HORSE Sport Ireland representatives Alison Corbally and Marion Hughes, plus Wendy Conlon from Teagasc, were the Irish delegates at the WBFSH assembly this year. Another guest arriving in Budapest this weekend is John Ledingham, who has travelled out to Budapest to give instruction clinics since 2017.

The Hungarian Equestrian Federation’s International Relations manager, Dr Miklós Jármy, explained how the link came about, saying: “I met John first in 2011, when we invited him for our three and four-year-old mares performance tests. Next year we invited him for a private clinic. Both my sons, Tibor and Vince, did learn a lot from his coaching. Tibor participated in the European Junior eventing championships and Vincent several times in show jumping.”

He also felt that the Hungarian and Irish coaching systems were very similar to “our classical schooling system represented by great horsemen like Bert de Nemethy and Ágoston Endrody.”

Jody Hartstone, president of the New Zealand Warmblood Association, spent around five years working in Ireland. “I started work about 21 years ago for Stuart Crawford and groomed for him in the World Games in Rome in 1998 which was really cool.

“Then I worked for Joanne Jarden at the European Championships in Luhmuehlen with her lovely mare Bellecanna and for Austin O’Connor before the Sydney Olympics with Horseware Fabio, that lovely little horse he had. I’ve worked for John Hyde, the horse vet down in Cork, spent some time in Mullingar and went quite a few times to Joseph Murphy’s yard.”

She was thrilled with the Irish eventing team’s silver medal win in Tryon. “I was awake in the middle of the night watching the eventing and it was really awesome to see the Irish eventers doing so well. The other thing I do is I distribute the Bua saddles in New Zealand, so that’s another connection with Ireland.”

One of the guest speakers, Prof. Dr Bodó Gábor, Head of Department at Budapest University of Veterinary Medicine, was another to relate a memorable Irish stay. “I was sent to Ireland during my studies. My father knew Michael Osborne, and the point was to learn English.

“For an entire year I was in Kildangan with the yearlings and working on the stud farm. Next, I went to help out on night duties at Troytown Hospital, where Trevor Sainty was the chief vet at that time.”

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He also sampled Irish hospitality at Christmas time. “I was invited by a very nice friend of mine, Pat Murphy, to his home on Christmas Eve. He just asked me on the 23rd of December where I would go for Christmas and I said nowhere. He said ‘then come with me’. His father was a vet and we were operating a caesarian section on a sheep during the night! I will never forget that unbelievable hospitality by Irish people – that was the only country where I was not homesick for an entire year.”

Budapest and several other eastern European universities are becoming increasingly popular for Irish students and there are several Veterinary Medicine students there, sampling Gábor’s experience in reverse.

Sarah Conway decided to take the plunge after running Kieran Connors and Michelle Nelson’s yard for nine years. “In the last year, I felt the need to do something else with my life. After a chat with Mum and Dad, I decided to apply for Veterinary Medicine in Budapest. My brother, Kieran, had just graduated and was working in Navan and my sister, Louise, was going into third year, so there was never a thought of applying to UCD to do Veterinary,” Conway said.

“Having family members already out here in Budapest definitely made life a lot easier as I could always ask Louise for any tips or help. I’d definitely recommend, if you are going to Budapest to chat to the Irish already out here for advice.

“I am currently halfway through first year and love it here. There is such a huge contingent of Irish out here that you don’t feel homesick. It took a little getting used to the language barrier but I’m picking up more Hungarian as I go along. The course is very interesting and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to study here.”

She’ll have a busy summer in store next year. “Hopefully I’ll still be judging but I’ll have to juggle it with being the secretary of the Dungarvan Agricultural Show, freelance grooming and possibly try to fit in some veterinary experience.”

Beth Dunne, a well-known IPS competitor from Enniskerry, is in third year. “I chose to go to Budapest to study as it’s an amazing opportunity to study abroad. It’s a beautiful city, packed with culture and also extremely affordable. The university itself has a huge Irish population, in my year alone there are roughly 35 Irish. This is a huge factor in university life as there is a very close relationship among us all. Although it is an extremely challenging course, it is worth it as the college produces skilled and enthusiastic vets.

“Having to move your life to a different country, I believe, reinforces the determination that students possess. Overall, studying veterinary abroad has been an equally challenging and rewarding experience that I have shared with each of my classmates.”