ONE very welcome face at last Saturday night’s Irish Sport Horse Industry Awards at The K Club in Co Kildare was that of Longford show jumper Aisling Byrne.

Byrne was spending her first night out of hospital in almost three months in the company of friends and family at the awards ceremony, which she was originally due to host alongside MC Brendan McArdle, who too almost didn’t make it to the event after a busy week in the parade ring at Punchestown!