CHAIRMAN of Glanbia Ireland and Glanbia Plc, Henry Corbally, delivered the welcome address at Thursday’s Equine Summit to a packed room of 400 sport horse and racing enthusiasts at the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge, Co Kildare.

Commending the four companies involved in the day – Gain Equine Nutrition, Alltech, Grant Thornton and The Irish Field – he said: “We realise the importance of supporting the industry and our customers (at Gain Equine Nutrition).

“We wanted to provide a platform to discuss the important issues with the industry, to collaborate and bring the industry forward.”

With the theme of the day centered around ‘Striving for Excellence’, Corbally congratulated racehorse trainer Joseph O’Brien on his fantastic win in the Melbourne Cup this week, and referenced the ‘gem’ Ireland has in its beautiful green pastures.

“I saw an interview he (O’Brien) did afterwards and it was interesting that he said he was bringing the horse home to Irish pasture. It is a really relevant thing for the Irish industry, it is this gem we have – the limestone land that produces the most wonderful horses in the world. It is a fabulous asset.”

Corbally added: “The other great asset is the enthusiasm for the horse industry in Ireland. We are renowned for winning all over the world, but what is never spoken about is the ordinary people who ride horses everyday, the people on the fringes of the industry that really make it.

“Racing and sport horse breeding produces 29,000 jobs, 1.3 million people go racing. The industry as a while has a €1.4 billion turnover. Every equestrian pursuit generates income for people.”