The Irish team lies in seventh position overall after Wednesday's first competition in this weekend's European Show Jumping
Championships at Mannheim, Germany.
However, as some of the 18 nations competing have already qualified for the 2008 Olympics, Ireland is holding fourth place in the non-qualified nations.
To qualify for Beijing, the Irish must finish in the top three of the non-qualified nations after Friday's final Nations' Cup.
Individual European Championship places will be decided on Sunday.
Wednesday's competition, a speed class, finished with Jessica Kurten and Castle Forbes Libertina best of the Irish squad in fifth place and Cian O'Connor 13th with Irish Independent Echo Beach, while Cameron Hanley on Hippica Kerman, and Marion Hughes with Heritage Transmission were well down the rankings with two fences down apiece adding penalties to their time.
Ireland is drawn eighth to jump of the 18 countries competing in
Thursday and Friday's crucial two-round Nations' Cup competition.
SHOW JUMPING RESULTS: FEI EUROPEAN JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIP MANNHEIM, GERMANY 14-19 AUGUST 2007
1st Rating FEI European Individual and Team Championship
Speed and Handiness Competition Table C 1m50
1) L.B. NO MERCY; Christina LIEBHERR (SUI) Time 67.18
2) GOLDFEVER; Ludger BEERBAUM (GER) Time 69.39
3) CARTIER PSG; Stefan EDER (AUT) Time 69.42
5) CASTLE FORBES LIBERTINA; Jessica KURTEN (IRL) Time 70.37
13) IRISH INDEPENDENT ECHO BEACH; Cian O'CONNOR (IRL) Time 72.69
50) S.I.E.C. HIPPICA KERMAN; Cameron HANLEY (IRL) Time 81.81
57) HERITAGE TRANSMISSION; Marion HUGHES (IRL) Time 85.88
FEI European jumping Championship - Current Ranking
1) GERMANY 5.18 penalties
2) SWITZERLAND 7.13 penalties
3) NETHERLANDS 7.37 penalties
4) GREAT BRITAIN 9.43 penalties
5) SPAIN 9.69 penalties
6) BELGIUM 11.45 penalties
7) IRELAND 11.68 penalties
8) UKRAINE 12.96 penalties
9) SWEDEN 13.65 penalties
10) AUSTRIA 14.03 penalties
11) FRANCE 15.33 penalties
12) NORWAY 16.26 penalties
13) ITALY 16.53 penalties
14) DENMARK 19.97 penalties
15) RUSSIAN FEDERATION 26.88 penalties
16) ROMANIA 50 penalties
17) BULGARIA 59.21 penalties
18) POLAND 67.75 penalties
The following nations taking part at Mannheim have already qualified for the 2008 Olympics:
Netherlands
Germany
Ukraine
Switzerland
