Top rider to be decided by text voting

THE public will have the chance to decide Ireland’s best international rider for 2005 with the Showjumpers’ Club initiating a text voting system.

The new means of selection came about after the club found itself at the centre of a storm last year when it selected Cian O’Connor for the award after his horse Waterford Crystal tested positive for banned substances at the Athens Olympics.

Club spokesman David Darragh noted this week that there was “dissatisfaction” last year and said: “We are a new committee and decided to do things on a more transparent basis this year. We felt text voting was the best way.