Last Friday news that, well-known and respected, horse trainer Tom O’Dwyer had lost his life after a freak equestrian accident led to widespread shock and sorrow throughout the Irish equestrian community.

Mr O’Dwyer (56), received a fatal kick from a horse being ridden on the road. Emergency services were called, but Mr O’Dwyer was pronounced dead at the scene. Gardai are currently investigating all the circumstances of this tragic accident.

Mr O’Dwyer’s death has come as a terrible shock to his wife Joanne and daughter Emma.

A former joint-master of the Tipperary Foxhounds, Tom was also involved in judging FEHL events - his expertise and knowledge was greatly valued by those around him.

His love and skill with horses was evidently passed on to his daughter Emma who has come up through the pony show jumping ranks to compete at international level with much success at home and abroad.

KT deadline extended

The deadline for submission of the farm improvement plans under the Knowledge Transfer Equine programme has been extended again to 21 August, Minister Michael Creed TD announced last week. The new extension only applies to the farm improvement plans, while the deadline for holding KT meetings remains in place.

“The extension of the deadline until August 21st will allow advisers and planners further time to finalise actions required under the scheme. It will also enable vets to finalise animal health measures for farmer participants,” Minister Creed said last week.

“This extension will enable advisers and vets to benefit from extra time to finalise actions for their Knowledge Transfer groups and to progress the outstanding work carried out to date under the scheme. In turn, this allows farmers to derive maximum benefit from the Knowledge Transfer programme,” the Minister added.

Participants of the three year programme will receive an annual payment of €750 for attending the meetings and completing the farm improvement plan. The programme was initially slow to get off the ground last year following issues surrounding participant eligibility and ongoing problems with the online portal, which is used to book in meetings and submit plans.

The newest extension eats into year two of the programme, which officially began on 1 June, 2017.