“I was only in second gear,” joked Cian O’Connor yesterday after he got Ireland off to a winning start at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show, before Bertram Allen, made it two-in-a-row for the home side in the second international class.

Denis Lynch’s brother and manager, Shay, has defended the Tipperary show jumper after the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) veterinary report into the disqualification of his horse Lantinus emerged at the weekend.

DEFENCE Minister Alan Shatter has rejected a request that the Army Equitation School boost Ireland’s chances of qualifying two riders for the Olympics by loaning one of its top horses, Annestown, to Billy Twomey.

IRELAND lie third in the FEI Nations Cup Series and preparations for a shot at Olympic qualification at next month’s European Championships in Madrid are on target, so, all in all, manager Robert Splaine is entitled to be reasonably satisfied.

SHOW JUMPER Shane Breen and Captain David O’Brien were among five riders to share second place in yesterday’s Hickstead Derby, with the notoriously challenging competition providing just one clear round.

IRELAND’S show jumpers finished in equal fifth place yesterday in a closely-fought nations cup at Gijon, Spain.

KNIGHT EAGLE looks best in the four-runner Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Median Auction Race at Ballinrobe tonight.

IRELAND’S show jumpers did enough yesterday to move from the bottom of the Meydan Series, when fifth in the Dutch nations cup at Rotterdam.

CURRAGH handler John McConnell, whose horses are in fine shape, took his tally of winners for the year to 11 when Eurosmart Lady landed a touch in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Maiden at Limerick yesterday.

JESSICA KÜRTEN justified her favourite’s tag yesterday when she won the €130,000 Longines Grand Prix at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show.

Jessica Kurten made her visit to the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show more than worthwhile today when she scooped the €42,000 first prize in the Longines Grand Prix with Lady Georgina Forbes's mare Castle Forbes Libertina.

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.

Captain David O'Brien finally put his foot on the pedal today after months of preparation with his new ride Mo Chroi, and won the big 1m50 speed class at Maubeuge, France.

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.

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.

Comdt. Gerry Flynn kept up his recent run of good form at the four-star show in Lisbon Portugal tonight with a win in the Grand Prix on the Irish-bred mare 'Mo Chroí'.

Shane Carey notched up his second victory of the weekend at the four-star show in Prague, Czech Republic when he won the Speed Class there today with the Irish-bred 'Cashla Bay'.

Germany proved unstoppable in this year's Aga Khan Trophy competition at the Dublin Horse Show today finishing on an enviable score of just nine faults, their second consecutive Aga Khan Trophy win.

CAMERON HANLEY is the last Irishman to win the grand prix at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show and he is not ruling out a repeat in two weeks’ time.

THE five-man squad to represent Ireland in the nations cup at next month’s Dublin Horse Show was announced yesterday.

IRELAND were triumphant on the last day (Sunday) of the four-star show in Drammen, Norway, with victory in both the Norway Nations' Cup and the Drammen Grand Prix.

Ireland have won the Norway Nations' Cup and the Drammen Grand Prix on the last day of the four-star show in Drammen, Norway.

Chef d'Equipe Tommy Brennan tonight (Saturday) announced the jumping order for the Irish team in Sunday afternoon's Nations' Cup competition in Hamina, Finland.

A jubilant Chef d'Equipe Tommy Brennan announced Ireland's triumph in the Austrian Nations' Cup in Linz this afternoon when the team of Conor Swail, Commandant Gerry Flynn, Ryan Crumley and Shane Breen proved unstoppable in both rounds, finishing on 12 faults, with Italy the nearest challengers on 24 faults.

SHOW jumper Peter Charles yesterday said he would “rule nothing in, or, nothing out” when asked of speculation he is about to change nationality.

IRISH show jumpers’ dominance at the nations cup show in Athens was reinforced yesterday with Conor Swail and Commandant Gerry Flynn securing a one-two in the grand prix.

THE Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI) has not adapted quickly enough to meet the changing needs of the sport, but is working to address this, its chairperson, Patricia Furlong, said yesterday.

MILLSTREET becomes the epicentre of Irish show jumping next week, when it stages its annual summer show.

SHOW JUMPER Ryan Crumley proved the jump-off hero that ensured Ireland victory in the Danish Nations Cup yesterday.