Dermot Forde MRCVS, Kilmore, Virginia, Co Cavan.

Madam,

Earlier this month I had the honour to be a member of the Veterinary Commission at Budapest CSIO***.

There was a total of 299 competing horses which represented 18 different countries, the majority of them from central and eastern Europe. Thirteen teams competed in the three star Nations Cup (1.50m level).

Imagine my disappointment when, examining the passports, I failed to discover one Irish-bred horse among the lot! This was despite the fact that many of the weaker/ordinary riders were clearly over-horsed and would have benefited enormously from the generosity and courage of an Irish mount.

Instead they attempted to control big (very many over 17hh), powerful horses, mainly with gadgets of all sorts hanging in and around the horses’ mouths to assist in control.

It was obvious from observation of the people involved (oligarchs included!), the trucks, the clothes and the equipment, that show jumping is an elitist sport in most of these countries and owners have serious money to spend on horses.

It struck me that participating at shows such as this should be a marketing priority for Irish equestrianism but unfortunately there was no Irish team present. I realise it costs money to travel to places like Hungary but the prize money was not bad and surely this is an area where Horse Sport Ireland should be proactive in promoting the Irish horse?

By fielding a successful team in that part of the world and supporting it with a promotional presence, somebody capable of talking the talk in language that makes sense and appeals to potential customers, we could develop a brand new market for Irish horses.

After all, we are unlikely to sell many show jumpers to countries like Germany, France, Belgium or Holland!

Yours etc,