khan trophy for the first time in eight years at the Dublin Horse Show at the RDS.

Ireland show jumping team manager Robert Splaine believes Cian O’Connor’s bronze medal-winning performance in London will be a springboard for greater Olympic success.

Katie Taylor had her Bray bash, John Joe Nevin was feted in Mullingar, while Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan got the red carpet treatment in Belfast.

In the end, it was something of a canter for Nemo Rangers as they claimed a 12th Cork County U21AFC title against Bantry Blues at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday night.

With a couple of last-place finishes this season and lying bottom of the FEI Top League, Ireland’s show jumpers pulled off a surprise yesterday with victory in the nations cup in Hickstead, England.

It wouldn’t come as a big surprise to find that Ireland show jumping manager Robert Splaine is putting the controversy over Denis Lynch behind him, and he would be forgiven for, briefly, taking his focus off the Olympics today, as he aims to engineer a get-out-of-jail performance in Hickstead.

Ireland is almost certain to have a dressage rider at the Olympics, with Anna Merveldt the likely contender.

Cian O’Connor laid down an early marker in his bid to represent Ireland at the Olympics with a double clear in the US nations cup on Friday night.

What proved a special weekend at Ballindenisk is set to be given the Olympic seal today when the FEI publishes the list of individual riders who have qualified for London.

Ireland show jumping manager Robert Splaine and his high-performance committee have compiled selection criteria to determine who will represent Ireland at the Olympics, following a request from Horse Sport Ireland (HSI).

Sligo show jumper Darragh Kerins was delighted with his second place in Saturday night’s $125,000 World Cup contest in Florida, considering the mare Lisona returned to action just three weeks ago after a year-and-a-half layoff.

Billy Twomey is confident that he and Denis Lynch have won two individual spots for Ireland in the Olympics, saying that, with almost three weeks to go to the March 1 cut-off date, they cannot be caught by Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya.

AS Ireland’s eventing riders go through an intensive training period in a final push to secure a team place in the Olympics, rider Michael Ryan noted how the vagaries of the sport impacted on him and his wife four years ago.

The latest Rolex FEI World Jumping Rankings have six Irish riders in the top 100 for competitions completed by the end of August, with four of those in the top 50.

IRELAND finished seventh yesterday in a closely-fought Alltech European Show Jumping Championships in Windsor, England, despite a spirited second-round effort.

IRELAND’S show jumpers fulfilled the promise they proffered all season by winning the Meydan Swedish Nations Cup in Falsterbo yesterday.

A double clear round from Sligo-born Darragh Kerins and Night Train helped Ireland to its first win of the Meydan FEI Nations' Cup at Falsterbo this afternoon.

FIRST-ROUND clears from Kevin Babington and Shane Sweetnam helped Ireland finish joint second in the USA Nations Cup in Florida on Friday night, just one fault separating them from winners Canada.

HORSE SPORT IRELAND is “conscious 2009 will be a difficult year for the industry and it will be doing its best to provide support” as the global economic downturn hits home.

IRELAND’S show jumpers were in the frame yesterday on the opening day of the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show and, while victory eluded them, it provided optimism ahead of tomorrow’s Samsung Super League nations cup.

IF experience can buy one thing, it is the ability to deal with success and failure... and Irish show jumping team manager Robert Splaine has more than enough experience to handle the proverbial two sides of the same coin.

After a week of assessment in Wellington, Florida, Irish Show Jumping team manager Robert Splaine today announced his team to compete in the US Nations' Cup on Friday, March 7.

THE Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI) has set the bar high with its new Premier Grand Prix League, but it is confident the strict criteria it has laid down for it “can only ensure excellence”.

Two double clear rounds in the warm evening air of Florida helped Ireland to a second place in its first Nations Cup of the year in Wellington last night.

Darragh Kerins came close to overhauling American champ Beezie Madden in last night's WEF Challenge Cup in Wellington, Florida.

COMMANDANT John Ledingham will not be applying for the newly-advertised position of team manager to the Irish international show jumping team.

PERHAPS it was an early celebration ahead of St Patrick’s Day, but Ireland’s show jumpers ensured Florida was green last Sunday when winning the first Samsung Nations Cup of the season.

IRELAND'S show jumping chef d'equipe designate Eddie Macken answered his detractors in emphatic fashion at the weekend as he led a makeshift team to victory in the Nations Cup at Wellington, Florida.

IRELAND’S Nations Cup campaign could be without the services of Kevin Babington this season, transport costs for Carling King threatening his participation.

IRELAND’S showjumping strength in depth was evident last weekend in Florida when a team riding borrowed horses was pipped by America’s top riders in a nations cup.