Kirsty McCann on Sponsorship, Science, and Standing Beside the People Who Make It Work

For Kirsty McCann, it was more than just Race 2 on the card at Naas and more than just a sponsorship slot for ARKequine. As the horses cooled down and the crowd caught its breath, she spoke with the pace of someone who knows her role inside out and the heart of someone who’s lived every corner of it.

“I’m the Equine Manager you could call it that now at this stage at ARKequine. And I work closely with the Forte Healthcare team on all things equine. It’s a very diverse role, a very busy role and probably the best job in the world.”

She had just stepped off a Racing TV interview and was still buzzing. “This is our fourth year here at Naas,” she said. “They were the first people who ever came to us and said, would you like to do some sponsorship? That was way back, I think we were only in operation about two months when Jackie from the track got in touch.”

But the route they chose wasn’t traditional.

“She showed me four or five races and said you can have any of them,” Kirsty recalled. “I said, I don’t want any of them. I needed 20 hours to get the name out there, not two minutes.”

Instead, ARKequine sponsored the grooms’ canteen covering 50 percent of every meal served. “Even before we were fully established as a company, we were giving back. We were supporting people who weren’t even customers yet.”

This year, they handed that sponsorship to Aloga Equestrian, their good friends and a brand they admire. “It’s brands supporting brands,” Kirsty said. “There’s plenty of business out there for everybody. We’re not all in the same line of business, but we all need to support each other.”

And when ARKequine sponsors a race, it’s not just about the horse or rider. “We do a €250 voucher for the trainer, we look after the breeder they’ll get a phone call from us and €250 as well. And the BTO gets a lovely Aloga rug. We try to look after everybody.”

That commitment runs through the entire day, which included a high-impact CPD event led by two standout speakers: Dr. Sarah Woods and Dr. Celia Marr.

“We had an idea a few months ago,” Kirsty explained. “Cian Tucker had just taken over his new role as Territory Manager for Ireland, and he wanted something significant to kick off with. I suggested a CPD event not for small animal vets, because I don’t know any of them! But I’ve been lucky to build great relationships with a lot of equine vets, and I was able to say, will you come along?”

They came. “We were delighted to welcome about 45 vets today,” she said.

Dr. Woods opened the session, covering oxidative stress and antioxidants. “She looked at some of the current clinical research and how it can be applied in practice now,” Kirsty said. “And then we had a phenomenal talk from Dr. Celia Marr — we just wanted to go big.”

Through Forte’s association with Arioneo, they secured Dr. Marr — a leading voice in equine technology. “She presented some of her most recent findings,” Kirsty said. “You could have heard a pin drop.”

The session ended with a Q&A hosted by Racing Post’s David Jennings, who brought questions that cut straight to the core — about the Grand National, race distances, and the impact of ground.

“He’s hearing this terminology all the time — cardiac episodes, sudden death — and he walked away going, ‘I now understand what they mean,’” she said. “Everybody took something from it.”

But why do it at all? Why put on a free event for busy vets, many of whom squeezed it in between morning rounds and evening racing?

“For us, education is everything,” Kirsty said. “It’s the cornerstone of what we do — whether it’s small animals, large animals, or equine.” And it’s not just about products or practice. It’s about understanding and ultimately, about welfare.

“Giving back knowledge is hugely powerful. It helps people understand why things go wrong with horses. It might change the way someone thinks. And that might make things better — for the horse.”

As the conversation wound down, Kirsty was already glancing toward the next horizon. “RDS,” she said. “All roads lead to the RDS.”

She laughed. “It’s Wednesday now. Friday we’ve got our RDS planning meeting. The boss is back from holidays, full of energy, asking what about this, what about that — and I’m going, ‘Yeah, I’ve been a bit busy…’”

But she’s not complaining. It’s busy. It’s layered. It’s evolving. And it’s something Kirsty really thrives on.

This article was brought to you by The Grassroots Journo.