PADRAIG Flanagan has returned to his roots, and to his love of horses, in recent weeks and is now back working alongside his father Pat outside Loughrea instead of in accountancy in Co Meath.

“I decided to give it another go!” said Flanagan who won two classes at the Dressage Ireland Midlands and Western Region Show in Ballinasloe last Sunday. “I gave up accountancy in 2019 to work full-time with horses but I broke my leg badly in 2020 and so had a re-think. For the past two and a half years I was working with Woods & Partners at their Meath office in Kells but seven weeks ago I decided to pack it all in, go back home and start working again with horses.

“Dad and I have two broodmares – one a traditional Irish and one a warmblood – and we have seven home-breds on the farm from the age of five downwards including one foal. I also have the Lux Z gelding An Dullahan who’s now 12. I finished third of 44 on him in a division of the two-star short at Millstreet in August 2019.

“I want to build things up but am just dipping my foot back in the water and taking things slowly,” continued Flanagan. “I have been out of the game for a while so need to build up contacts again.”

New role for Amy Parsons

IN an issue where she features as a successful amateur event rider, Wales-born former flat racing apprentice Amy Parsons found herself in a new role on Sunday at the Flavours of Fingal County Show where her daughter Francesca Fox made her showing debut.

Riding her cousin Sasha Smith’s pony Dandy, two-year-old Francesca finished third in what we are told was a hotly-contested boppers lead rein class! Six-year-old Sasha first rode Bambi to place second in the trotters lead rein class before filling the same position on the patient Dandy in the first ridden. They were a very well turned-out trio in their matching jackets!