History of Eventing Ireland

In 1952, in order to select an Irish team to compete in the Three Day Event at the Olympic Games in Helsinki, a One Day Event was organised at Castletown House, Co Kildare - the home of Lord and Lady Carew.

The selected team of Captain Freeman Jackson, Dudgeon and Darley finished 6th out of 19 teams at the Helsinki Olympic Games.

In 1953, due to the success of the Event at Castletown the previous year and the good performance of our team at the Olympic Games, "The Castletown Olympic Training and Hunter Trial Society Ltd" was formed in order to establish an annual Event at Castletown which would include a One Day Event and the Irish Hunter Trial Championships. However in 1954, due to a complaint from the Irish Olympic Council, the name of the Society was changed to "The Castletown Equestrian and Hunter Trial Society Ltd".

In 1959, "The Irish Olympic Horse Society" (I.O.H.S.) was formed with The Castletown Equestrian and Hunter Trial Society becoming a sub-committee of the I.O.H.S. The aims of the I.O.H.S. was to ensure that Ireland would be represented by the best possible teams in future Olympic Games; by arranging financial and training assistance for riders and horses of International standards and by promoting Horse Trials in Ireland.

In 1975, the I.O.H.S. was redesignated the I.H.T.S. (Irish Horse Trials Society). In 1985, so that Dressage could become an official body, the I.H.T.S. expanded to become the I.H.T. and D.S. (Irish Horse Trials and Dressage Society).

In 1989, Dressage founded its own Society (Irish Dressage Society) so the I.H.T. and D.S. reverted to its former name of the I.H.T.S. (Irish Horse Trials Society).

Today, the I.H.T.S. continues under this trade name but in 1998, the Sport of Horse Trials became known as "Eventing Ireland"