WITH the closing date for the Tattersalls’ George Mernagh Memorial bursary rapidly approaching, one of the 2014 recipients, Janet Murray, relates how she used her €5,000 bursary.

“Having spent a lifetime with horses, there is nothing to equal the joy of producing a young talented horse and realising their potential particularly for a homebred. I was asked in 2007 to manage the young event horses for the WBFSH Young Event Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers and it seemed a good fit,” she says.

“My first visit to the championships clearly showed we were well behind other countries in our standards of young horse production although we had several very talented horses and riders. On my return I devised the Stepping Stones Programme, aimed at training young horse producers with six and seven-year-old horses. It was jointly funded by Horse Sport Ireland and ran for three years (2008 - 2010),” she continues.

“Sadly, since then, the young horses haven’t received any funding for training or production, despite the fact that they are the team horses of the future so in 2014, I applied to the George Mernagh Memorial Fund Committee on behalf of the young horses aiming for Le Lion d’Angers. I was surprised but delighted to be awarded one, being a long-time friend of George made it even more special.”

She recalls: “I knew what I wanted to achieve with the training but getting my preferred trainers on suitable dates avoiding competition days yet trying to peak for mid-October was the next hurdle. Eventually it all came together and I need not have worried.”

The George Mernagh Memorial Fund Bursary Training set new standards by providing world class training with both Horse Sport Ireland Coach of the Year, Ian Fearon for show jumping and British Equine Pathway Coach, Lizzie Murray for dressage. Four full training days were held at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, courtesy of Horse Sport Ireland.

“In total 30 riders with 36 horses benefited from their expertise, particularly noticeable was the great atmosphere of learning from early in the morning to the end of the day, enjoyed by all the riders. On her first trip to Ireland as a coach, Lizzie Murray was very impressed with the facilities, riders and most importantly, the horses,” recalls the trainer.

Many riders who appreciated the success of her approach have grouped together since to organise training at home.

“Ian Fearon loves working with the young horses, describing them as “the future” and thought the training days were wonderful and very rewarding.It was equally enjoyable for their owners, many of whom attended every day. They were delighted with both the individual attention given and with the coaches’ patient approach to their horses. Progress made over the four days was evident to all watching but just as rewarding was the success achieved at competitions, national and international as a direct result of the George Mernagh bursary training,” she adds.

“Our trip to Le Lion provided some good results for the future from combinations with little championship experience. We were short of FEI qualified seven-year-old horses for the training and for Le Lion but had a good number of very promising six-year-olds invited to attend which augers well for this year,” she predicts.

Over 75% of the current senior eventing squad went to Le Lion and it remains an important milestone in the careers of young event horses.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 George Mernagh Memorial Fund Limited which offers three €5,000 bursaries. The closing date is Friday, May 15th, forms and details are available from www.tattshorsetrials.ie. It is open to anyone involved in dressage, show jumping or cross-country, from riders to course builders. The winners will be announced at the welcome reception at Tattersalls on Wednesday, May 27th.