AN amazing €54,000 was raised for Pieta House Midlands in the name of the late Benny Kuehnle at the Cavan International Horse Show last Friday evening.
Organised by Benny’s best friend Paul Cocoman, this marked the 10th anniversary of the popular and talented young rider’s death.
The evening began with the Vintage Riders class. Eleven riders, all of whom are well known in show jumping circles, and many of whom are retired Grand Prix riders, took part in a speed class.
The class drew a large crowd and they weren’t disappointed. Michael Blake, Paddy Quinlan, Richie Nallon, Ailish Reape, Paul Duffy, Fergal Coyle, Marguerite Ryan, John Carey, Peter Murdock, Lt Col Tom Freyne and Vinnie Duffy provided great entertainment as they dusted off their show jackets and did their bit for a worthy cause.
First to go, HSI’s Irish Development team manager Michael Blake set the pace with a clear round in a time of 34.16. Keen to inspire the young riders under his guidance, his can-do attitude paid off. Some 10 horses later and no one could catch his time, which meant he claimed the win.
Richard Nallon came closest to Blake’s time when he recorded a time of 35.07 for the runner-up spot. Lt Col Tom Freyne and the Army Equitation School’s loyal servant Dollanstown slotted into third in 35.18, while Paul Duffy made sure Galway was represented when he took fourth place in 36.07. Marguerite Ryan finished in fifth in 36.39, while Vinnie Duffy was sixth.
An auction was held in the Snaffles bar after the class. A list of fantastic prizes had been compiled by Cocoman who had asked people from all aspects of the sport, who were happy to donate to help this worthy cause in the name of their friend Benny.
TOP SPORT HORSES
Included in the list of things on offer were nominations for stallions from Kedrah House Stud, Hartwell Stud and Kylemore Stud; full vettings from top sport horse vets Tim Brennan, Marcus Swail, Con Kennedy and Pat Meagher; and training with international riders Darrgh Kenny in Florida, Jos Lansink in Belgium, Thomas Ryan in Sweden, Marlon Zanotelli in Belgium, Ludger Beerbaum in Germany and Alex Duffy in Switzerland.
A straw from Harrie Smolders’ stallion Emerald, semen from Quintero and Tullibards Benny’s Legacy, a covering from Romanov, Camiro de Haar Z and Canturano were also up for grabs.
A pallet of shavings from CJ Sheeran Sawmill, a CWD Bridle, 10 SJI entries from JAG Equestrian, two entries for a two-star show in Sentower Park and a long weekend horse and caravan trip around the Slieve Bloom mountains rounded off an incredible auction.
A fantastic €35,000 was raised from the auction, and when it was added to the €19,000 raised on the GoFundMe page (continuing to rise) set up by Cocoman, the amount totalled €54,000.
A delighted Gerard Tiernan from Pieta House Midlands was there on the night to receive the cheque and he was overjoyed with the amount raised.