• Post published:April 23, 2019

The elite series will commence on the 28thĀ April at The Meadows Equestrian and take place at ten venues throughout the country with lucrative prize money, RDS individual invitation and the coveted title of ā€˜National Championā€™ up for grabs.

TRM are delighted to be once again sponsoring The New Heights Champions Series along with Horse Sport Ireland.

Once again, this year, the series will acknowledge breeders, owners, grooms as well as the riders themselves with prizes throughout the series and at the final, which will take place on the 31stĀ of August at Barnadown Equestrian during the Irish Breeders Classic.Ā  The top three Irish bred horses in the series will have their breeders acknowledged with ā‚¬2,500, ā‚¬1,500 and ā‚¬1,000 respectively. The winning owners will receive a bottle of champagne and a token at each leg throughout the series, while the winning groom will be receiving ā‚¬100.

We are also continuing to recognise our young riders who compete at the top level of Irish show jumping with ā‚¬100 TRI Equestrian voucher for the highest placed young rider at each round.

(Paul Nolan, Mikey Pender, Michael Blake, Sophie D’Alton, Rauol Masterson, Ger O’Neill, Nicholas Butler)
Photocredit: jumpinaction.net All rights reserved

Ger Oā€™Neill, who participates in this series each year was at the launch and commented that ā€˜Show jumping as a sport in Ireland would not be possible without the generous help and support of the organising association, Showjumping Ireland and of course the sponsors such as TRM & Horse Sport Ireland. The prize money for this league is very appealing to the riders based in Ireland wanting to compete at top level. It is really pleasing to see that our grooms and owners are now being recognised for their achievements and also the ownerā€™s prizes are a great incentive to try and get owners to come out to the shows and see the horses in action.ā€™

An important part of this series is the Dublin Horse Show individual invitation. This year, the two rider and horse combinations in three of the following four ā€˜ TRM/H.S.I New Heights Champions Seriesā€™ shows – The Meadows Equestrian Centre, Portmore Equestrian Centre, National Balmoral and Tattersalls Show will be invited by the Organising Committee to compete as Irish Individual riders at the Dublin Horse Show.

Equestrian Journalist, Paul Nolan expressed his view on the RDS Invitation, ā€œThe TRM/Horse Sport Ireland New Heights Champions Series provides a unique opportunity for two riders from the national circuit to qualify to compete at the 2019 CSIO5* Dublin Horse Show.Ā  It makes for great sport when the riders in contention go right down to the wire in the final Dublin Horse Show qualifying New Heights Champions Series Grand Prix, at the Tattersalls July Show, to secure a much-coveted place to compete as an Irish individual international rider in the RDS.”

National Champion will be decided on horse/rider combination based on all ten legs.Ā Equal points will count for all ten legs.Ā 

A bonus will apply to the five legs (Ballinasloe Show, Galway County, Omagh Show, Cork Summer Show and Maryville Stable) that do not count towards the RDS Qualification. The leading horse/rider combination of these five legs will receive ā‚¬3,000 with the runner up receiving ā‚¬2,000.

National Chairman of Showjumping Ireland said: ā€œThis series is known as the pinnacle of show jumping in Ireland. It has a large prize fund offering and continues to acknowledge the support of all stakeholders taking part. It is fantastic to also have the support of long standing sponsor TRM and governing body Horse Sport Ireland backing this series along with ourselves to keep our top riders competing on our national circuit. The Meadows is a fantastic venue to begin this yearā€™s New Heights Champions Series and we look forward to some healthy competition amongst our riders across the summer months. Ā I would like to wish all our competitors and their teams an enjoyable and successful season.ā€

Speaking ahead of the series, TRM Managing Director Raoul Masterson said: ā€œTRM are delighted to be supporting, once again, the New Heights Champions Series. 2019 will mark the 9thĀ consecutive season for TRMā€™s support of top level Showjumping in Ireland. It is imperative to the Irish Equine industry that Grand Prix Classes such as the New Heights Champions Series are supported and provide well deserved prize money to all stakeholders including riders, owners, groom and breeders. We wish all competitors the best of luck and are looking forward to visiting the many wonderful venues around the country this summer.ā€

CEO of Horse Sport Ireland, Ronan Murphy ā€“Horse Sport Ireland have supported The New Heights Champions Series since 2016 and we are delighted to sponsor the Series again in 2019. This competition is integrally important to the Irish National Showjumping Circuit and is vital for the development of both horses and riders, many of whom use the league as a stepping stone to international competition. I look forward to following the Series throughout the Summer for what promises to be an exciting season of competition.

https://youtu.be/v4mbB7XKjfA