Mayo Young Sports Stars: Making great strides in the world of equestrian sports

Stephen Gibbons is certainly making great strides in the world of equestrian sports.

The young man's name is one we should be hearing a lot more of in coming years if his achievements to date are anything to go by in the showjumping world.

Moving from the pony ranks to horses can be daunting but Stephen made the transition easy.

In the young rider section last year, Stephen won two RDS qualifiers and followed this up with a win at the RDS 5 Star Show – RDS being Croke Park for any young showjumper. In September, he was a member of the Irish junior team which won the silver medal at the Youth Nations Cup finals in Belgium.

Some of Stephen's best results actually came in the senior ranks, where with his new ride, Cassius, he firstly won the Connacht Showjumping 1:35 League, while at the international 2 Star in Mullingar he placed seventh in the world ranking class, and followed this up with a fantastic ninth place finish in the Grand Prix at the Millstreet 2 Star international, gaining more valuable world ranking points.

To top it off, Stephen was then selected on the Irish team with his five-year-old Ceide Candy Heart for the Global Champions Trophy in Holland.

Last year truly was a memorable one for the 17-year-old from Claremorris.

He is being recognised for his achievements at The Connaught Telegraph Mayo Young Sports Stars Awards, which are taking place on Friday (March 8) in Breaffy House Resort, Castlebar. For tickets, contact Aiden Henry on (087) 6582141 or aiden.henry@con-telegraph.ie.