Harry Marshall, controversially dropped from Friday's Aga Khan Cup team, reignited the simmering feud in the Irish show jumping camp by stating last night that he would never ride on a team with Cian O'Connor and calling for the resignation of the entire selection panel, writes Grania Willis, Equestrian Correspondent.
"I won't jump under that regime, and I will never ride on a team with Cian O'Connor again," Marshall said at the RDS yesterday.
Asked if he was supporting the stance taken by Jessica Kürten, who withdrew from last week's Dublin Horse Show and has said that she will not ride on teams with O'Connor, Marshall said: "I agree completely with her. If it hadn't been for the people who own Ado Annie I probably wouldn't be here in the first place."
Marshall has refused to allow his name to be put forward for the team going to Aachen, Germany, for the next round of the Samsung Super League.
"They want me to go, but I won't go. I won't work under that regime. They must all resign.
"They told me at six o'clock on Thursday that I was on the team, and at seven o'clock they told me I wasn't after the Army kicked up and Cian O'Connor said he wouldn't jump if Shane Carey wasn't on the team."
O'Connor refused to comment on the situation last night, but chef d'equipe Eamonn Rice refuted Marshall's allegation.
"That's not true," Rice said when asked if O'Connor had threatened to pull out of the Aga Khan team.
In a further development, two of the selectors walked out of a meeting called last night to discuss the team performance at Dublin and to select the squad for Aachen.
Team trainer Tom Slattery, who acts as the riders' representative on the selection committee, confirmed afterwards that he had resigned. However he would not state whether he would continue to train the team.
Liam Buckley, Leinster representative on the selection panel, who also walked out of the meeting, later confirmed that he had also resigned.
Chairman of selectors Taylor Vard said last night after the 3½ hour meeting: "I feel now we just have to move on - there was no disagreement during the meeting about selections - the disagreement is about other matters."
O'Connor, Billy Twomey, Shane Breen, Capt Shane Carey and Marie Burke were named as the Aachen team.
John Ledingham, who acted as team manager at the European championships in Italy a fortnight ago, will be the chef d'equipe.
