Part One of a multi-article Grassroots Gazette series of what is happening in Eventing.

If you’ve been watching the chaos unfold in Irish Eventing over the past few days, you’re not alone in feeling confused. An event pulled at the last minute. Riders and owners left scrambling. Insurance being named as the apparent villain. Accusations flying. Silence in some corners, noise in others.

But as anyone who’s spent time around a horse truck knows, there’s always more going on than meets the eye. And this? This isn’t just a scheduling hiccup. It’s not just a communication error. And, if we’re being honest, it’s not really about insurance either.

What’s happening here—right now—is a calculated pressure campaign. Quiet, deliberate, and well-timed. A power struggle unfolding in public view. And whether the average competitor realises it or not, the future of eventing in Ireland is being decided in real time—by a handful of people behind closed doors.

The Story So Far

This past weekend, an event due to run in Frankfurt was abruptly cancelled 24 hours beforehand. Riders had prepped all week. Horses were preparing to travel. Start times had already been published. But a legal letter—sent on Friday and circulated over the weekend—triggered the shutdown.

On social media, a narrative began to form: Eventing Ireland pulled the plug. But that simply isn’t true.

In reality, the event organiser made the decision, citing legal advice that raised new questions about the insurance being provided. The letter, now visible in public forums, advised caution and a temporary pause. That’s fair. 

What’s not fair is the weaponisation of that moment.

Because let’s be honest—the insurance clause in question had already been added. The indemnity protection that certain landowners requested was inserted into the policy by Eventing Ireland. It wasn’t ignored. It wasn’t dismissed. It was delivered.

So why did the conflict still escalate?

The Patterns Behind the Disruption

Let’s take a step back. In the past three or so weeks, multiple events have gone ahead without issue:

• Ballindenisk—a major southern venue—ran smoothly.
  
• Events run under Tyrella in Northern Ireland ran without disruption.
  
• Other training sessions and unaffiliated competitions with full insurance are proceeding just fine.
  

So again… why the chaos now?

Some might say it’s a coincidence. Others might wonder if this was timed for maximum impact—to create noise, sow division, and weaken the current structure of Eventing Ireland from the inside.

As one rider put it plainly:
“The number of social media posts just blaming Eventing Ireland without realising that the event organisers are holding the sport in the south to ransom with their demands… This needs to be sorted now. The effect it is having on every professional rider’s business is astronomical.”

And it’s not just reputations at stake. Behind the scenes, threatening phone calls are being made, anonymous accounts are being used to bombard individuals, and verbal abuse is becoming the norm. It’s getting dark. It’s getting personal. And for many on the ground, this is starting to feel like something far more deliberate than people are willing to admit publicly.

This Isn’t Just an Argument. It’s a Struggle for Control.

Without naming names, it appears that a small group of organisers are pushing for more than just legal reassurance. Some believe this is an orchestrated effort to collapse the current board of Eventing Ireland, and rebuild the organisation in a way that serves their own interests more directly.

Is that a certainty? No. But the patterns are too sharp to ignore.

• Demands were made.
  
• Those demands were met.
  
• And somehow, the disruption intensified.
  

There’s a phrase we keep coming back to: If this were just about insurance, it would have ended when the clause was added.
It didn’t.

We’re Not Blind. We’re Grassroots.

Let’s be clear—Eventing Ireland is not perfect. There are communication problems. Frustrations. Long-standing issues that need attention. This isn’t about blind loyalty to any organisation.

This is about us being the voice of grassroots riders.
This is about calling out patterns of behaviour that are hurting grassroots competitors, undermining grassroots events, and destabilising the sport at every level.

We are the Grassroots Gazette. We are here for the rider who spends all week scraping time to train. For the volunteer who gives up weekends. For the families, the farriers, the coaches, and the kids who are just starting to fall in love with the sport.
We are not here to be manipulated.
We are not here to play dumb.
And we are not going to stay quiet when the very foundation of Irish eventing is being shaken for reasons that don’t add up.

This Is Only the Beginning

This piece is Part One in a five-part series being released this week by the Grassroots Gazette. We’re not here to inflame. We’re here to bring clarity where confusion has been manufactured, and to defend the future of Eventing in Ireland.

Because silence won’t fix this.
And neither will letting misinformation win.

Got Something to Add?

If you have relevant information to share—an experience, a statement, or a concern—please contact the Grassroots Gazette directly. We will not publish anything without verifying it with at least two independent sources.We know some may try to flood this conversation with noise.
We know how the dark side plays this game.
But let us be absolutely clear: we’re not naïve, and we’re not here to be led.

This is our sport too—and we’re ready to fight for it and we are always ready and willing to fight for grassroots equestrians.

Part 2 drops tomorrow.