Kuerten’s absence from meeting merely ‘a coincidence’
Jessica Kuerten will be en-route to the US, where she is competing with the world’s top 25 riders in the $1m (€0.83m) Las Vegas World Invitational, meaning she will miss the October 10 meeting at Dublin Airport.
Yesterday she said it would be wrong to read anything into the fact the meeting clashed with her trip, saying it was “a coincidence.”
She added it was too late to change her plans.
“My tickets are booked, so there is nothing I can do about it now,” she said from Bremen, Germany, where she is competing.
German-based Kuerten and fellow Antrim rider Harry Marshall were at the centre of an acrimonious row this year over selection for Nations Cup teams, with both refusing to compete for Ireland.
Marshall could not be contacted yesterday to see if he would attend the October 10 meeting, organised by the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI). The SJAI has issued invitations to riders involved in nations cup competitions for the past two seasons. It will also be attended by the selectors and the SJAI national executive and will allow all present to air their views on the selection process.
Yesterday, SJAI Chairman Charles Hanley said: “We received a reply from Jessica saying she could not attend, but she could make a written submission, if she so wished. Also, any riders not capable of coming can have their views put by proxy.
“The point of the meeting is to allow all the interested parties to put their cards on the table. The SJAI national executive will then put forward a plan to the Equestrian Federation of Ireland.”
A Showjumpers’ Club meeting of riders in August, which was aimed at resolving the dispute, finished abruptly with Kuerten walking out. The club have organised a follow-on meeting on October 25, but invitations will not be issued until next week.
Meanwhile, the SJAI have moved to correct the anomaly that exists whereby a rider banned at international level can compete on the domestic scene.
The situation emerged during the summer, when Cian O’Connor was banned for three months after his horse Waterford Crystal tested positive for banned substances at the Olympics.
Hanley said a decision had been made by the SJAI to ensure this did not re-occur.
“Basically, in future, we will replicate at national level whatever punishment is meted by the International Equestrian Federation.
“We are checking out the legalities of doing this, but I do not foresee a problem,” he said.
