Another great, if not the best, Irish Sports horse in showjumping was Boomerang in the late 70s. I remember him being competed in a hackamore and his four consecutive wins in the Hickstead Derby.

He was competed by some of the best showjumping riders of the time - Liz Edgar, Paul Schockemohle and Eddie Macken. His biggest wins were with Eddie Macken, who had ridden him as a youngster in Ireland and was then reunited with him in 1975 at the  Schockemohle yard after Macken’s best horse was injured.

Their record of 32 first or seconds in major Grand Prix events between 1975 and 1979 is amazing and put Eddie Macken to the top of the World Rankings. Boomerang was an excellent showjumper as he was both careful and fast, and he was unlucky not to win a major championship such as the World, European Championships or Olympics.

Boomerang retired in 1980 after a broken pedal bone and was put to sleeep aged 17 in 1983. HIs grave is marked with four evergreen trees and says in Irish ‘you won’t see the likes of me again’.

Liverpool University have launched a new website for improving  the  understanding of colic and its prevention. The website is called Centre for Colic Prevention

Given that this is the number one cause of death in horses and there are 150 different types of colic, this website should be very helpful to all horse owners.

I was delighted by the recent announcement by the US Equestrian Federation of changes to cross-country fences. These have been agreed to address the ongoing issue of horse and rider deaths in eventing competitions from rotational falls.

The use of approved frangible technology, which means the fence will break when it is hit hard, will be applied to all new fences from 1 December 2008. Fences made before this date will have to be retrofit by 1 December 2009.

We just need all other countries to follow suit so the sport is as safe as possible for all involved and soon.

The Horse Exhibition in New York City is open from May 2008 to January 2009 at The American Museum of Natural History. It has been well advertised in the press and I’m planing to go in the summer months. Ticket prices range from $22 for adults to $13 for children.

I would be very interested in hearing visitors views of the exhibition, particularly any recommended must-see highlights.

Saddle fitting is an art and to correctly match a saddle to both horse and rider can require the expertise of a saddler. I have sat on a lot of saddles that felt uncomfortable to me and I expect many felt uncomfortable to the horse too.

Given the cost of saddles, it is often tempting to use the same saddle for different horses but this may not work well particularly if their size & conformation is quite different. I would generally advise that a saddle be checked for the horse by a saddler but an experienced horse owner/rider may be able to assist with this, at least to highlight any major problems. The key point is that the gullet is the correct width for the horse’s back. If it is too narrow, it will sit too high on the horse and nip its back and if it is too wide, it will press on the withers. A saddle pad or numnah will only be able to help with minor fit problems, not major ones. I would also recommend that a saddle is re-stuffed every few years particularly if it is being transferred from one horse to another.