A GRAPH plotting show jumper Nicola FitzGibbon’s year would show it reaching its zenith at the Dublin Horse Show, only to hit a deep trough at the European Championships in Madrid in September.

IT took over two months, but Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) yesterday identified the Sia Group as the consultancy that will undertake a review of Ireland’s poor performance at the European Show Jumping Championships in Madrid.

HORSE Sport Ireland (HSI) is to undertake a review of Ireland’s poor performance in last week’s European Championships.

IRELAND’S show jumpers failed in their goal of Olympic qualification at the European Championships in Madrid, Spain, yesterday, while Billy Twomey also saw his aspirations for an individual medal come crashing down.

BILLY TWOMEY punched the air yesterday after producing his second foot-perfect round in the European Championships in Madrid to leave him in second place in the battle for individual honours.

MENTION, as a by the way, that Nicola FitzGibbon is, perhaps, the new pin-up of Irish show jumping, and the head of fair hair is thrown back as she laughs in surprise, if not slight embarrassment.

SHANE SWEETNAM is not discounting Ireland nabbing a medal at this month’s European Show Jumping Championships, but said everything would have to go the team’s way.

IRELAND can win the FEI Nations Cup Series at next week’s final leg in Rotterdam, but manager Robert Splaine has opted for a squad that shows his main focus remains next month’s European Championships.

THERE are growing fears that nothing has gone right for Cork in a sporting sense since the visit of a certain royal tourist to the city last May.

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.

TWENTY years after first competing at Dublin Horse Show, Shane Sweetnam is close to living his dream by lining out on the Irish team to contest tomorrow’s Nations Cup contest.

IRELAND show jumping manager Robert Splaine has blended two debutants with three riders boasting vast experience in his nations cup squad for next week’s Dublin Horse Show.

DESPITE finishing fifth in yesterday’s Swedish Nations Cup in Falsterbo, Ireland held on to their second place in the FEI Nations Cup League.

NO surprise that Ireland show jumping manager Robert Splaine regrets the loss of K Club Lady and Temple Road, who have both been sold to Ukranian gas magnate Alexander Onishchenko.

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

It was three-in-a-row for Ireland at the Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show today with Billy Twomey and Shane Breen taking outright victory in the first two classes and Cian O'Connor sharing victory in the Puissance.

CIAN O’CONNOR’S education of Rancorrado took a big step forward yesterday when he steered the 10-year-old gelding to victory in the grand prix at Chantilly, France.

THE man who brokered the recent €1.7m sponsorship deal for show jumper Dermott Lennon says he is planning to announce a further arrangement next week that will make the first “look small”.

IT was Ireland über alles in Germany last weekend, when our show jumpers notched up a superb Nations Cup double.

IT was a case of mixed emotions for the Irish last weekend at the Samsung Super League Nations Cup Show in La Baule, France, where early domination disipated on the final day in the wake of a supreme performance by the host team.