HORSE SPORT IRELAND: IRELAND’S PARALYMPIC RIDERS BEGIN COMPETITION ON THURSDAY

Source: News Release/Colin McClelland (edited)

IRELAND’S PARALYMPIC RIDERS BEGIN COMPETITION ON THURSDAY

IRELAND'S first ever Para Equestrian team to qualify for the Paralympics are now in London preparing for the dressage contests ahead, which begin tomorrow (Thursday). All four of Ireland’s horses passed the Horse Inspection Wednesday.

In the Grade II team test, which starts at 9am on Thursday, Ireland’s Eilish Byrne and her horse Youri will be riding second of 23 competitors, while in the Grade IV team test James Dwyer and Orlando are drawn 12th of 14 competitors on Friday, with the competition also starting at 9am.

Geraldine Savage and Helen Kearney both take part in the Grade 1a team test. Savage competes on Blues Tip Top Too as third of 14 competitors, while Kearney and Mister Cool are drawn tenth. The competition starts at 15.45 on Friday.

The three best scores from Irish riders will count towards Ireland's overall team score.

The Irish quartet at the Games are, in alphabetical order:

Eilish Byrne/Youri

James Dwyer/Orlando

Helen Kearney/Mister Cool (ISH)

Gerry Savage/Blues Tip Top Too

Following two days of team tests, the riders will then move on to their individual championships tests on September 1st and 2nd, with the individual freestyle competitions taking place on September 3rd and 4th.

Eilish Byrne, who finished eighth as an individual at Beijing in 2008, comes from Dundalk in Co. Louth, and was the first Irish Para rider to win a four-star international event, at Kreuttal in Austria five years ago.

James Dwyer, though born in Co. Kilkenny, is now based in Pennsylvania in the United States, where he finished fifth in the 2010 World Equestrian Games, subsequently obtaining a World No.2 ranking with a trio of wins in Florida.

The youngest member of the Irish team is Helen Kearney from Wicklow, who took Individual Bronze at the 2011 European Para Equestrian Dressage Championships in Belgium.

Geraldine Savage from Co. Dublin is now based in York, England, where between 2008 and 2011 she has won the British Dressage National Championships, the British Dressage Spring Championships and the RDA National Champion title.

The Irish team is accompanied by Triona Connors Horse Sport Ireland's Equestrian Sport Co-ordinator, Dara Kearney, Chef d'Equipe and Donie Mc Namara, team trainer. Triona Connors will take over as Chef D'Equipe from Thursday August 30th to Sunday September 2nd as Dara Kearney has to return to Ireland for a private engagement.

Horse Sport Ireland Chairman Joe Walsh said:

"This is the first time Ireland has qualified a full equestrian team for the Paralympics. It has been a great achievement to qualify and I want to wish all the riders and support personnel the best of luck at the Paralympics," he said

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