Two wins for Ireland at Student World Finals

IRELAND hosted the Student Riders’ Nations’ Cup (SRNC) World Finals 2009 at Ravensdale Lodge Equestrian Centre in Dundalk, Co. Louth this year.

After three days of competition the home nation was confirmed as the overall winner of the World Final Show Jumping Cup for 2009,
and the 2009 President’s Cup for combined results. Ireland placed second in team show jumping and took the third place in the combined team competition.

Natalie Quinlivan, Chef d’Equipe of the Irish Team, member of the organising committee and secretary of IURCA (Irish Universities Riding Clubs Association) said afterwards:
 ”It was a brilliant weekend and I’d like to thank all our sponsors and especially those competitors who travelled from all over the world to take part. It was an added bonus
 to win both cups. We thought we’d take the President’s Cup, but it was terrific to win the Show Jumping Cup as well.”

Natalie herself won the National Accumulator Class.

The four round, knock-out competition at Dundalk, which included both dressage and show jumping, saw Britains win in the combined section,
Belgium took second place.

Belgium also took first in team showjumping while Luxembourg placed third. Britain took first in team dressage.

The individual show jumping winner was Elodie Weber from Luxembourg, with Ans van Oort from the Netherlands as runner-up and Ireland’s Nicola FitzGibbon in third.

In Dressage, Friederike Haas from Germany takes home first place, with Britain’s Joanna Honey in second with Italy’s Nicola Rossi in third.

The event, supported by Horse Sport Ireland (HSI), welcomed 45 student riders from 15 nations who made the journey to compete at the Connolly family’s Ravensdale Lodge on
borrowed horses, some travelling from as far away as Egypt, Canada and the USA.