Half-bred foals on show: THE Half Bred Horse Breeders Society Ltd is holding its 11th Performance Foal Show at Mossvale EC in Dromara, Co Down next Saturday, September 13th. The show is aimed at the producers of performance foals and is judged on conformation, type and athleticism and foals will be assessed in-hand and loose.

The HBHBS runs the show with a view to helping breeders of performance foals to promote and showcase their stock and to offer potential purchasers and spectators the opportunity to see future equine athletes from Northern Ireland’s top breeders. The winner will also receive the handsome HBHBS mare and foal trophy, presented by Sean Nugent.

Judging will commence at 10.30am sharp and pre-entry is required. Contact Carole Hill by email on carole_greyabbey@yahoo.co.uk or call 078-87389606.

Tragic rider death: THE Dublin Coroner’s Court returned a verdict of accidental death in the tragic case of Colin Guinan (25), who was thrown from a horse and died from his injuries on July 17th last year.

The young man had taken a mare on a short ride to cool down after being exercised by his brother Jonathan at Lusmagh, Co Offaly. According to witnesses, the mare spooked on the road and started galloping.

The rider tried to control and calm the horse down but as the mare began to turn, she lost her footing and fell, throwing Guinan to the ground where he suffered head injuries and was rendered unconscious immediately.

The rider was taken to Beaumont Hospital where CT scans showed he had suffered an extensive traumatic brain injury and sadly went into a fatal cardiac arrest.

The young rider’s brother said Guinan had years of experience riding horses, including many seasons hunting over difficult terrain. According to witness depositions, he was not wearing any head protection.

TIHA Hunter Show and Go: The Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) is to hold two selection days for its annual Hunter Show and Go sale over the coming weeks. The first selection day will take place at Barnadown Showjumping in Co Wexford on September 19th and the second will take place at Scarteen on September 25th.

The Show and Go sale itself will take place on October 7th at Scarteen. For more information or to apply for the selection days, go to www.tiha.ie

Holmestead reopens: HOLMESTEAD Saddlery’s Superstore near Kill in Co Kildare is set to reopen permanently on September 19th, a move that will create 30 full and part-time jobs over the next two years.

The superstore suffered a devastating flood and has been closed for almost three years.

To celebrate, Holmestead is to host a 10-day opening party in store, with lots of promotions, free samples and gift vouchers to give away, as well as live music, food and drink.

“We are delighted to be reopening and want to say a big thank you to all our customers for their support. A 10-day party is our way of saying thank you and giving something back to our customers,” said store manager Mags Heffernan.