March launch for sport horse plan

Equestrian: Horse Sport Ireland chairman Pat Wall yesterday said Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney is applying his own stamp to the sport horse sector strategic plan before its publication.

The draft plan — devised by the troika of HSI, Teagasc and the RDS — has been with Mr Coveney since before Christmas and is eagerly awaited, with many anticipating the Corkman will usher in an era where the sector finally secures the support it warrants.

“The strategy for the sports horse sector is still with Simon Coveney, who apparently wants to add some further ideas of his own,” said Wall yesterday. “We are lucky that he is interested in the sector, but he has a lot of competing priorities for his attention, at the moment.”