€145k court settlement

A YOUNG girl who dislocated her elbow after falling from her own pony who was spooked during a lesson, has settled her case against a Dublin equestrian centre for €145,000. It was claimed that Leah Skye Keeling’s pony was too young (3yo) to be in a group lesson and had not been properly assessed by the equestrian centre, Monksfield Equestrian. The claims were denied and the settlement reached without an admission of liability.

Monart solar farm

THE Griffin Hotel Group which includes Monart Destination Spa, Hotel Kilkenny and Ferrycarrig Hotel in Wexford are set to be powered by the brand-new 10-acre Monart Solar Farm. Phase one of the solar farm has been completed and is now operational on the grounds of the adjacent multi-award-winning Monart Destination Spa in County Wexford. The Monart site is also home Monart Equestrian Centre which has three all-weather arenas, grass and sand gallops and a cross-country course including two water complexes. The equestrian facilities will not be impacted by the new solar farm.

Abigail Lyle placed at Windsor

WILTSHIRE-based Co Down native Abigail Lyle and the 12-year-old Fabregas gelding Farrell, owned by Fenella Quinn, scored 68.413% for sixth place in the Grand Prix class at the four-star Royal Windsor Horse Show on Wednesday. Two Irish riders achieved the first of two minimum eligibility requirement scores for the 2023 FEI Dressage European Championships, to be held in Riesenbeck, Germany, in September. Kevin Acres and Con McCarthy’s Ganesh completed on 66.761% in 10th place. Anne-Marie Rawlins and Etoile, owned by her father Dane and Greg Powell, scored 66.261% for 11th. On her first international outing since the birth of her baby daughter Isabella in early March, British rider Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester and Coral Ingham’s world championship team silver medal gelding Imhotep scored 77.261% for a winning return at Royal Windsor. They also won Thursday’s Freestyle to Music.

Oliver Townend receives warning

BRITAIN’s Olympic gold medallist Oliver Townend has been given a Recorded Warning by the FEI for his ride on Swallow Springs at the Badminton Horse Trials. He was eliminated at fence 24 during a hold on course with the Irish Sport Horse, with whom he was sitting in third place overnight. This elimination came after the pair had picked up 11 penalties for triggering the safety device at fence 19B, a collapsible table which the 15-year-old gelding banked. Swallow Springs had looked tired before and after the incident. He was held at 24 and was then not allowed to continue by officials. The rider has since been given the Eventing Recorded Warning for “dangerous riding/series of dangerous jumps.”

Lomas takes part in North West 200

THE latest fundraising challenge for former international event rider Claire Lomas will see her ride a lap of the 8.9-mile North West 200 motorcycle road racing track in Co Antrim during today’s concluding programme. Paralysed from the chest down since colliding with a tree when competing at Osberton in 2007, Lomas has taken on numerous challenges such as walking the London Marathon route in 2012 using a robotic suit, and has raised over £850,000 for charity.

She has ridden motorbikes on tracks before but today (Saturday) will be making her roads debut on a Suzuki SV650 which has been adapted with straps to stop her knees from flapping in the wind and toe clips securing her feet to the foot plates. A special shifter allows her to change gears using only her hands. Lomas’s husband and father are part of the team, helping to launch her at the start of her lap and catching her when she returns.