Blue Loyd to have World Cup prep in France

Cian O’Connor will give Blue Loyd his first international outing since the Dublin Horse Show when he travels to Caen, France, next week.

“I will use Caen as preparation for the World Cup shows at Lyon and Verona. I will also be at Olympia and am hoping for a personal invitation to a show before Christmas,” said the Olympic bronze medallist.

“Blue Loyd is fresh after his break and jumped well in schooling at Coilog last week. If I get some good placings, the World Cup final could end up being part of my plans. We’ll have to see what happens.

“It’s possible I will go to the UAE in January for four shows. These are competitive with good prize money and I will combine it with some coaching, there.

“Winning the medal has definitely opened doors. What I have discovered is that it is global currency and people understand its importance.

“It’s been a fantastic year for Irish equestrian sport in both senior and underage level, including the junior team winning a gold medal in the European Championships. Both Billy Twomey and I supplied horses to the team, and also coached Bertram Allen and Max O’Reilly Hyland, respectively, and it is great that we can help. This is a positive thing and, with the successes of Ireland’s eventers, Irish equestrian is on a high. Now we need to look at maximising this, reap the benefits and not sit back on our laurels. We have until the spring, I believe, to capitalise on this, further develop those already involved and look at bringing in new owners and sponsors, and not just leave it as a case of looking back at the photographs and memories. We could learn much from Team GB, who have done a lot in this area.”

Meanwhile, O’Connor says Robert Splaine has shown himself to be “fair and honest” during his six years as Ireland show jumping manager.

Splaine’s contract terminates at the end of the year and last week Canada-based legend Eddie Macken said he would be interested in taking up the position if it became available.

While O’Connor said it was not for him “to surmise who should be manager”, he said Splaine deserved praise for his singular approach in selecting him for the Olympics over Shane Sweetnam, after Denis Lynch’s nomination had been withdrawn.

“Robert made a tough decision in selecting me for the Olympic Games, but obviously he felt we could deliver. There is no doubt, though, that this decision was not universally popular.

“Over the years, I’ve had my ups and downs with Robert. However, one thing is definite, he is fair and honest and not one to be influenced.”

Undoubtedly, the decision by HSI and Splaine to drop Lynch after his hypersensitivity case in Aachen was a defining moment for the Corkman and, of course, his selection of O’Connor and Blue Loyd — undoubtedly a controversial move — was vindicated by the London performance.

Prior to that, however, Splaine was at the helm when Ireland spurned two chances — the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and last year’s European Championships in Madrid — to win a team place in the Olympics.

In addition, performances in the early part of this year’s FEI Nations Cup Top League were such that Ireland seemed firmly planted at the bottom of the table.

However, Splaine and his squad engineered a dramatic turnaround, with wins in Hickstead and Dublin, further justifying any claims by the Corkman to retain his position.

In a statement regarding Splaine’s contract, Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) said that before it decides “on the personalities, we need to look at the structures and the roles to see if they can be improved or developed. Once that process is complete, we can then move towards engaging the people to fill these roles”.

Beforehand, though, HSI pointed out that the Irish Sports Council was “carrying out an Olympic debrief” and once that is completed it would “take the conclusions on board and move forward with our plans for 2013 and beyond”.

Crucially, HSI said a report by Sia’s Jane Williams — which the governing body commissioned following the failure at Madrid to qualify a team for the Olympics — would “feed into” the Sports Council review.

* Templemartin Hunter Trials take place next Sunday, beginning at 11am.

The event, coupled with trials at Killeady, Muskerry, and South Union, form part of an autumn league.

Further information: 087-2541559.