Sillogue Darkie Dropped from Europeans Team
It is with deep dissapointment and shock that we have learned that Sillogue Darkie and his rider Michael Duffy have been deselected from the team chosen to represent Ireland at the upcoming European Pony Championships at Bishop Burton, England.
The reason given by the HSI Selection Committee for this step – taken as it was at such a late stage – was for animal welfare reasons due to an indication of blood Anaemia in Darkie.
It is a huge blow for both the Briscoe and Duffy families and their supporters, many of whom had already made travel arrangements to the Championships. It will prove particularly hard on the young Michael Duffy who was looking to build on his pony’s track record of previous Bronze and Silver sucess at the Europeans. We can only hope that both pony and rider come back stronger than ever from this set-back.
