Mersey crew at the heart of Olympic jumping

Jul 12 2008 by Mike Chapple, Liverpool Daily Post

Mersey crew at the heart of Olympic jumping

MERSEYSIDE’S equine expertise will be leading the way at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Locally-born Peter Bowling, Ian Hughes, Louise Lyons, and Jayne Tansey will be going to China after being chosen to play crucial roles in the show jumping events.

Mr Bowling, who is lecturer and clinical director of the University of Liverpool’s Leahurst Equine Hospital, near Neston, will be leading the team of vets chosen from around the world to look after the welfare of horses competing in the Paralympic Games, which will follow the main games in August.

Mr Hughes visits Leahurst weekly to assist the vets in the treatment of horses which need specialist shoes. He will be leading a team of up to eight farriers and will be stationed in Hong Kong for nearly nine weeks supervising the show jumping events in both games, scheduled to take place at Sha Tin racecourse.

Meanwhile, 32-year-old Louise Lyons, from Thornton Hough, has been chosen as one of the Irish three-day event team competing in the Olympics. Her horse, Watership Down, will be looked after by 39-year-old equine hospital yard supervisor Jayne, who comes from Irby.