PARA Equestrian Ireland and Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) have announced a formal agreement to provide reimbursement of entry fees for Irish athletes competing in FEI competitions outside of championships.

Adding to a bursary plan already in place for championships including World and European Championships, this agreement releases a fund from PEI with a cap of €5,000 per annum to the programme, and is performance based.

Each rider may claim entry-fee reimbursement a maximum of twice within any calendar year, regardless of the number of horses they compete with, and if they score of minimum of 68 per cent at that particular event.

HSI will continue managing the process of verifying scores, processing claims and monitoring the fund, as in previous years.

Chief Operations Officer at HSI, Avalon Everett, said: “We are delighted to continue our work with PEI offering the Para Dressage bursary to our athletes competing in international shows.

“For our athletes to be in a position to compete twice internationally without the worry of entry fees helps to test themselves against a higher level of opposition and develop, with championships and longer-term targets in mind.

“This direct bursary and reimbursement scheme has been up and running for three years, beginning in 2022, and has worked very well, with funds going straight to athletes once they achieve performance targets.”

PEI Chairperson Helen Kearney added: “We are delighted to support Ireland’s para dressage high-performance riders. I know personally how expensive it is to compete internationally, so I’m really pleased that Para Equestrian Ireland can contribute in this way. This bursary recognises riders who achieve 68% or higher, and we were thrilled to see so many reach this mark this year.

“It’s a reflection of the fantastic standard of para dressage in Ireland at the moment.”