LIST I judge Dermot Cannon has announced his retirement from judging to the Judge’s Committee of Dressage Ireland. A former chairman both of this committee and of Dressage Ireland, Cannon has given decades of service to the sport and is largely responsible for the current structure of judges’ training, examinations and upgrades, which benefit both dressage and eventing in Ireland.

Initially mentored by Gisela Holstein, Dermot travelled extensively to international shows and training opportunities with her and his wife, Mary, in order to develop his knowledge. In 2017, he passed the exam to become a List I judge after an intensive two-year training programme, which was self-funded despite being largely UK-based.