FIONA Elliott. This is a name that may not be familiar to many, but she is a true friend of Irish eventing and her generosity needs to be acknowledged. She is the owner of Cooley Rorkes Drift, the Olympic eventing mount of Jonty Evans.

Readers of this column will know that some weeks ago Fiona received a tasty offer for the 11-year-old gelding and few would be able to resist such an approach. While her head might have said to take the money and run, Fiona’s appreciation for the work put into the gelding by Jonty led to her making a decision to accept a smaller amount of money from the rider.