Two of the most accomplished international show jumpers in modern times, household names Nick Skelton and Eddie Macken, will give joint masterclasses on Friday August 11 and Sunday August 13 at the Dublin Horse Show.

Open to all, these masterclasses will be a unique opportunity for the audience and participants alike. The four riders to participate will be selected from the 1.25m-1.30m and the 1.35m-1.40m Young Rider classes at the show.

The top two riders from each qualifying venue will be put into a draw to participate, with two from the Young Riders 1.25m-1.30m taking part on Friday August 11, and two from the Young Riders 1.35m-1.40m on Sunday August 13.

Eddie Macken and Nick Skelton have over a century’s worth of riding experience between them, and two hugely successful show jumping careers.

A regular at the Dublin Horse Show for decades as part of the British show jumping team, Nick Skelton has also competed in seven Olympic Games and is a double Olympic gold medallist.

He won his first as part of the 2012 winning team for Great Britain, before securing his individual medal at the most recent Games in Rio in 2016. These achievements are all the more impressive considering the potentially career-ending injury Nick suffered in 2000 which took him away from competition for almost two years. On top of his Olympic medal haul, Nick also has ten European medals, six World Championship medals, a World Cup title and he has competed on over 170 Nations Cup teams during his career.

Eddie Macken has had an illustrious international career, winning two individual silver medals at the Show Jumping World Championships (1976 to 1979) and an individual silver at the 1977 European Championships. He was also a member of the Irish team that won the Aga Khan Trophy for three consecutive years from 1977 to 1979, thus winning the trophy outright. Eddie’s partnership with the Irish bred Boomerang is one that remains renowned in the show jumping world.

The pair won the Hickstead Derby a record four consecutive years (1976-79), and Eddie topped the rankings in 1976, 1977 and 1978, after amassing £250,000 in winnings, a record for the time.

The 2017 Dublin Horse Show will provide a chance to watch this legendary duo passing on their invaluable insights.

Online ticket bookings and a provisional Programme of Events for this year’s Dublin Horse Show, which runs from August 9-13, are now available at www.dublinhorseshow.com

Jack Burns