Team listings have now been confirmed for what will be a major day for Irish show jumping at La Baule in France and Drammen in Norway.
At both venues on Friday, Irish riders and horses will attempt to win FEI Nations Cups, with the five-star contest at La Baule counting vital points for the European Division One league.
New Irish show jumping team manager Rodrigo Pessoa has revealed his four riders for La Baule, where the Nations Cup begins at 1pm Irish time and is available to watch on subscription from FEItv.
Ireland will line out as:
Denis Lynch with the 14-year-old stallion All Star
Shane Breen riding the 12-year-old stallion Golden Hawk
Michael Duffy and the 11-year-old gelding Belcanto Z
Shane Sweetnam with the 11-year-old stallion Chaqui Z
Afterwards Pessoa said: “We are presenting a good team here in La Baule for our first points-scoring round. It rained a bit here today (Thursday) but conditions are good and we are looking forward to a good result tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, farther north in Norway, Irish Chef d’Equipe Michael Blake has announced his quartet to compete in the non points-scoring Drammen Nations Cup.
Here, the competition starts at 4.15pm Irish time and will also be available to watch live on FEItv.
Ireland’s Drammen team is:
Alexander Butler with Hallowberry Cruz
Mark McAuley on Utchan De Belheme
Cameron Hanley riding Quirex
Capt. Geoff Curran with Ringwood Glen
Michael Blake said this afternoon: “We are expecting a tough competition with some strong teams particularly from Britain and Belgium.
“I think this is a very good Irish team with plenty of experience. I would like to thank all the owners for making their horses available to the Irish team and we look forward to a competitive competition here in Drammen.”
Jack Burns
You can also follow We Live Horse on Twitter 
We Live Horse 