Irish jumping squad for senior European Championship named

Blake names Allen, Coyle, Hughes Kennedy, Kenny and O’Connor for A Coruna

The Irish senior show jumping squad has been selected for the upcoming FEI Jumping European Championship in A Coruna, with Ireland hoping to go one better than their silver medal-win in Milan in 2023.

Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Show Jumping Manager Michael Blake has selected a travelling squad of five combinations, as well as two non-travelling reserves for the championship taking place in Spain from July 16th-20th.

Off the back of a five-star Nations Cup in La Baule and qualification secured for the Longines League of Nations final with a leg to spare, the Irish squad of Bertram Allen, Daniel Coyle, Seamus Hughes Kennedy, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor are hoping to further the team’s fine run of recent form.

The Irish show jumping team for the FEI Jumping European Championship, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

• Bertram Allen with Qonquest De Rigo, owned by Ballywalter Stables
• Daniel Coyle with Legacy, owned by Ariel Grange
• Seamus Hughes Kennedy with ESI Rocky (ISH), owned by Clare Hughes
• Darragh Kenny with Eddy Blue, owned by Carol Sollak
• Cian O’Connor with Iron Man or Bentely De Sury, both owned by Karlswood Partners

Blake said: “We’re very excited for the championship in A Coruna, where we will come up against Europe’s best horses, riders and teams. It promises to be very competitive and we have selected an excellent squad of horses and riders for it.

“Our teams have been in great form in Nations Cups but when you get to championships the level of competition is even higher and the pressure ramps up. Our lads know that, they compete at the highest level week-in, week-out and are relishing the opportunity.

“It is very special to represent your country at a major championship and we are all looking forward to the challenge.”

Ireland finished second at the European Championship in Milan two years ago, with Sweden taking the honours. The last Irish win came in Gothenburg in 2017 as Allen and O’Connor, who also won individual bronze with Good Luck, joined Shane Sweetnam and Denis Lynch to see off the Swedes, with Switzerland finishing third.

While Sweden and Switzerland have not replicated that level of form in 2025, Blake knows they will be dangerous nonetheless, and that the likes of France, Germany, Olympic champions Britain and recent Longines League of Nations winners The Netherlands will send very strong teams.

“The competition will be fierce, we know that, it’s the European Championship. Some of the other squads have been named already and you can see that they are firing their big guns, so we’ll need to match that and more but I’m very happy with the squad selected to represent Ireland.”

BREEDING: ESI Rocky (ISH) 2015 gelding by Stakkato Gold (HANN) out of Clonaslea (BWP) by For Pleasure (HANN) Breeder: Ennisnag Stud owned by Clare Hughes ridden by Seamus Hughes-Kennedy.

The Irish High Performance Show Jumping Programme is exclusively funded by Horse Sport Ireland and Sport Ireland

The Irish Show Jumping team is sponsored by The Underwriting Exchange

Charles Ancona – Official athlete clothing supplier to Horse Sport Ireland’s Senior Olympic programmes

Bucas – official supplier to Horse Sport Ireland’s High Performance programme

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