WHATEVER predictions were made about their future when Horse Sport Ireland’s central stallion inspections first began at Cavan in 2010, surely no one could have foretold that this year’s inspections would be a virtual one.

The 2020 inspections were fortunate to have been held before Ireland’s first lockdown last March. However, both humans and horses were affected this year by various measures to combat the Covid-19 and EHV-1 viruses, with inspections closed to the public and only stallions from premises with no equine arrivals from the continent since February 1st could attend.