Shortt steps down as Pony Eventing High Performance Coach

SUE Shortt has stepped down as High Performance Coach for the Irish Pony Eventing team.

Sue has been appointed as Team Manager for the Yulong, Shanxi Province eventing team in China and as a result will spend a considerable amount of time working in China.

Sue took over as Irish Pony High Performance Coach in 2005 and has led the team to a number of European medals including one Team Silver, two Team Bronze, one Individual Gold, one Individual Silver and three Individual Bronzes, with the highlight being the Team Gold medal in 2012.

Speaking after the announcement Sue Shortt said: “It has been a privilege to do the job. It has been great to work with some very talented young riders over the years, and it has been a pleasure to then watch them grow and mature into some of the most successful riders in Europe. I would like to thank all the parents for their help and support.

“None of our success would have been possible without the fantastic team of people around me, Sue Smallman and Con Kennedy’s contributions have been paramount, as have Tom Slattery’s, and Ian Fearon’s in the early days.

“I would also like to thank Horse Sport Ireland and Eventing Ireland for their invaluable support.This has been a very difficult decision for me, but the opportunity to work with the team in China on a full time basis was too good to turn down. I would like to wish the Irish team continued success.”

Horse Sport Ireland, CEO, Damian McDonald said: “Sue did a fantastic job and brought huge success to Ireland. We wish her well with her new position in China.”

Horse Sport Ireland has now advertised the position of Pony Eventing High Performance Coach.