IN-fighting between warring factions of the Connemara Pony Breeders Society’s (CPBS) council continue to thwart plans for the annual show, currently scheduled for August.

Over the past week, a number of concerning events have transpired, including an emergency meeting of the council that half of its members refused to attend. At the meeting, held in Ballinasloe on Wednesday, Cait Hennessy was elected as show committee chairperson - despite former chair Henry O’Toole being asked and agreeing to fulfill that role a week prior. A question about why the change was made was not answered by Ms Hennessy, who is also the press officer for the council and who, The Irish Field understands, was the subject of a no-confidence vote regarding her role as HR officer at a meeting the week prior.

The day before Wednesday’s meeting, the side of the divide that did not attend posted an extensive statement (since deleted) on the Connemara Pony World Facebook page, outlining what they see as the issues at play. The main sticking point seems to be a decision not to allow CPBS staff members to assist with running the show in any way.

A spokesperson for this side on Friday said the same 10 council members who wrote that post, stood over it, did not approve it being deleted and were appalled by the decision to remove Mr O’Toole as show committee chair. They said Wednesday’s meeting of the other 11 council members was not held according to the constitution and was thus invalid.

The side of the divide to which Ms Hennessy, president Daragh Ó Tuairisg and nine others belong posted their own statement on the CPBS Facebook page on Thursday, explaining at length why the staff could not help with the show and suggesting that the (as yet unformed) show committee fund the employment of two separate staff to run the show.

That post admitted “the council’s inability to work together and reluctance to meet is making it exceedingly difficult to reach any resolution.”

It also stated the running of the show was never in doubt - a clear contradiction of an earlier post on May 15, which stated “by next Thursday, we’ll confirm whether the show is happening”. That confirmation never came, adding further confusion.

The lack of clarity on where the event will be staged, what classes will be run and the status of an ongoing sand arena surface issue are a huge worry to those planning to compete, with many pony owners contacting The Irish Field to voice their shock over the recent actions of the council.

Those already entered in qualifiers are particularly concerned, as are those planning to travel great distances to the show - as well as local businesses who face mass cancellations if the show crumbles.

The Irish Field will continue to engage with both sides of the council to keep readers informed on the status of the show.