Irish Pony Rider Sophia Doheny Rides Grand Prix at Age 14

Dressage

Ireland

Irish international pony rider Sophia Doheny has set a new Irish record by being the youngest Irish rider to go down the centerline for a Grand Prix test. The 14-year old Doheny did so on Enrico in at the CDN Le Mans on 15 April 2023.

Ponies and Juniors

Doheny made her international show debut in 2022 aboard the now 17-year old British Riding Pony Newoak Gold Rush (by Ardenhall Missoni out of Llanarth Kittiwake) at the CDI Keysoe in March 2022. She also rode him in Wellington Heckfield, Grote Brogel and Meerle that year.

At the CDI Grote Brogel, Louisa also made her junior rider's debut aboard her mom Louise's 18-year old KWPN gelding Angel D (by Sunny Boy x Iglesias). She also took him to Meerle.

Enrico

Three months ago the Doheny family welcomed the 18-year old Westfalian gelding Enrico (by Ehrentusch x Laomedon) to the family.

Bred by Hermann Bengfort, the bay gelding was previously owned and competed by Ukrainian Oksana Gusarova. The pair made its CDI show debut in October 2013 at small tour level in Minsk, Belarus. Three years later she returned to the international arena at Grand Prix level at the CDI-W Lisnyky in Ukraine.

Gusarova and Enrico represented Ukraine at the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg, where they were 57th in the Grand Prix with 63.329%. They returned to the Europeans in Rotterdam in 2019 and posted 62.391% to finish 64th. Gusarova competed the horse through November 2022 with her last start being at the CDI-W Motesice in Slovakia.

Louise found Enrico after placing an ad on Facebook. "A friend of Gusarova sent me the details of Enrico as he was for sale," Louise told Eurodressage. "They were based in Austria. We went and tried him and Sophia fell in love with him."

Grand Prix at 14

Gusarova on Enrico at the 2019 Europeans

Sophia took two horses to the national show in Le Mans as a week ago she relocated to live and train at Pamfou Dressage near Paris.

With Enrico she placed fifth in the "Pro Elite Grand Prix" on 64.036%, with her new junior rider's horse Batiqar, a 17-year old KWPN gelding by Obelisk x Juventus which they found on Eurodressage's Equimarket, she won the national junior test.

"She is the youngest ever Irish rider to ride a Grand Prix at just 14 years old," her mom said proudly.

Other international youth riders known for having competed at Grand Prix level at a very young age are Jazmin Yom-Tov (13 on Sierappel), Cecilia Bergakra (14 on Duchesse), Thalia Rockx (15 on Verdi de la Fazenda) and Daphne van Iwaarden (15 on Zonnaleone).