The Irish equestrian community have been playing their part in raising much needed funds for front line staff in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Easter Monday would have seen the 150th running of the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. The team at The Irish Field set up a Go Fund Me page where racing fans could choose their winner from a card of 30 likely combinations and the legendary Gerry Hannon provided an exciting commentary for fans to listen to.

This ‘Virtual Grand National’ raised €3,500 at the time of writing, with all funds going to feedtheheroes.com.

Not to be out done by the racing community, event riders have come together to do their bit and raise much needed funds for front line workers battling against COVID-19.

Irish international event riders Joseph Murphy and Fred Scala are among 50 riders who have entered The NAF Virtual 5* Eventing Competition. The event will be live streamed from Wednesday 6 May through to Sunday 9 May.

This innovative idea came from Uptown eventing’s Rachel Wakefield and will see 50 international event riders perform a dressage test at home which has already been ridden and recorded. The test will be judged on the day by three top FEI judges, Jane Tolley, Les Smith and Annabel Scrimgeour. The jumping phases will see riders compete on foot.

The event will not only raise much needed funds, it will also provide a welcome distraction for riders and eventing fans around the world.

Each phase, including the trot up, will have a unique twist so it will be well worth tuning in on each of the five days.

There are 30 British event riders due to take part including some big names such as William Fox-Pitt, Laura Collett and Gemma Tattersall. Other international riders include Sam Griffiths from Australia, New Zealand’s Joe Meyer and the US’s Boyd Martin.

The competitions website (www.virtualeventing.com) will also feature a virtual shopping village which will offer discounts and deals on a range of products from animal healthcare to luxury clothing.