HORSE Sport Ireland (HSI) announced the appointment of Taylor Vard as Show Jumping Team Manager for the upcoming FEI World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) Jumping World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Lanaken, Belgium.

Vard brings a wealth of experience to the role of chef d’equipe for Lanaken, having acted as chef d’equipe for the senior show jumping squad on several occasions over the course of the past 18 years.

He has also served on an advisory capacity across a number of High-Performance programmes, including for the Irish team that won team gold at the 2017 European Show jumping Championship in Gothenburg, and is the current deputy chef d’equipe for Michael Blake’s senior squad.

This weekend sees him manage the team representing Ireland in the EEF Nations Cup Series in Drammen, Norway.

Speaking about his appointment, Vard said: “It is an honour to take up the position of Chef d’Equipe for Lanaken. From my perspective, the World Breeding Championships will be treated no differently to any other nations cup or international. I intend to approach Lanaken in the same way and look forward to supporting Irish studbooks, athletes, breeders, owners and the HSI teams for these championships while striving to emulate the reputation and success of the Irish of previous years.”

Sonja Egan, Head of Breeding, Innovation and Development with Horse Sport Ireland, commented: “We are delighted that Taylor has accepted the role of Chef d’Equipe for the championships in Lanaken. He brings a wealth of experience to support athlete coaching, preparation, and young horse selection for international competition.

“Taylor has been hugely successfully in supporting the High-Performance EEF Nations Cups teams and is leading Ireland’s EEF Nations Cup team in Drammen this week – we wish Team Ireland all the very best!

“We are very much looking forward to working with Taylor in the selection of horse-rider combinations and preparation for the World Breeding Championships.”

The FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championships for Young Horses will take place from September 20th – 24th of September 2023.