Irish equestrianism on verge of taking a major step backwards

THE soft underbelly of Irish equestrianism has been exposed again this week with the imminent export of one of our top horses.

Joe Savage has revealed that Don't Step Back, the mighty grey gelding ridden with such courage and flair by Patricia Donegan at the Sydney Olympics, has attracted firm interest from an American and Australian rider.

If the deal comes to fruition, it will again reveal a flaw in our attempts to build a squad of horses worthy of our riders. That flaw is the lack of support/incentive for owners/breeders to retain our best horses. For decades, there has been a haemorrhaging of the country's top stock. This was no more highlighted than last year, when Liscalgot was close to being sold abroad. Luckily, through the efforts of the mare's rider Dermott Lennon, a group of Northern businessmen were convinced of the attractiveness of buying the mare. Their foresightedness was vindicated when Lennon and Liscalgot became Ireland's first world champions.