An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 41 So in 1926 the formation of the Army Equitation School came very quickly: this came about following representations by Judge William Wy- lie of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) and Col Hogan (Quartermaster Gen- eral) to Mr W. T. Cosgrave the then President of the Executive Council. Through a miracle of far-sighted ini- tiative, the funding was found to have Ireland field teams for international show jumping competitions. Following Mr W.T. Cosgrave and his government's decision, with only three months to train, the Army Equitation School competed in the inaugural Aga Khan Nations Cup competition held in the RDS in August 1926. At the opening ceremony a brass plaque was unveiled officially naming the arena and after this was unveiled a horse jumping display was conducted in the arena for all guests to enjoy. Mr. Liam Cosgrave watched on with great interest as did all guests. This display also gave the distinguished guests a chance to meet some of the riders who have represented the Irish Defence Forces and Ireland, including some new and upcoming stars in the show jumping arena. The OiC Lt Col Tom Freyne told us about the work that was carried out, "The arena is a replacement for the previous surface, which had lost its in- tegrity over time. The refurbishment in- volved the complete removal of the old surface and all the under-layers (tarmac and stone) and replacing it all with new drainage stone, porous carpet and a combination of silica sand and fibre. This surface is similar in composition to that used at the London Olympics." We also spoke to CQMS Casey Mc Quillan about the advantages of this new arena, he told us, "The refurbish- ment of the All-weather arena is a massive plus for the school. To have an arena with the latest surface installed will allow our horses to compete longer due to less wear and tear on their joints whilst also saving valuable man-hours for our riders and staff by not having to travel to use similar surfaces for training. The challenge for my staff and I now will be to maintain it to its opti- mum level so as to get the maximum benefit from it." After the stunning performance by the riders, the guests were led to the stable yard were five of the newest acquired horses were brought out and put on display, as their details and lineage was read out. Due to some inclement weather on the day, the addresses by the distin- guished guests was moved to the Officers' Mess were Minister Kehoe opened the address by saying, "I am delighted to be here today in the presence of Mr Liam Cosgrave and his family to mark the contribution of the Cosgrave family to the Army Equita- tion School over more than 90 years. W.T. Cosgrave was instrumental in the founding of the School. There is also no doubt that the support Liam Cosgrave gave to the School when he was Taoiseach has contributed to the strong standing it currently enjoys. It is truly fitting that we are naming this new horse training facility the W.T. Cosgrave Arena". An Taoiseach, Mr Enda Kenny TD complimented the Equitation School by saying "They have fulfilled its mis- sion to promote the Irish Horse and when the riders put on their brown boots they represent Ireland", he added about the naming of the arena, "It's important that this arena is named af- ter W.T. Cosgrave, who was the founder of the Equitation School" Liam Cosgrave spoke with fondness of the Equitation School by saying, "I'm glad to be here today and would like to give a special congratulations to the equitation schools success through- out the years" he ended with saying "it's an honour that my father is being remembered in this way." It was a fitting tribute to name the arena after W.T. Cosgrave (the founder of the Equitation School) and an honour to have his son Liam Cosgrave present at the ceremony. The Army Equitation School con- tinues today with the same mission as when it was first established in 1926 'to promote the Irish Horse'. Army horses and riders continue to promote Ireland and the Irish horse through participation in international competitions at the highest level. Just two weeks ago Capt Geoff Curran and Ringwood Glen were part of Ireland's Nations Cup winning team in Norway and are currently in Europe where they are again representing Ireland in another Nations Cup competition. the FIve neWest horses are: rhn blackWater 2008 brown Mare 9-year-old Sire: Upgrade (KWPN) Dam: Baloutbet Du Rouet (Holst) Breeder: Norman Hammond, Tyrone avonbeg 2011 chestnut Gelding 6-year-old Sire: Flexabill (ISH) Dam: Temple Clover (ISH) mhs lone star 2011 grey Gelding 6-year-old Sire: Cardento (Holst) Dam: Diamant De Semilly (SF) Breeder: Michael Brennan, Gowran, Kilkenny hhs lIsbon 2011 bay Gelding 6-year-old Sire: Obos Quality 004 (OLD) Dam: Cavalier Royale (Holst) Breeder: Michael Brennan, Gowran, Kilkenny baloubet du royale 2009 bay Gelding 8-year-old Sire: Baloubet Du Rouet (SF) Dam: Cavalier Royale (Holst) Breeder: John Greene, Offaly

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