Horse Sport Ireland has announced the nominated athlete-horse combinations for consideration by the Olympic Federation of Ireland to represent Team Ireland at the Paris Olympic Games.
The combinations nominated for eventing selection are listed in alphabetical order:
–Susie Berry with Wellfields Lincoln, owned by Sue Wilkinson and Anne Marling.
–Sarah Ennis with Action Lady M, owned by Andrew Cox and Susanne Macken.
–Austin O’Connor with Colorado Blue, owned by the Salty Syndicate, Gill Watson, Philippa Smith and Jenny Burall.
The following combination has been selected to serve as traveling alternate:
–Aoife Clark with Sportsfield Freelance, owned by the Freelance Syndicate.
See the full list of eventing team alternates here.
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“It is an honor and privilege to be leading the Irish team into the Paris Olympic Games this summer, and I’m absolutely delighted with the athletes and their horses, who have been raising their performances week-on-week as we have gotten to this point in the selection process,” said eventing high performance director Dag Albert. “The strength and depth we have in Irish eventing currently is probably at its highest ever, and it made the decision difficult, as the athletes and their horses really pushed each other to make it to Paris.
“It is a huge undertaking for themselves to reach this level and also their teams at home to have the horses performing at the levels required to reach an Olympic Games. I’m extremely proud of them all,” he continued.
The show jumping combinations nominated, in alphabetical order, for selection are:
–Daniel Coyle with Legacy, owned by Ariel Grange.
–Cian O’Connor with Maurice, owned by Keira Stoute, Sarah Stoute and Cian O’Connor.
–Shane Sweetnam with James Kann Cruz, owned by Gizmo Partners LLC.
The following combination has been selected as traveling alternate:
–Bertram Allen with Pacino Amiro, owned by Ballywalter Stables.
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The following combinations have been selected as non-traveling reserves and are listed in alphabetical order. (They will travel to the designated Horse Sport Ireland holding camp, should one be required.)
–Denis Lynch with Brooklyn Heights, owned by Molly Ohrstrom
–Mark McAuley with GRS Lady Amaro, owned by SNC McAuley Equestrian.
See the full list of show jumping team alternates here.
“It is the greatest honor for an athlete to be chosen to represent their country at an Olympic Games, and I’m delighted to have chosen these athletes for consideration for Paris,” said show jumping high performance director Michael Blake. “We are enjoying an excellent period of Irish jumping at the moment, and it is testament to the riders and all of their teams who look after the horses at home, and when they compete, that they have all reached such a high level.
“The athletes and horses I have chosen have been performing brilliantly, week-in-week-out, on the international stage, and we’ll give it everything we have to achieve what we’re setting out to do,” he continued.
Ireland was allotted one individual spot in dressage, and Horse Sport Ireland has nominated Abigail Lyle on Giraldo for consideration by the Olympic Federation of Ireland.
Dressage high performance director Anne Marie Dunphy chose the combination, as well as individual reserves Anna Merveldt with Esporim and Judy Reynolds with Rockman Royal NG.
