The countdown to the FEI Jumping Youth European Championships has now begun in earnest after a very successful week at the Future Champions show in Hagen, Germany that concluded at the weekend.Irelands youth athletes returned from Hagen with a hat-trick of podium finishes as well as individual standout performances, much to the delight of Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Youth Jumping Manager Denis Flannelly.Flannelly oversaw three team podium finishes, which included a remarkable comeback for the Young Rider team to finish third, and a pair of silver medals for the Pony and Children on Horses teams. This was the final shown in a series of competitions that will help inform Flannelly and his selection committee choose the combinations and squads at the two championships that will take place in Hagen, Germany that commence on July 19th and run for the week, then Le Mans, France the following week.He said: It has been an excellent campaign to date, with many podium finishes in Nations Cups across all of the age categories. We have competed at Sentower, Compiegne, Zuidwolde and at the weekend in Hagen.It is very important to give these young athletes the opportunity to experience being part of a team and to perform in the Cup format. They need to experience what its like to be a team member and play their part on that team as well as dealing with the associated pressure and of course feel the camaraderie that only a Nations Cup can give. There is no better way to prepare for the European Championships, which is the ultimate Nations Cup, than fielding teams in the FEI European Nations Cup Series.Weve had many amazing results over the course of the series to date a lot of which has come from new combinations and young athletes competing for their country for the very first time. We have been very pleased with the progress made over the last number of months.As Flannelly says, there is no substitute for the pressure that Nations Cup format jumping brings and while the Irish squads had an incredibly successful 2025, he was keen for new combinations to stake a claim to be part of the championships in Hagen next month.Obviously last summer was incredible, adds Flannely. We came home with numerous medals in various categories and our young athletes developed greatly from being part of the championships.Within the programme, one of our main goals is to develop a pathway to the senior level of our sport. We must always be looking forward and continue to strive for great things year-on-year.Our Horse Sport Ireland Youth Jumping Programme gives athletes the opportunity to develop and compete at the highest level amongst their peers in Europe, and so many of these athletes have gone on to the top of our sport.Because of the fact our youth athletes have had the experience of competing at various Nations Cup shows around Europe, the step up to senior level showjumping becomes easier.That is something we must always remain focused on.Looking back at Hagen last weekend, Flannelly was particularly pleased with the character shown by Irelands young athletes. To give an example, Irelands Young Rider team looked very much out of contention for a medal at the halfway point in their Nations Cup after finishing round one on a score of 26 faults yet recovered to finish in third place on a final tally of 27, with just one time fault picked up in round two.Flannellys philosophy of meeting as a team before, during and after competing bore fruit.Flannelly adds: That took guts and character, as well as the talent all four riders obviously have in the saddle. They would have been forgiven for going through the motions at that stage of the competition, licked their wounds and come back to fight another day but they were having none of that and it was so impressive to see.Obviously our Pony and Children on Horses teams were also brilliant. Both teams are the youngest Irish international athletes competing and both performed admirably to finish on the podium in the silver medal position.The conditioning of young people at that level to deal with the pressures associated will serve them well as they develop and continue through the programme into Junior and Young Rider categories.This is all part of the pathway to senior level. We are so proud of all our athletes who competed in Hagen and through the Nations Cup Series. Now we enthusiastically look forward to the challenges that lay ahead at the Europeans in July.The post All roads lead to the Europeans after Irish Youths impress at Future Champions Nations Cup show in Hagen appeared first on .