Kürten hands over five Forbes-owned horses
In a statement, the German-based Kürten said the “first-class horses” were returned to the legal representatives of Lady Forbes in the yard of Jessica Kürten in Huenxe on Wednesday.
“This appointment was agreed when the security deposit requested by the Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf was finally available on Monday, April 18, in the form of a bank guarantee amounting to €300,000. The horses were returned in the presence of the lawyers and veterinary surgeons of Jessica Kürten as well as of Lady Forbes and the veterinary inspector of the district of Wesel,” said the statement.
The €300,000 bank guarantee was a condition imposed on Forbes by the Düsseldorf court as a prerequisite to the release by Jessica and her husband Eckard of the horses, Castle Forbes Libertina, Castle Forbes Cosma, Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois, Castle Forbes Vivaldo and Paddington.
The rider had previously refused to release the horses in a dispute with Forbes that emerged at the start of the year and allegedly centres on the payment of tax on winnings. In a statement last week, Forbes said Kürten had refused to return her horses on the basis that Forbes owed her about €1.5m in relation to the tax issue.
Forbes also said that there were doubts regarding the horses’ welfare and that a German court had stated the wellbeing of the five horses depended on them being urgently returned to Forbes.
Kürten’s legal representative categorically rejected this and, in her statement concerning the handing over of the horses this week, the rider noted that:
* “All horses were presented and examined before the shipment. In the interest of Sporthorses Ltd, Jessica Kürten’s company, blood samples were taken from all horses in the presence of the veterinary inspector. The veterinary inspector was involved at the request of Mr and Mrs Kürten as well as their attorney.
* “The examination and the return of the horses were fully documented on video tape.”
* “In addition to the FEI passports, Lady Forbes’s legal representatives received a complete report on the horses’ training in recent months and weeks. Since Jessica Kürten was no longer permitted to compete Castle Forbes Libertina, Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois, Castle Forbes Cosma, Castle Forbes Vivaldo and Paddington, the horses’ training schedule was gradually reduced. This information is to the benefit of future riders and in particular to the benefit of the horses’ welfare.”
* “Mr and Mrs Kürten do not know who is going to ride the horses. It seems, however, as if the five athletes only had to cover a short distance to the clinic of Dr Marc Cronau, Bochum (Germany). Dr Cronau was also present when the horses were returned at the Kürten yard.”
Kürten’s statement concluded: “I wish the next rider all the best and every success with these horses.”
All eyes, thus, will be on the identity of the new rider chosen by Forbes. For weeks, talk has centred on Bost as the recipient, with Libertina being retired for breeding. The Longford woman could not be contacted yesterday to shed light on this, but a statement issued through her German lawyer said the Kürtens only agreed to return the horses “after being threatened with compulsory enforcement measures”.
The statement added: “The rightful state of affairs has finally been re-established. The court will now decide on the claims put forward by Mr and Mrs Kürten and Sporthorses International Ltd — for which absolutely no proof has been presented to date — without having to deal with the unlawful retention of the horses.”
- KILDARE’S Aoife Clarke will be hoping to build on her recent third place at Belton Park when she lines out in Badminton Horse Trials this weekend.
She again partners Master Crusoe, but also has Vaguely North, with which she placed 12th at Belton.
Nine Irish riders in total will contest Badminton — which begins today with dressage and concludes on Monday — including two of the three Irish riders who finished in the top 20 last year, Camilla Speirs (Portersize Just A Jiff) and Mark Kyle (Step In Time and Nitetime Cavalier).
Also in action are Geoff Curran (The Jump Jet), Joseph Murphy (Electric Cruise), Elizabeth Power (Kilpatrick River), Michael Ryan (Old Road), Louise Lyons (Murphy’s Miracle) and Sarah Wardell (Killeenduff Boy).
lTHE conclusion of the HSI Chippison Spring Tour resulting in a narrow win for Gerard Clarke last weekend provided a superb appetiser for the TRM/SJI Premier Series Grand Prix League, which begins this weekend at The Horseware Louth County Show.
Attention will be on young rider Clarke to see if he can maintain the momentum as he lines out with three mounts in tomorrow’s speed class qualifier, which sees 72 combinations bidding to be among the 35 in Sunday’s grand prix.
The 10-round series boasts almost €150,000 in prizemoney, along with the prospect of the top three riders gaining qualification for the lucrative international classes at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show.
- WITH the horse market reflecting the depressed economy, the work of the West Cork Horse Breeders (WCHB) co-operative society takes on a greater significance.
The society is promising a busy schedule for 2011, beginning with the first qualifier for the Mare and Foal Championships at Leap Show on May 2. The competition culminates with a final at the society’s Annual Show in Cranmore Equestrian Centre, Clonakilty, on September 11, for which WCHB members can qualify up to two mares and foals. The Annual Show will also feature the final of the prestigious Pegus Horse Feed All-Ireland Breeders Championships.
The annual Performance Show at the West Cork Equine Centre, Kilbritain, on July 23 will feature loose jumping competitions for three-year-old horses and ponies, along with ridden jumping classes for horses aged four and five. A competition for young riders is also planned. The WCHB say this is an opportunity for breeders to showcase and sell their stock,
However, there is always the organisation’s horse sale at the Green Glens in Millstreet. It takes place on September 24 and WCHB are promising it will be bigger and better, following the success of last year’s sale. For further information: www.irishqualityhorses.com.
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