Barry Capstick To Represent Ireland

BRITISH-born four-in-hand driver Barry Capstick will from now on represent Ireland at international carriage driving events and at World Driving Championships.

Capstick, a 46-year old professional driver from Stow-on-the-Wold in Great Britain, has been competing successfully in the horse pair and horse team classes since 1990. Capstick represented Great Britain at several major international events such as Aachen, Breda and Windsor and at the World Four-in-Hand Championships in Wolfsburg and Jerez de la Frontera.

Capstick has claimed Irish nationality in order to forward his international driving career: <The Irish Equestrian Federation has offered me this opportunity and I receive a tremendous amount of help from them. Driving in Ireland is not so big yet, but I hope to contribute to the growth of the sport by promoting the sport and helping the drivers. I have already given several driving training sessions in Ireland and I will expand this even more,> explains the father of two.

Dan Butler, Secretary-General of the Equestrian Federation of Ireland, adds: <We welcome Barry, and feel he will certainly be a very valuable addition to the Irish Carriage Driving team.>

Capstick hopes to represent Ireland at all major international driving events as from 2004, including the upcoming World Four-in-Hand Driving Championships in Kecskemet, Hungary, in August. He will keep living in Great Britain, where he prepares his team of German and Dutch warmblood geldings at the Unicorn Driving Centre in Gloucestershire, where he is based.

http://www.horsesport.ie

.