TEN years on from the introduction of the ‘Cavan format’, the inspections continue to produce a variety of stallions for sport horse, Irish Draught and pony breeders. Whether Irish breeders decide to support home-grown stallions or opt for the wide choice of stallions available via abroad, is ultimately the breeder’s choice and this wider issue will be looked next week.

Back to last week’s inspections when the first day saw alternating groups of four sport horse and Irish Draught stallions come before the respective inspection panels. For Drumhowan Stud’s latest arrival Corporal Z, competed at 1.60m level with Dutch rider Jur Vrieling and Sweden’s Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Wednesday was a formality on the performance criteria and the Cardento 13-year-old sailed through the conformation and movement assessment.