BUMPER crowds flocked to Punchestown this week and the equestrian feast of top action continues at Ballindenisk International this weekend coupled with the Land Rover Kentucky where Irish-bred eventers are off to a promising start.

It’s all go on the equestrian front across all disciplines, no less the two-day Wild Atlantic Dressage Festival also taking place this weekend as dressage’s popularity continues to go from strength to strength in Ireland. Also to be warmly welcomed is the the SJI announcement of the Mervue Equine Leinster Summer Tour and the new Amateur League.

We look forward to bringing you top coverage of Ballindenisk and WADF next week where the focus will of course shift to Badminton 2022 which takes centre stage (May 4th-8th) and Balmoral Show looms (May 11th-14th). Don’t blink or you might miss something!

Key role

On the international front, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was unanimously elected as the incoming third President of the International Horse Sports Conference (IHSC).

The IHSC was created in 2013 when FEI and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) joined forces to facilitiate greater cooperation between the world’s leading bodies for equestrian sport, including their partnership with the World Organisation for Animal Health.

A key figure in Hong Kong racing where he has served as the CEO of the HK Jockey Club since 2007, Engelbrecht-Bresges succeeds FEI President Ingmar De Vos who will serve as IHSC vice-president. He was on the board of the company that managed the 2008 Hong Kong Olympics.

He also chairs the IFHA, the global leader for the international sport of Thoroughbred racing, and chairs the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), which comprises 27 national racing authorities from across Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Middle East.

Close cooperation between racing and equestrian on matters such as equine and athlete welfare, disease outbreaks, veterinary and regulatory controls, are all key areas for the sustainable development of equestrian sport. This appointment certainly looks to more than tick those boxes.