Horse killed in Co Clare accident

A HORSE was killed in a serious road traffic collision on the N85 near Cahercalla More, Ennis, Co Clare on Tuesday, October 14th.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses of the collision involving a car and a horse which occurred shortly after 3am. Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene. The passenger, a woman in her 40s was conveyed to University Hospital Limerick for treatment of serious life-threatening injuries. The driver of the car, a man in his 40s was also conveyed to University Hospital Limerick for treatment of injuries believed to not be life threatening at this time. The Gardaí confirmed the horse was deceased at the scene.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on the N85 near Cahercalla More between 2.45am and 3.15am on Tuesday, October 14th, are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí. Anyone with any information should contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

Humphreys says she supports foxhunting

PRESIDENTIAL candidates Heather Humphreys and Catherine Connolly are united on many aspects of farming and rural issues, as their bid to succeed Michael D Higgins enters the final week ahead of polling day next Friday, October 24th. With regard to foxhunting, Humphreys was asked directly about her stance by radio presenter Pat Kenny and said: “I’ve never been foxhunting in my life, but what I do support is rural pursuits, there’s a lot of controls in place around rural pursuits and I think once the rules are abided by, I support them, including foxhunting. Once people abide by the rules, and there’s a lot of rules and controls in place, I support the right of rural people to continue on with the pursuits they have been doing for many years.”

Speaking to The Irish Field’s sister publication Irish Country Living, former rural affairs minister Heather Humphreys and Independent TD Catherine Connolly said they believed more needed to be done to support rural communities.

O’Connor acquires new top mount

IRISH Olympian Cian O’Connor has added the 12-year-old gelding Chatolinue PS (Dianlo Blanco x Stallatol) to his string and the pair are making their international debut in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain this week. Under Italy’s Riccardo Pisani the gelding, who is now under the ownership of Karlswood Partners, qualified for the individual final at the Longines FEI European Championships in A Coruna, Spain in July. O’Connor’s Ronnoco Jump ULC has also acquired the nine-year-old mare Corinna Z (Cornet Obolensky x Kannan) from Canada’s Kara Chad.

Meanwhile, Coolmore Show jumping has acquired the seven-year-old stallion Earl of Alice (Eldorado vd Zeshoek TN x Cinsey) for Tom Wachman, who is under the tutelage of O’Connor. Formerly ridden by Katrin Eckermann, Earl of Alice won a bronze medal at the 2024 FEI Jumping World Breeding Championships for six-year-olds in Lanaken.

Glencarrig Knight wins HOYS sire prize

TWO Irish breeding farms were in receipt of Kellythorpe Leading Sire of the Year Awards at last week’s Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham. The Leading Sire Award merits the horse or pony whose progeny qualify for HOYS, as well as those whose progeny are consistently placed in preceding qualifiers. The Connemara sire winner was Glencarrig Knight of the Curran family’s Glencarrig Stud in Moycullen, Co Galway. Ciaran Curran was ringside last week to watch multiple Glencarrig Knight progeny perform as well as his son Patrick’s home-bred son of Knight, Glencarrig Douvan, place fifth in the National Pony Society/Supreme Products Mountain and Moorland Ridden Connemara Pony Of The Year.

The hunter sire of the year was the popular thoroughbred stallion and former Croker Cup champion Watermill Swatch of Kylemore Stud in Co Galway, owned by Olive and Ivor Broderick.

Pacino clone makes jumping debut

CLEM McMahon has made his competitive debut with Pacino II, a clone of the great jumping stallion Pacino who died in 2013. The clone, who was revealed by The Irish Field in 2023, has been breeding for a number of seasons and now, as a five-year-old, is showing incredible talent under saddle to the delight of his owners. Watch this space!