Star of the Month winners

WELL done to Tony Ennis and Faith Ponsonby who were voted The Irish Field/Gain Equine Nutrition Stars of the Month for May.

The pair challenged each other to ‘The Great Race’ in May, when, on horseback and at two separate locations, they raced of 5km. Ennis, who is chairman of the AIRC, and Ponsonby, an FEI Ground Jury official, raised €4,000 for frontline workers.

Nadja Peter Steiner acquitted

THE International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has acquitted the Swiss show jumper Nadja Peter Steiner of doping charges against her horse, overturning the decision of the FEI Tribunal.

Peter Steiner is now allowed to compete again nationally and internationally. A member of the Swiss elite squad, she was found guilty by the FEI Tribunal on February 24th 2020 of a doping offence on the horse Saura de Fondcombe and was given a two-year ban. She had appealed against this decision to CAS and her ban has now been lifted with immediate effect.

Dean sourced Olympic horse

IN a feature in last week’s paper, due credit for the sourcing and sale of the Athens Olympic gold medal-winning international event horse Shear L’Eau should have been given to Roddy Dean.

To set the record straight, it was Roddy Dean who sourced the horse on behalf of his long-term owners Shearwater Insurance. No other agent was involved, and Dean also credited Anne Hatton for doing a marvellous job producing him.

€300,000 for Beara Breifne Way

THE Beara Breifne Way, which include 17km of a horse riding trail, was one of 24 projects to receive funding in the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund this week.

Minister Michael Ring allocated €13 million to 24 projects under the Department of Rural and Community Development’s Rural Development Investment Programme which is funded under Project Ireland 2040. Beara Breifne Way, which goes from West Cork to Cavan, has Ireland’s first horse bridle way. Via Fáilte Ireland, the project has received €300,000 in funding.

Separately, Minister Ring also announced the approval of €10.5 million in funding under Tranche One of the Covid-19 Stability Fund for Community and Voluntary Organisations, Charities and Social Enterprises (Stability Scheme).

ISH wins in Tryon

LUIBANTA BH (ISH) ridden by Amanda Derbyshire, scored a win in Thursday’s $37,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stakes at Tryon CSI2*, USA.

By Luidam, the 12-year-old mare was bred by Galway’s Justin Burke out of the Abantos mare Mabanta, and is owned by David Gochman.