On May 5th it was announced that the National Horse Sport Arena at the Sport Ireland Campus in Abbotstown will be remodeled as a vegetable garden. This means that the arena will no longer host equestrian events.

The National Sport Horse Arena in Abbottstown has been open for the last 10 years and is known as a state-of-the-art facility located in Dublin.  It was built with the aim of catering to the needs of riders, trainers, and breeders and has been used extensively as an important training facility. The size, setting and surface is what makes it a great arena / venue. It hosts a range of national and international competitions, training camps, and events throughout the year.

Robyn Lynch, a former competitive swimmer who is now working in the equine industry said “ Back when I was swimming, I always loved horse riding but never had the opportunity to do it. I remember seeing horses jumping at Abbottstown when I would be there swimming and I was just amazed and it only drove my love for horses even more. I would be in awe watching all the horses and riders and just wishing that it was me and wanting to one day be able to bring my own horse there. But I suppose now, I will never get the chance. It’s really disappointing.”

Photo taken by Sagittarian Photography. 

Many equestrians are furious after hearing the plans of the arena as it has been the home for many memorable competitions and events. The removal will be diminishing  to the equestrian sport in Ireland as it sends a negative message to the industry as a whole.

“The unfortunate removal of this will thus cause a great impact for the future in our sport, as it is a serious loss of exceptional facilities used for such a variety of disciplines and training.” – Aoife Brady, Event Rider.

It is said that the arena will return to being a formal kitchen garden with a new cookery school to encourage healthy eating through education. New courses will be available for athletes and the public to focus on nutritional diets, however members of the community disagree with this new founded purpose.

“I would like to see Sport Ireland commit to providing an alternative locally if they are going to follow through with their plans to turn the National Horse Sport Arena into a vegetable garden. This sends a message to equestrians the length and breadth of the country. Sport Ireland do a lot of great work. So we need to understand why we haven’t seen a bigger commitment from Sport Ireland to provide a replacement for the National Horse Sport Arena after seeing its success across the last 10+ years”. – Shane McCarthy.

Photo taken by Sagittarian Photography. 

The new development is aimed to increase foot traffic to this part of the campus and remove the heavy traffic and the movement of animals. The project will be structured over a course of phases determined by the needs of the athletes and sports with the construction of new accommodation, sport facilities and workplaces. 

When questioned whether the equestrian facilities would remain at the Sport Ireland Campus, no response was given.

Concerns also arise around the livelihood of many Irish people that rely on breeding, production and trading of horses and the impact it would make on the global market.

“It’s the centerpiece of showjumping and dressage at amateur level and it’s a big step up for children to ride it preparing them for competing in professional arenas.  Also, having the arena in the National Sports campus puts it on the same status / level as the other sports, football, rugby and swimming – even if they rebuild it elsewhere they’ll be relegating / demoting it as a sport as though it’s less important.” – Ali Knapp

Fellow equestrians have recently posted an online petition to stop the removal of the facility which is currently at 712 signatures and counting at a significant rate.

Sign here.