A NEW INDOOR equine therapeutic centre named in memory of Jack de Bromhead will open in Dublin today.
The aspiring jockey, the son of horse trainer Henry de Bromhead, tragically died aged 13 at a beach race in September 2022.
The Jack de Bromhead Equine Center, which took 17 months to complete, is located on the campus of ChildVision in Drumcondra.
The 1,375 sq.m. facility will provide specialist therapy and education for children with visual impairments and additional disabilities, giving them access to the best global equine activities.
It will have stables for up to 10 horses and ponies, changing facilities, offices and a viewing area/learning space, and will provide services in all weather and on dark evenings.
ChildVision’s Equine Assisted Activities (EEA) programme is a national therapeutic service with proven success of supporting children with physical, emotional, social and cognitive difficulties.
The new centre will be opened by Henry and Heather de Bromhead, along with their daughters Mia and Georgia, this afternoon.
In a statement, the family said the centre is “a wonderful legacy for our beloved Jack”.
“Horses are a huge part of our lives, and we know the physical experience of riding a horse offers so many potential benefits, especially helping address a host of physical, social and emotional issues,” they said.
“More so, the Jack de Bromhead Equine Centre will be a place of learning and hope, full of laughter and joy, traits that were such a part of Jack, all facilitated by the much-treasured horses and ponies that call the ChildVision stables home”.
Barry Sheridan, ChildVision CEO Barry Sheridan said the state-of-the-art facility will enable “life-changing opportunities for the children and young people we support”.
“At ChildVision, we strive to empower individuals with visual impairments and other disabilities to live as independently and confidently as possible, and this new centre is a shining example of that commitment in action.
“In this Equine Centre we will ensure that Jack’s memory will live on in all those families that come through the doors, all those children who will sit up on one of our horses or ponies and we thank the de Bromhead family for entrusting Jack’s name with us.”
