IRISH show jumping Olympian and former world number two, Jessica Kürten, has not ruled herself out of applying to lead Ireland’s show jumping High Performance programme.

With the tender for the role still open, Kürten said she was ‘reflecting carefully on it’ .

“I am conscious that the National Federation has a formal process underway, and it would be entirely inappropriate to attempt to influence or pre-empt that in any way,” she told The Irish Field.

“The vacancy for the Irish chef d’equipe position has been brought to my attention by a number of senior riders, owners and others within the Irish High Performance system. I am genuinely honoured to be associated with the role.

“For any former athlete, the opportunity to one day lead their home nation into an Olympic Games or World Championships is a lifelong aspiration - and one I would, of course, be deeply honoured to fulfil at the appropriate time.

“As the process is ongoing, I do not wish to speculate further, other than to say that I am reflecting carefully on it and deeply appreciate the encouragement I have received.

“I am also mindful of my current commitments as an International Athletes’ Representative on the FEI Board and my ongoing coaching responsibilities to my clients.”

Meeting

It comes after Ireland’s top show jumpers met with Horse Sport Ireland to discuss concerns they have with the tender process and the composition of the selection panel.

The Irish Field understands that following the meeting, held last Monday, a riders’ representative may be added to the panel, which also includes HSI CEO Denis Duggan, HSI COO Avalon Everett and an independent jumping expert.

The request for tender for the position remains open after Michael Blake’s contract ended two weeks ago and Taylor Vard is acting as interim chef d’equipe until the position is filled. It closes next Friday, October 24th.

Horse Sport Ireland confirmed the meeting with the riders took place. “The discussion focused on the HP programme and the current RFT process for the jumping team manager,” Avalon Everett said.

“The meeting was constructive, with open dialogue and valuable input from the athletes. No issues arose that could not be worked through. Next steps have been communicated confidentially to the athletes.”