Irish Riders in Action in First Round of New Seasons World Cup

Oslo in Norway this weekend hosts the first round of the 2012/2013 season of the FEI Rolex World Cup, which will feature hotly contested competitions in 12 European venues before the Grand Final at Gothenburg in Sweden next April.

Appearing in the Telenor indoor arena will be three riders from Ireland - Dermott Lennon, Denis Lynch and John Hickey - all hoping for valuable ranking points and a share of the World Cup's 140,000 euro prize money on Sunday afternoon, with a Range Rover Evoque going to the winner of the competition.

Last year's World Cup Final was won by the Irish Sport Horse stallion Flexible, ridden by the USA's Rich Fellers.

Elsewhere, Irish show jumpers take part in three-star shows in Rabat, Morocco and St. Lo in France while two-star action takes place in Odense, Denmark, Assen in the Netherlands and Dunkerque in France. Marion Hughes will be the sole Irish representative at Chengdu in China this weekend.

Irish Eventers Jonty Evans, Patricia and Michael Ryan, Steven Smith and Ciaran Glynn contest the famous three-star Event at Boekelo in the Netherlands, while Irish show jumpers compete in the Under 25, Junior, Children on Horses and Pony classes at Chevenez in Switzerland.