Selectors offer to meet with riders

Equestrian News: A potentially damaging row between Ireland's elite riders and the international selectors has been defused with the offer of a meeting to allow the riders to air their views on the controversial appointment of a new team trainer.

Eddie Macken has not lived in Ireland for many years now, but Ireland's best-known show jumper was prepared to volunteer his services to the sport and contacted chairman of selectors Peter Leonard from his home in Vancouver to throw his hat into the ring.

However, at a meeting last week, the selectors made a decision to offer the post - which carries no wages and a pitiful €6,000 annual travel allowance - to Lt-Col Gerry Mullins, commanding officer of the Army Equitation School.

The feeling among many of the 17 riders longlisted for Athens is that there is room in the camp for both Mullins and Macken, particularly in an Olympic year, when their twin talents can be dovetailed to fit in with those of chef d'equipe for the past decade, Tommy Wade, who has led the Irish team through its most successful ever period.

Rumblings of dissent grew in the early part of this week but, when contacted by some of the Olympic longlisted riders, the selectors remained entrenched in their position that a decision had been made and the case was now closed. That stance changed dramatically midweek, however, and the riders have now been offered the chance of a meeting.

Chairman of selectors Peter Leonard said last night that a meeting with the riders would be arranged before the end of the month.

"If Eddie can help it'll be wonderful and if Gerry can be involved it'll be wonderful too," he said. "It'll probably take two or three people to prepare a team that will win us a medal. It's going to take a lot to achieve this and we all have to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

"Whatever is decided will be done in the best interests of the team and in the best interests of getting to the Olympics."

The role of team trainer has been created as part of the conditions laid down by the Irish Sports Council, which last month announced €350,000 funding for equestrian sports from its high-performance grants.

Paul Darragh, who shared the Carrolls sponsorship with Eddie Macken during the glory days of the 1970s and early 1980s but retired in 2001, had initially been approached to act as spokesperson for the riders, but it now seems likely a number of the riders will put in an appearance at the meeting to voice their opinions on the matter in person.

"It would be a shame if we lose out on the doyen of Irish show jumping in the last 35 years," Darragh said. "He's made his intentions know that he's passionately interested in being involved and putting something back into the sport. Gerry has done a fantastic job for the country and for the team, but he'll be there anyway, so let's try and get Eddie into the loop too. I think this deserves to be revisited and I'm delighted to hear that it will be revisited. Hopefully a satisfactory solution will come out of it," he said.