EQUESTRIAN fans will have an opportunity to meet Irish show jumping legend Eddie Macken at next week’s 2015 Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show. The Longford born rider will be signing an exclusive range of Dubarry clothing at the Irish Guide Dogs stand in the RDS.

Macken, who last competed at the Dublin Horse Show in 2010, has teamed up with Dubarry to help promote the charity, which needs to raise over €4 million a year in order to run the operation, training over 80 guide dogs for people who are visually impaired, while they also provide assistance dogs for children with autism.

Speaking about the new partnership, Tim O’Mahony from the Irish Guide Dogs said: “We are privileged to be supported by both Eddie Macken and Dubarry. Eddie is famous for taking his sport to exceptional heights and Dubarry is recognised for its premium Irish products. At the Irish Guide Dogs, our goal is to work with the best to deliver the best for those most in need.”

The Irish Guide Dogs stand will be positioned beside ring three, the warm-up arena for the showing classes.

Macken master classes

RDS visitors will also get the chance to pick up some top show jumping and horse training tips from the master himself who will be taking part in combined master classes along with German dressage expert and FEI dressage and eventing judge, Christoph Hess.

Eddie Macken told The Irish Field: “I’ll be joining in Christoph’s masterclasses at Dublin. Christoph will be doing the flat part and I’ll be doing the show jumping. I have a great rider I teach here, Andres Rodriguez, who was at the Pan-American Games with me here (in Toronto) and who is coming to Dublin with his team of horses, all being well with them, and the plan is to use Andres as part of the classes.”

Rodriguez, who is from Venezuela, just won the silver individual show jumping medal at the Games last weekend, behind American gold medal winner, McLain Ward, while America’s Lauren Hough took bronze.