On Monday, the equestrian industry came together to say a sad farewell to one of its most respected breeders and businessmen, Dr Noel Cawley, whose funeral took place in The Church of Our Lady and St David in Naas.

Gifted with the traits of integrity, intelligence and a supreme talent, Dr Cawley was of Ireland’s most thoughtful and successful sport horse breeders and supporter of the industry. I was lucky enough to have some wonderful conversations with Dr Cawley and received considered advice and encouraging support from him. Pearls of wisdom such as these so generously offered to me, which I continue to utilise most weeks on my yard, were also shared with so many other fellow breeders, riders and competitors.

Try as I did over the weekend, I couldn’t find better words than Isabel Hurley’s in Saturday’s The Irish Field when she wrote: “Forests shake when great oaks fall”.

The heartfelt respects paid to Dr Cawley at his funeral echoed those that flooded social media and which were so eloquently expressed by our industry leaders in Saturday’s The Irish Field tribute pages. Olympian Greg Broderick who had a long-standing friendship and partnership with Dr Cawley said: “Noel was the most loyal owner you could possibly ask for but along with that, he gave me so much advice on general life, how to manage the yard and business better and just how to improve as a person in general. The more you go through life, you realise how few and far between people like Noel are and I’m so thankful to have had him with us at Ballypatrick.”

Horse Sport Ireland chairman Michael Dowling said: “Throughout his life, Noel was always passionate about his horses and his family. He used every opportunity possible to promote Irish equine breeding, including the very successful and famed Kerrygold sponsorship of the Dublin Horse Show by the Irish Dairy Board. In more recent years, Noel was so passionate, energetic and proud of the young sport horses that he was now breeding with his daughter Lisa.”

With senior roles in the Irish Dairy Board, Teagasc and the Royal Dublin Show there are few men who have given such a wide-reaching contribution. His knowledge and passion for breeding will be reflected in the incredible horses he has put on the ground and who right up to his sad passing, were winning in the ring, and will no doubt do so for generations to come, something his wife Anita, daughters Lisa and Claire and all of his relatives and friends can take solace in. Our deepest condolences from everyone at the Irish Horse.