DEAR SIR: In reference to the comments that Princess Anne has made today about the eating of horse meat, I would like to offer my support in her thinking.

I keep a few horses which I break and do a small bit of show jumping before selling them on.

As everyone is aware by now, the horse trade is on its knees and many of my friends and associates are really struggling to keep their stock fed and maintained in these tough times.

Many good breeding mares with generations of Irish bloodlines have been slaughtered over the past few years, purely for the reason that many breeders are so stuck for cash and, being unable to meet registration fees for young stock, only the mares with the proper passports were able to be slaughtered.

Is there no way that horses can be slaughtered and have their meat tested for any banned substance or disease and then the owner paid a reasonable price?

No one breeds a horse without a hope that some day he will compete at the RDS or Olympics, but the fact is they can’t all make it. These animals don’t need abandonment, they need a market.

Ease the registration fees and please ease the bloody red tape.