World and European mounted games success for young Tipperary rider

A 12-year-old Ballypatrick girl and her beloved pony Crunchie have won a World Mounted Games title and placed second in the European Championships in France.

Robyn O’Reilly and her riding partner Neela Blaschek from Germany achieved the world title in the Under 12 competition at the World Pairs Mounted Games that took place at the Domaine Equestre de La Bonde, north of Paris between August 7 to 10.

The Mounted Games Association of Ireland member didn’t rest on her laurels and a few days later achieved second place in the individual U-12 contest at the European Team & Individual Mounted Games Championships at Parc Equestre Féderal in France’s Loire Valley.

Competing in international pony games requires a huge level of riding skill, fitness, agility and concentration. They are very fast paced contests and involve such skills as vaulting on and off your mount, guiding your poney around bending poles and picking up and placing bottles and flags while you are riding.

Robyn is thrilled with her success in the World and European competitions and gives particular credit to her pony Crunchie.

“I am very happy with how my pony went for me. My older sister used to ride Crunchie and I have got him about five years,” she says.

She found the European Championship was the tougher of the two competitions because she was competing as an individual rider while she had a teammate in the World Pairs Championship. She only competed with Neela Blaschek for the first time at the World Championship , which makes their joint achievement even greater.

Robyn wasn’t the only O’Reilly family member competing in the European Championships last month.

Her eight-year-old sister, Fern, was an individual competitor in her age group while her 17-year-old sister Lily was a member of the Irish team that competed in the Under-18 team competition.

Robyn has just started at the Ursuline Secondary School in Thurles and is a former pupil of Killurney National School. The Tipperary Pony Club member practices riding every day and loves the fun element of pony games competitions.

Her proud mother Deirdre says as well as spending a lot of time practising her riding skills, Robyn is very good at looking after Crunchie, cleaning and mucking out his stable daily. “She doesn't shy away from all that.

“Robyn is literally doing pony riding ever since she could walk. She has always been so, so interested in it and she loves the mounted games and all pony club activities.”

Earlier this year, Robyn won the Irish Under 12 Individual Games title at the Mounted Games Association of Ireland Individual Championships in Bunclody.

In June, she represented Ireland in a Minimus competition in England which involves riding, swimming, running and shooting.
And two years ago, she was a member of the Irish pony games team that competed in an European championship in Wales.

Pictured below: Robyn O’Reilly collecting a flag from a cone at the European Team & Individual Mounted Games Championships in France.