MADAM,

I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of The Showjumpers Club, to extend our thanks and appreciation to all the owners, riders, breeders, venue and event organisers, volunteers and sponsors who contributed to ensuring the restart and safe continuance of show jumping over the last number of months.

The TRM/Showjumpers Club Spring Tour has once again showed that it is a vital medium to assist the sport and industry and the degree of support it has received this year is testament to those who had the vision to establish it so many years ago.

We have had to deal with huge upheavals for all within the sport and industry and in spite of a delayed start for 2021 and an early tour cancellation in 2020, we must acknowledge the huge support and confidence provided to the sport by our sponsors TRM whose entire team assisted in ensuring that the 2021 Spring Tour carried on.

The Masterson family, through their TRM and TRI business, have always been significant backers of activities within the sport and industry across all levels and The Showjumpers Club is delighted to have received their support and confidence throughout the 2021 Tour which was more essential than ever to help the industry and sport survive.

Elaine Hatton and her team within TRM, and Brendan Murphy and his team in TRI, worked tirelessly to promote and deliver support to all the Spring Tour rounds and we hope that we will be able to continue to work with them to further develop The Showjumpers Club activities into the future.

To all the competitors who took part during the tour, we wish to convey our thanks to you for your continued support and to the owners and breeders - who are the backbone of the industry - who, in doubtful times, continued to keep horses in work and had them available to riders to keep our sport alive and viable, we again acknowledge your continued investment and confidence.

All the venues that in 2021 reopened and took on board significant cost and additional responsibilities in order to run must be complimented for ensuring that we have been able to continue and indeed be one of the safest sports that have been active during this current pandemic.

I think all stakeholders will acknowledge that without the measures and efforts put in place by these venues/events, we would have been unable to have a viable industry over the last few months.

Live streaming

The Showjumpers Club also wish to extend our thanks to the advertisers who came on board to assist us in funding live streaming of the full 2021TRM/Showjumpers Club Spring Tour. This has proven to be an outstanding success and was built on the idea by The Showjumpers Club and TRM/TRI to live stream the HSI Autumn Development Grand Prix Series in 2020 where TRM and The Showjumpers Club jointly funded the live stream as free to view to assist those unable to attend events.

We continued this initiative for the 2021 tour and it has seen remarkably large viewing numbers and had indeed become essential viewing for many and has gained a worldwide audience for our sport and riders which will without doubt provide a benefit to all stakeholders. Again our thanks to Lar Sutton and irishsport.tv for their work.

Winners

Lastly, we must congratulate our tour winners at all rounds and our overall tour winners. Stephen Murphy as our leading Working Producer, these are the people who form one of the main economic drivers of our home circuit and we are delighted to be able to recognise their contribution to the sport.

To all the breeders and owners who support our efforts and finally to the two ladies who have shown that our sport is in a very good place. Both Emma McEntee and Robyn Moran proved to be top class sportspeople who have shown dedication and true sportsmanship during the 2021 Spring Tour. They, together with their supporters and parents, have made the Spring Tour an entertaining league going right to the final round to find the eventual winner. We wish you both well in your future and are delighted to have helped to contribute in some small way in assisting your careers in the sport.

We congratulate Emma in also joining TRM as a brand ambassador and hope that she will enjoy the role.

Once again, on behalf of The Showjumper Club Committee and members, we would like to thank all those who made the 2021 TRM/Showjumpers Club Spring Tour such a success and we wish all a safe and successful 2021 season.

Yours etc,

Ronan Corrigan.

Chairperson, The ShowJumpers Club