Source:  News Release/Colin McClelland

Show Jumping - Splaine Names Irish Team for Florida Nations Cup Clash

IRISH Show Jumping Manager Robert Splaine today (Thursday) announced the Irish team who will compete in the US Nations' Cup competition at Wellington in Florida on Friday night.

Drawn tenth to jump of 12 teams competing, Ireland will line out as follows:

Shane Sweetnam/Eregast Van’T Kiezelhof
Richie Moloney/Carrabis Z
Paul O'Shea/Lilli
Cian O'Connor/Quidam's Cherie

The teams taking part, of whom either six or eight will go forward to the second round, depending upon the decision of the Ground Jury, are:
1. New Zealand
2. Great Britain
3. Canada
4. Brazil
5. Germany
6. USA
7. Colombia
8. Israel
9. Chile
10. Ireland
11. Mexico
12. Venezuela

Three teams – Canada, Mexico, and the host nation USA – will be eligible for Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping points in the North America, Central America and Caribbean League.

The competition will be available on Livestream in Ireland at midnight on Friday from www.feitv.org

Sweetnam uses Stable TV to Calm Winning Irish Horse

CORK-born Shane Sweetnam, who won his fourth opening competition at Florida's Winter Equestrian Festival last night (Wednesday) with the Irish Sport Horse Solerina, revealed that he uses a television set in the stable to acclimatise the mare to the competition arena's giant video screen.

"She is very funny about the jumbotron (the giant video display), that is her big thing. She has matured about it, but she is still kind of nervous about it. Today in the practice ring she was nervous; you could tell that she was nervous. She's a much better horse when there is no TV, " he explained.

The 33 year-old US-based Irish rider said that to help with Solerina's nerves about the jumbotron, the mare has a TV screen that she watches in her stall at horse shows.

"It helps a little, but I'm not sure how much," Sweetnam admitted. "She's not as dramatic about it as she was before, but as soon as she sees a big TV it is still a factor. At shows she always has a TV in her stall. Spruce Meadows show jumping is what she's watching at the moment. It used to be some cowboy guy before. I better get the Winter Equestrian Festival video, maybe that will work better."

Despite her reservations about giant TV screens, the 15 year-old Cruising mare, who is owned by Sweet Oak & Spy Coast Farms, still took home the winner's trophy in Florida last night with a comfortable two seconds in hand over Mexican challenger Eugenio Garza and the stallion Providence 3.

Sweetnam has so far won four opening speed classes with different horses since the equestrian festival opened in Wellington, Florida eight weeks ago.

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