I see MEP Nina Carberry has been appointed co-chair of the MEP Horse Group out in Brussels.

The group was founded in 2011 to highlight issues within the horse sector on the European political agenda.

Equine identification

The former jockey used the opportunity to highlight the need for an EU-wide equine identification system to enhance traceability, combat fraud and improve welfare standards.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, many Irish horse breeders are debating whether to take part in the Department of Agriculture’s latest equine census, a protest borne out of ongoing frustration at passport issuing delays for foals by Horse Sport Ireland.