The Irish Sport Horse studbook won the breed title for the second year in succession as the FEI world breeding championships for young event horses concluded at Le Lion d’Angers in western France on Sunday afternoon.
With 25 horses representing eight nations over the two age groups, the ISH studbook had the largest entry at the championships. The three scores which contributed to its success once again came in the CCI1* class for six-year-olds where nine of the 41 entries were ISH-registered.
Best of these was the Waldo Van Dungen gelding Emerald Jonny which, on 25.8 penalties, finished second under Britain's Piggy French. Also contributing to success of the ISH studbook were the USA's Liz Halliday-Sharp, who was third with the Corba bay Cooley Moonshine (26.4), and Britain's Millie Dumas who placed fourth with the VDL Arkansas mare Universal Cooley (27.3).
The class was won by Britain’s Kitty King riding the Selle Francais gelding Cristal Fontaine (25.4) while best of the Irish riders was Hillsborough’s Clare Abbott who improved from 18th after dressage to finish eighth on Lisa Rosbotham’s ISH gelding Jewelent, a home-bred grey by Valent.
For the first time since 2012, Horse Sport Ireland sent a full complement of 12 horses to Le Lion d'Angers for the CCI2* class for seven-year-olds two of which, both ridden by Co Kildare-based Cathal Daniels, finished in the top 10.
The higher-placed of the pair in eighth was Heidi and Ian Woodhead's Dutch Warmblood gelding Galant DHI (32.1), who had been 29th after dressage, while a pole down show jumping proved expensive for Michelle Nelson and Kieran Connors' home-bred Samgemjee gelding OLS King Aragon which finished 10th on a penalty score of 34.3.
The 69-strong class was won by Germany's Ingrid Klimke on the Brandenburg mare Asha P (25.3) with Britain's Tom Jackson finishing second on Capels Hollow Drift (27.8), an ISH gelding by Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan. Astier Nicolas gave the home crowd something to cheer about when third with the Selle Francais gelding Babylon de Gamma (29.4).
There was mixed luck for Co Down's Ella Boyle in the 89-runner CIC2* at Bicton in England at the weekend as she finished fifth on her dressage score (32.5) with her mother Amanda's Candy 737 but was unseated on the cross-country phase from her second mare, Catriona. Competing at her first international horse trials outside Ireland, Westmeath's Sofie Walshe also completed on her dressage score (36.7) to finish 13th with the former racehorse Kinsau.
