Irish Draught row escalates

By Quentin Doran-O’Reilly

The Irish Draught Horse Society (IDHS) is in turmoil with accusations and counter accusations flying about, resignations and the formation of a splinter group called the Concerned Members group.

Last week, the spokesman for the group, Deirdre Quinn from Co Laois, issued a statement saying that the legal problems had not been sorted out and had become more complicated.

Deirdre, a former IDHS national secretary, was referring to the recent report that the society had changed its status to a limited company but it had not been registered with the Companies Office, thus calling the legality of the society into question.

According to Deirdre Quinn’s document, the EGM in 2005, where the company faux pas was discovered, new rules were introduced that had not been circulated to the membership. On advice from the IDHS solicitor and the members present, a vote was taken to freeze all assets and that the governing body would resign. However, the chairman of the society, Ronnie Kavanagh, disputes that the November meeting was a properly constituted EGM.

Deirdre says that the governing body, however, did not stand down and a request for an EGM last month by the Concerned Members group had to be cancelled.

On Saturday, 28 January, the group met and with 25% of the signatures of the membership put the proposal that "the Articles of Association filed at the Companies House in respect of the Company on 5th of October 1989 constitute the current Articles of Association of the company".

However, it appears that these rules were updated in 1991 and resubmitted to the Companies Office and Revenue Commissioners.

Ronnie Kavanagh said that the 1996 Articles of Association were 100% legal with the Revenue Commissioners and the Companies Office.

During this period Deirdre was the secretary of the society but now says that there is no point in proceeding with these rules as too much power is given to the governing body.

Ronnie went on to say that while he and the governing body were fully committed to the Irish Draught, as is Deirdre’s group, the dispute should be resolved at the Society’s mandatory AGM to be held in March.

This row should not have been allowed to happen and will be settled but it has taken casualties in its wake.

So sickened is he with the shenanigans of the past few months that the Life President of the society – and one of the last surviving founder members – Billy Cotter from Enniskeane Co Cork is to resign at the next legal AGM.

Billy also said that he would be resigning as a lifetime officer of the governing body. This is a position, he said, that should never have been foisted on the society and such officers elected in the future should only be on the governing body for a period of three years. However, Billy was emphatic that he was remaining on as a life member of the society he helped found in 1976. Jane Quinnlan from Midleton, Co Cork is the other surviving founder member of the IDHS.

Another prominent member of the society and a signatory to the Concerned Members document told The Irish Horse that he had not been happy with the society for a number of years. He said standards had dropped considerably, especially in the selection of qualifiers for championships.

On the present situation he wondered if the governing body was illegal were the newly elected branches in fact also illegal.