Sally Corscadden handed high performance director role by Horse Sport Ireland

Sally Corscadden, who has served as high performance manager of the Irish junior and young rider teams, has been appointed high performance director of the senior eventing team by Horse Sport Ireland.

Based in Drumlargan, Co Meath, Corscadden becomes the first Irish person to hold the role, since its establishment by HSI, following Sweden's Lars Christensson, Britain's Ginny Elliot and the latter's compatriot, Nick Turner, whose contract expired after last year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

In its press release on Monday announcing the appointment, HSI stated: “In her role as eventing senior high performance director, Sally Corscadden will focus on the delivery of the high performance plan 2017/2020 and on performance targets for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games campaign and will take responsibility for planning, monitoring, selection and performance at international level for European, World and Olympic competition.”

As a rider, Corscadden represented Ireland at two European championships, being on the Bronze medal-winning team at Achselschwang, Germany in 1993 riding Cageadore - Ireland last won a European team medal (also Bronze) at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy in 1995. In her role as high performance manager of the Irish young rider squads, teams have won Gold, two Silver and two Bronze medals at European championship level from 2011 to 2015.

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In 2013, Corscadden started the successful Under 25 development programme and many of those riders will be brought into the senior development squad. As there are just seven months until this year’s European young riders’ championships in Millstreet, she will remain as high performance manager of the Irish squad until then.

Speaking after her appointment, Corscadden, who runs the successful Grange Farm X-Country schooling and coaching grounds near Kilcock with her husband Brendan, said: “I am very excited and honoured to be given this opportunity and really look forward to the challenge of working with the senior eventing squad.

“I hope to bring with me the successful medal-winning formula of the young riders, to develop a well-structured, sports science-based performance programme. I will put into practice my experience and learning from the Pursuit of Excellence Programme (PEP), which is run by the Sport Ireland Institute. The aim is to produce riders who can compete for medals with the ultimate aim of Olympic Gold in Tokyo 2020.”

Don Hannigan, who was recently appointed chairman of HSI's senior eventing high performance committee, stated: "On behalf of the committee, I am delighted to welcome Sally as our new senior high performance director. Having followed her medal-winning results with Irish young rider teams in the past, I am thrilled that she has been given the opportunity to manage our senior team. I wish Sally and our squad the very best of luck in the quest for Olympic qualification and our ultimate goal of winning an Olympic Gold medal in eventing."

HSI has also to appoint a new senior show jumping chef d'equipe and, while both Michael Blake and Cameron Hanley have produced good results in their temporary positions as team managers, an appointment needs to be made soon. According to a HSI spokesperson, it will be at least two weeks before an appointment is made.