FOLLOWING some concerns over the lighting levels at the first round of the Connolly’s Red Mills Spring Tour, hosted at JAG Equestrian, The Showjumpers Club told The Irish Field that they will work with the venue and Showjumping Ireland to address any such issues.

Some riders raised concerns over the lighting in the warm-up arena, car parks, and the time at which the class finished, which was 7.45pm.

Chairperson of the Showjumpers Club Ronan Corrigan said: “The Show-jumpers Club will always try to work with shows and venues to ensure that riders, owners and sponsors have the best facilities possible to compete at. A number of riders did bring some concerns to the Club’s notice during the past week and the Club have written to both the venue and the SJI with the aim of addressing these concerns and helping to ensure that the same issues don’t reoccur.”

A practice arena was provided which was well lit and close to the arena, but some riders opted to warm-up in the top arena as they felt the bottom arena was not suitable. As a result, it was announced by judges towards the end of the first round that riders would be allowed to jump fence four on the course prior to starting their jumping round. For the jump-off, which saw 14 riders take up the challenge, an extra fence which formed no part of the course was added for the purpose of allowing riders to jump twice before commencing their round.

PLEDGE

JAG safety officer, Julieann Gaffney, said: “We had increased numbers taking part this year so the classes ran on longer than we expected. The bottom arena was there to serve as the warm-up but it did get a bit boggy and some riders opted themselves to use the top arena. Normally the Spring Tour would be finished at 5.30pm and we did not foresee lighting as being an issue.

“Riders as a group did not approach us about any concerns. I had ordered another tower as a backup for the top arena in the event of the class running on but I was let down by the supplier. I did try on Saturday but failed to get another one. When I realised the lighting was a problem, I discussed it with SJI officials and they gave permission to allow riders to jump a fence in the arena.

“It was just unfortunate about the lights but I can assure people that it will never happen again. We did our best in the circumstances which occurred unexpectedly and we did converse with SJI to find a solution. In hindsight, perhaps we could have run the earlier classes differently, but one thing is for sure, this will not happen again.”

A spokesperson for the SJI’s health and safety committee said: “No official complaint has been received in regards to the Connolly’s Red Mills Horse Spring Tour held at JAG Equestrian on Sunday. However, we have spoken to a representative of The Showjumpers Club and discussed a few concerns which have been highlighted to us. It is proposed that Showjumping Ireland will address these issues directly with the venue.”