Irish Army Equitation School
| Army Equitation School | |
|---|---|
| Irish: Scoil Eachaíochta an Airm | |
 |
|
| Active | 1926 – present |
| Country |
 Ireland
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Equestrianism |
| Part of |
 Defence Forces
|
| Garrison/HQ | McKee Barracks, Dublin |
| Motto(s) | Promoting Ireland and the Irish horse. |
| Commanders | |
| Officer Commanding | Lieutenant Colonel Tom Freyne |
The Equitation School (Irish: An Scoil Eachaíochta) is a centre of excellence of the Defence Forces dedicated to competing at the highest level of international equestrian competition. It is based at McKee Barracks in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
The Army Equitation School was founded in 1926 by Judge William E. Wylie, a prominent member of the Royal Dublin Society, Quartermaster General Colonel Michael Hogan and President of the Executive Council (modern-day Taoiseach) William T. Cosgrave.
Russian riding instructor Colonel Paul Rodzianko, appointed Chief Instructor of the Equitation School (1928 to 1931) by the Minister for Defence, was instrumental in the early competitive successes of the Equitation School. Between 1931 and 1939 the Equitation School went on to win 20 Nations Cups in the cities of Lucerne, Dublin, Boston, Toronto, New York, Nice, Amsterdam, London, and Aachen.
Army riders have represented Ireland at the Olympic Games, Show Jumping World Championships and European Show Jumping Championships in the disciplines of show jumping and three-day eventing. The Equitation School has helped the Irish team to numerous victories in the Aga Khan Trophy at the RDS Arena. All Army riders are of officer rank and compete only on Irish-bred sport horses.
...
Wikipedia