On Friday last, news broke that the chairman of the High Performance Committee Gerry Mullins had resigned, less than a year after his appointment, and that his resignation was cause for Irish senior show jumping chef d’equipe Rodrigo Pessoa to “reconsider” his position.

This comes after the Irish show jumping team won their first team gold medal at senior championship level in 16 years and ahead of next year’s World Equestrian Games – an opportunity for Ireland to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

It was reported in The Irish Field that Pessoa said: “I put a lot of thought into this. I have to think about my position, it’s a natural feeling. My heart is with this team, but it’s not a secret that I have been approached by others in the fall (autumn). I really wish I didn’t have to, but I have to reconsider.

“I don’t want to do political things. I want to focus on the best team with the back-up of the committee, but if that is not possible, I hate to do it.” It was also reported that Edward Doyle was appointed interim chairman of the High Performance Committee by the board of HSI by consensus.

A meeting of the Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) High Performance Committee, being held as we went to press, may determine the fallout from Gerry Mullins’ recent resignation from the committee. The meeting was to be chaired by Edward Doyle, with Rodrigo Pessoa taking part in the meeting via conference call. CEO of HSI Ronan Murphy was to act as HSI observer with HSI chairman Jim Beecher also in attendance.

Ahead of this meeting, Ronan Murphy told The Irish Horse that: “The High Performance Committee is a standing committee of HSI.

“I am hoping for a good resolution to this problem, one which preserves goodgovernance according to the terms of reference of this standing committee.”

The possibility of Gerry Mullins continuing to work with the High Performance Committee remains to be seen, however a resolution to this matter now lies with Ireland’s appointed chef d’equipe, Rodrigo Pessoa and in light of his aforementioned statements, it is difficult to imagine how his quitting after just nine months in the Irish job would benefit his purposes.

The chairman of the High Performance Committee is appointed by the chairman of HSI and the chairman of Showjumping Ireland but it has to be approved by the board of HSI.