With around 3,000 entries for this weekend’s Owners Pony and Young Riders Charity Show, in Millstreet, Co Cork, organisers expect the total funding raised for good causes to top €280,000.

Irish show jumpers drove to victory across Europe at the weekend, with Jessica Kurten in the driving seat when claiming a €40,000 Subaru car in the grand prix in Odense, Copenhagen.

For the second year in a row, show jumper Richie Moloney won the $34,000 Suncast 1m50 Championship Jumper Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida.

Single errors for both Denis Lynch and tyro Bertram Allen kept the Irish duo out of the shake-up in the grand prix in Lyon, France, yesterday.

Cian O’Connor is already giving indication of another successful partnership, notching up a double with his latest acquisition Walk Tall II on week seven of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida.

Limerick show jumper Shane Carey notched up a brace on Saturday at the three-star show in Villach, Austria.

Show jumper Denis Lynch is almost assured of a place in the Rolex World Cup final following his second place in the qualifier in Leipzig yesterday.

Marion Hughes kept the Irish flag flying in China on Saturday when second in the World Cup in Chengdu.

Ireland’s show jumpers joined the Netherlands, Germany, the US, Belgium and Portugal in failing to make the second round of the five-star Promotional League Nations Cup at Gijon, Spain, on Saturday.

Para-Olympian Helen Kearney showed she has what it takes yesterday, when placing third in her grade on the second day of the team equestrian competition in London.

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.

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

Eventing rider Sam Watson pulled off a stunning recovery to finish eighth in the three-star at Saumur, France, yesterday.

WITH the battle for individual places at the Olympics intensifying, Billy Twomey achieved an important fourth place in the lucrative grand prix at Basel, Switzerland, yesterday.

CIAN O’Connor gave a masterclass in show jumping at Millstreet Horse Show yesterday, taking the top two places in the €25,000 grand prix, having earlier won the prestigious Boomerang final.

AN Italian job is not beyond the bounds of possibility in the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup League next week, according to Ireland show jumping manager Robert Splaine, who has nominated the same quartet that won last weekend’s French Nations Cup in his Rome squad.

A DOUBLE clear from Niall Talbot proved pivotal yesterday as Ireland finished third in the nations cup in Copenhagen, Denmark.

IRELAND’S joint second place in the opening leg of the Samsung Super League was as good as could be hoped for, but the fact it was shared with Switzerland and the US dented the value of the performance in terms of points gained.

IRELAND show jumping team manager Robert Splaine set out his stall for this year’s Samsung Super League, saying his aim was firstly to maintain our place among the world’s elite.

THOLM KEANE claimed the Guidam League title yesterday, even though he failed to make the line-up in the final leg at Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

SHOW jumper Marion Hughes won the grand prix in the two-star show at Vilamoura, Portugal, yesterday, while also slotting into sixth.

Ireland today increased their lead in the FEI Nations' Cup rankings with a second place in Lisbon, Portugal. Today's Nations' Cup result added eight points to Ireland's overall tally, but under the 'best of seven competitions' rule, seven points from a previous competition had to be dropped, giving a net gain of one point.

Ireland's show-jumping team today lost its last chance of qualifying for the 2008 Olympics when it failed to stay in the top 10 after the first round of the team championship at Mannheim, Germany.

IRELAND’S show jumpers are in seventh place as they enter the first nations cup of the European Championships in Mannheim, Germany, today.

PAUL O’SHEA is 10 points behind leader Clem McMahon in the Atec Premier Series with only two rounds remaining and is surprised to be there.

THE announcement on Monday of the Irish nations cup quintet for the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show (August 8-12) allows the chance for a more educated guess as to the make-up of the squad for the European Championships, which take place the following week.

KILKENNY-born Marion Hughes had a quiet weekend at the three-star show in Vimeiro, Portugal until this evening, when she produced a devastating double clear round to win the Grand Prix.

SHANE BREEN, the rider hurriedly drafted into the Irish squad for tomorrow’s nations cup competition at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show, gave the home side its best result in yesterday’s feature Irish Sports Council Classic when seventh.

SHOWJUMPER Marie Burke hopes her third place in yesterday’s Longines Grand Prix at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show will earn her a place in Ireland’s World Equestrian Games (WEG) squad.

IRELAND’S team manager Robert Splaine last night took only positives from yesterday’s third place in the nations cup at the Dublin Horse Show, despite the result failing to lift them from the bottom of the Samsung Super League.

IRISH show jumping team manager Robert Splaine has only one aim in today nations cup at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show: to finish well ahead of the Netherlands.

MARION HUGHES is hoping that a good result in the nations’ cup at next week’s Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show will alleviate the pressure in the Samsung Super League and allow Ireland to focus fully on the World Equestrian Games.

THE Equestrian Federation of Ireland (EFI) Jumping Committee yesterday came out in support of Irish show jumping team manager Robert Splaine in his dispute with rider Jessica Kürten.

SHOW JUMPER Sarah-Kate Quinlivan went one better at Newcastle West in Limerick yesterday, when winning the Spring Mount Grand Prix, having finished runner-up last year.

THE Equestrian Federation of Ireland (EFI) executive has been issued with draft proposals on the setting up of an umbrella body for the equine industry as the initiative gains momentum.

JOHN LEDINGHAM and Robert Splaine are, as expected, the two front-runners for the post of Chef d’Equipe of the Irish Show jumping team following a meeting of riders and management in Dublin yesterday.

THE independent investigation of the Army Equitation School by two UCD vets has been completed and indicates there are/were no untoward practices at the facility, sources say.

INTERNATIONAL show jumper Billy Twomey yesterday said Cian O’Connor deserved the right to due process but admitted the controversy was tainting the sport on an international level.

IRELAND'S showjumpers maintained their Samsung Super League status when placing equal fifth in the finals in Barcelona yesterday.

Ireland's show jumpers gained a good enough finish at the today's Samsung Super League final in Barcelona, Spain, to retain their status in the top-ranking competition for 2005.

Carrick-on-Suir native Kevin Babington admitted that the pressure got to him in last night's show jumping team final, but, having qualified joint-fifth for the individual decider, his thoughts have zoned in on Friday's medal hunt.

Ireland's show jumpers put in an impressive display in last night's Olympic team final, as Jessica Kuerten's inspired clear round saw them rise two places to seventh under the floodlights of the Markopoulo centre.

Kevin Babington celebrated his 36th birthday in style at the Markopoulo centre, as he guided his mount Carling King to an individual fourth and qualified Ireland as ninth of 10 nations for tonight’s Show Jumping team final.

Ireland's show jumpers, realistically the nation's only chance left of a podim in Athens, have been drawn fourth of 15 teams for tomorrow's "Nations Cup" team final at the Markopoulo centre.