A SNAPSHOT of the last week alone of the Irish Sport Horse industry returns many positive indicators on which our industry could really build future growth and development.
Very deservedly gracing our front cover this week is the ultra-talented young Kildare show jumping rider Mikey Pender for one positive example. He racked up his second five-star Grand Prix win since August with HHS Calais, bred by the late Ita Brennan, on the prestigious Longines Global Champions Tour, triumphing at Riyadh last weekend. Hats off to Mikey (23) who is undoubtedly one of the world’s most exciting young show jumping riders. He has been nutured all the way by his supportive family and trained by Marion Hughes and Miquel Bravo and all their team at Hughes House Stud (see international page 91 for report).
Along with our household names in show jumping, eventing and dressage, our industry now has a growing number of young international riders based at home. It’s wonderful to see the rise of the next generation up through the ranks.
Thanks to the massive private investment of the key equestrian families in the state, we also have an increasing network of good to top facilities. However, more needs to be done to grow our industry.
We could start by looking to Europe and America as to how we might grow the next positive steps here at home - developing an equestrian circuit of national and international note on our own shores is a natural progression and one that is overdue.
Trade for Irish sport horses was absolutely flying at Goresbridge this week (see pages 96-98), there was plenty of interest for horses with many five-figure sums changing hands - another positive indicator for our industry this past week.
Now is the time for the powers that be to push on with the overall development of our world renowned industry. We need to foster and forward a strategic plan to deliver that.
We also need accessible educational programmes - that don’t cost an arm and a leg - to ensure equine welfare is to the very forefront. Protecting that all-important social licence for equine sports cannot be taken for granted.
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