Thirteen year old horse rider Lily Tunney had a ‘dream’ weekend in Germany, helping Ireland to victory in the FEI Youth Nations Cup and following that up with individual victory in the CSIOP Grand Prix.

The Tempo teenager rode a double clear round on Caravago to help Ireland to the top spot ahead of the best young riders in Europe, and then guided her pony Fireman to a clear round in Sunday’s Grand Prix to complete a memorable weekend and earn a place in the Ireland team for the upcoming European Championships in Italy.

“It was an unbelievable trip. A trip of dreams,” admitted her father Gabriel Tunney. “Hagan in Germany is the biggest pony and young rider show in Europe and you are competing against the best combinations in Europe. Lily has done a lot of good things the whole way up, but to win the Hagan Grand Prix and the Nations Cup is the biggest one yet.”

Lily, who is at school in Mount Lourdes, has been honing her riding skills from a young age and had already claimed the Under 10 Reserve National champion title as well as the Ulster Championship on two occasions. Her sister is also well on the way to emulating her older sibling, with Elsie claiming the Ulster Under 10 Championships for the past two years.

“The pony came from being placed in both the Premiers in Ireland, and he also qualified for the RDS in Dublin which is stiff competition. She is very focused and takes it all in her stride. Very level headed.”

In the Nations Cup Lily was on a relatively new horse, but she adapted quickly and delivered a double clear round to seal the win for Ireland. Her performances cemented her place in the Irish team for the European Championship in Italy next month, and Gabriel is hopeful that can provide more success. “She is looking forward to the Europeans,” he acknowledged.

“It is in Gorla Minore in Italy, and she jumped there during the spring time on the Irish team and got a silver medal already. She is pretty hopeful. They have a strong team and they work well together.”