THE Association of Irish Racehorse Owners [AIRO], in conjunction with HRI Ownership, staged an ‘Owners Roadshow’ during racing at Naas on Thursday.

There were seven industry stands in the racecourse Tote hall providing information to existing and prospective owners on a range of topics.

Zoe Kearney of HRI Ownership was on hand to explain all the different ownership options available and the processes involved.

HRI’s client account department team of Laura, Amanda and Vicki outlined the charges involved in ownership while Richard Shaw from the entries and declarations department was busy explaining the balloting system to the interested parties.

Welfare and the post-racing options for horses formed a very important part of the day. Siobhan Griffin from HRI’s welfare department was available to explain the options her team currently has in place and future plans. Niamh O’Ferrell, the new intern for Treo Eile, explained how they unite owners with people who retrain and hopefully rehome ex-racehorses.

Neil Breheny from Irish Polocrosse noted that 80% of horses involved in this discipline are thoroughbreds and dispelled the myth that these horses must be a particular height. He said polocrosse was a really viable post-racing option for racehorses.

AIRO was represented by chairman David Hyland, vice-chairman Caren Walsh and mannager Regina Byrne who welcomed the opportunity to explain all the membership benefits including the owners’ third party liability insurance scheme and half-price RacingTV offer available to owners, as well as taking on board all opinions and ideas offered.

Regina Byrne, AIRO manager, commented: “We were really encouraged with the reception and the positive vibes we received from the owners who attended the roadshow in Naas. We feel it is extremely important that owners have the opportunity to ask all the pertinent questions and will be working through the great ideas we received in the suggestions box.

“We would like to thank Eamonn McEvoy and the great team at Naas for accommodating this initiative, and to Kevin Walsh from Lily & Wild Catering for supplying refreshments for all attendees.

“The stand-holders were delighted with the opportunity to liaise with owners directly and we thank them sincerely for their time. We are hoping to run similar roadshows in racetracks around the country over the next few months.”