The Minister of State for Sport has said he would not be comfortable seeing horse trainer Gordon Elliott taking part in Cheltenham this month.

The County Meath trainer is facing an investigation after a photograph of him sitting on a dead horse was circulated online.

He has apologised for the “indefensible” picture; however, he has been barred from running horses in the UK until the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board (IHRB) completes an investigation.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, the Junior Minister for Sport Jack Chambers said “any and every sanction should be on the table.”

“I was absolutely shocked, appalled and horrified by that photo and by his actions,” he said.

“I think he needs to held fully accountable. I think anyone who saw it was shocked by it and we need to uphold the highest welfare standards in Ireland.

“Any and every sanction should be on the table. It is important, we have a significant amount of equestrian activity in Ireland and we need to set a really high bar when it comes to welfare standards.”

He said he would not be comfortable to see Mr Elliott running horses in this month’s Cheltenham Festival in the UK.