Kearney confirms her place amongst elite with fourth at European Championships

Helen Kearney produced another top level performance on the big stage, finishing fourth in the Grade 1A category for the team competition at the JYSK FEI Eureopan Para-Dressage Championships in Denmark.

Kearney was a bronze medallist at the last Europeans in Belgium and followed up with a bronze and silver at the London Paralympics 12 months ago.

The Mooncoin woman indicated that she will be challenging for a place on the podium once more when participating in the individual class on Saturday with this contribution to the team cause - one she maintained was her best ever.

The penultimate competitor into the JYSK Arena in Herning, Kearney and Mr Cool were consistent throughout and scored particularly strongly in the latter part of her programme.

Mister Cool, who is owned jointly by Helen's mother Mary and former Olympic dressage competitor, Heike Holstein, showed all his experience and the grey son of Coolcorran Cool

Diamond was completely unperturbed by the noise and activity that is unusual for Paralympic dressage.

Kearney finished with an overall percentage of 72.913, that was just over 2% short of third-placed Italian, Sara Morganti with Great Britain filling first and second courtesy of Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham.

"Today was great" said a beaming Helen. "I'm delighted with my horse. He was really relaxed and didn't put a foot wrong."

Kate Kerr Horan's first ever major championships were always going to be a learning experience. A number of factors weren't in the 20-year-old's favour apart from her inexperience, not least the fact that it was difficult to keep the nerves at bay with such a late starting time of just after 8pm local time.
Kerr Horan and Arlande are a new combination however and while they would have hoped to score a little higher in the Grade III category than the 60.842 that earned her seventh, Chef d'Equipe Dara Kearney was confident that it would stand to the Tinahely rider in the long term.

"I thought Kate would do a little better but she is lacking in experience and there is only one way to get it" said the team manager.

"She is really a Grade II rider but we wanted to give her the opportunity on the big stage in preparation for the future. It's a huge learning curve for her but she has a lovely mare and they will do well in the future.

"It was tough for someone so inexperienced to start so extremely late but these things will all stand to her in the end."

Kearney was delighted with the performance of her namesake earlier in the day.

"We were extremely happy with Helen. She says it's her best ever team score so there is plenty to look forward to in the individual."