Bertram Allen named senior show jumper of the year

20-year-old picks up award for the second consecutive year at K Club ceremony

Wexford's Bertram Allen interrupted his busy international schedule to attend the Irish Horse World awards' lunch on Monday at The K Club where he crowned The Irish Field senior show jumper of the year.

According to the 20-year-old, who was winning the award for the second successive season, his highlight of 2015 was partnering the family's mare Molly Malone V on the Irish team which landed the Aga Khan trophy at the Dublin Horse Show in August.

Among other achievements, Allen won a World Cup class at Bordeaux last February on Romanov, before claiming the bronze medal on Molly Malone V at the Las Vegas Finals in April, and he became the youngest rider to win a Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix when successful on Romanov in Paris last July.

Two other riders claiming awards for the second year running were Judy Reynolds, who set and broke numerous Irish international record scores in dressage throughout 2015 on Vancouver K, and 19-year-old Cathal Daniels (young event rider of the year) who, on board Rioghan Rua, made his senior team debut in October at Boekelo, The Netherlands where Ireland won the Nations' Cup.

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Michael Ryan was presented with the senior event rider of the year award. The Bandon-based competitor partnered Ballylynch Adventure to finish ninth at the British four-star event in Badminton in May when the combination was one of just seven, from 57 final round starters, to show jump clear.

Thirteen 13-year-old Jennifer Kuehnle was crowned junior show jumper of the year for her gold medal win with Chaitanya 2 at the European children on horses championships at Wiener Neustadt, Austria in August.

Reynolds (February and June), Ryan (May), Kuehnle (August) and Daniels (October) were also recipients on Monday of Gain Horse Feeds/The Irish Field star of the month awards. On hand too to pick up his award for April was 15-year-old show jumper Robbie Clancy.

Currently based abroad Shane Sweetnam (January), Captain Michael Kelly (March), David Blake (July), Denis Lynch (September) and Conor Swail (November) had family or friends accept monthly awards on their behalf. Bertram Allen, who was the winner of the December award, was then announced as the Gain Horse Feeds/The Irish Field star of the year.