David O’ Connor, chairman of the FEI Eventing Committee and an Olympic gold medallist, has arrived at Millstreet from the USA. He explains the concept behind the FEI World Eventing Championship U25:

‘The philosophy is that the gap between Young Riders [whose championship is at 3* level] and seniors is quite large and we felt that this age group needed their own championships.  Around four or five years work has gone into working up to this and we’re very excited about the concept.

‘Whether competitors are intending to go down the road of being a professional rider or whether they are taking up another career, but wanting to remain in the sport, this is their championship and they should feel they are being tested against the best in the world. 

‘We couldn’t be happier to have the inaugural FEI World Championship Eventing U25 at Millstreet in Ireland. It is one of the iconic event sites, with friendly and warm hospitality and great cross-country courses. It was wonderful that the whole town has got behind it and turned out to welcome the teams.’