Star of the Month

CONGRATULATIONS to Paddy Reape who was voted The Irish Field/Gain Equine Nutrition Star of the Month for August. Paddy was nominated after he won team gold and was crowned the individual European pony champion at the FEI European Championships for Ponies with Fernando. Well done Paddy!

Dispersal of Connemaras

PATRICK Blake of Ballyerk Connemara Ponies in Thurles, Co Tipperary, has been in touch to say he is retiring from breeding after 23 years and is disposing of his performance Connemara Pony herd. Among the renowned ponies bred by Blake is Ballyerk Dun and Dusted, ridden by Emily Moloney, who was the CPBS Highest Performance Connemara Pony in 2021, and Ballyerk Black Beauty who won the CCI2*-S for ponies at Ballindenisk in 2022, among others. Blake wishes to sell his heard intact, in order to maintain the breeding lines. For more information, see Ballyerk Connemara Ponies on Facebook.

Tom Monaghan RIP

THE equestrian world was saddened following the death of Tom Monaghan at the age of 97. Renowned as the founder of the iconic Monaghan’s Cashmere, just off Grafton Street in 1960 and almost certainly the longest serving retailer in Dublin, if not Ireland, Tom Monaghan was the consummate businessman. He has a great interest in horses and bloodstock and among his home-bred winners were Ahohoney, Miss Boniface, Ezzoud and Trip To Paris. He is the grandfather of international show jumper Sean Monaghan. Predeceased by his wife Teresa, he will be forever loved and sadly missed by his daughters Karen (Doran) and Suzanne (Goggins), his sons Jim and Paul, grandchildren, family and friends.

Rohrssen in action at FEI World Championships

FOLKE Rohrssen is in action for Ireland this weekend at the FEI Driving World Championships in Haras du Pin, France. In Thursday’s opening round, he drove his dressage test and scored 62.62 to sit in 16th place after the first day. As we went to press the second round was underway. Full coverage in next week’s paper.