Following an interregnum of almost 18 months Joe Reynolds agreed to become chair of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) for a five year term in September 2018. One of the main projects undertaken during his first 12 months in that position has been the creation of a strategic five year plan for the organisation. On the day that the finalised plan was launched at the RDS Reynolds took time out to speak with The Irish Horse about his vision for HSI.

Michael Slavin (MS): What were your hopes as you took over the role of HSI chair?

Joe Reynolds (JR): It was to try and pull the various elements within Irish horse sport together with a common goal. People within the horse industry tend to think that we are very distinct and separate groups, but in fact we all overlap. Trying to get people working together was one of the first motivations for me.

MS: One of the main developments during the past year has been a new slimmed down board, how has that worked?

JR: It has worked very well. The fact that it has drawn people from a variety of backgrounds from academia to business and from the sport itself is good. The board is very conscious of the issues around corporate governance. There is increased focus on that due to some of the problems that other sports have been having. So I don’t foresee Horse Sport Ireland having any issues in that direction. I think HSI is well run.

MS: Is the strategic plan key to the board’s success?

JR: Yes! It forced the board to think about who we are, what we are doing and what we want to do. The board pulled together. We formed a sub-committee which was very active, then it was offered to the industry to make submissions and it came back to the board again.

There were long and detailed discussions and I am happy that the document that we launched is a fair reflection of the board’s desires for how the industry should work over the next five years and beyond. Something like the educational programme, for example, could go on for many years. I think it is good stuff.

MS: In terms of finance, how underfunded do you think the industry is at the moment?

JR: It is very, very much underfinanced. We have 28 affiliates and more wanting to join us. All of these carry a cost of administering. We have actually reduced our costs. Our head count is lower but we are providing a wide range of services to the industry.

Looking forward we need to get proper IT systems in place that can record vital statistics around breeding, the horse population and traceability of horses. It is very difficult to manage an industry of this size.

Further funding is needed for all these things. To put a number on it; we need at least another five million. In the overall scale of government funding and the budget it is a relatively modest amount of money. We will continue to work toward it. I think we have compelling arguments for that funding.

MS: What is the greatest obstacle you face in terms of getting your message across?

JR: It is identity and getting the message out there about the financial significance of the industry and what we contribute to the economy. It is a big business and it is at a parish level countrywide.

Hence money filters down unlike other sports that might be east coast based.

For every horse there are the farriers, the grooms, the vets and as you go up the ranks you have the physios and specialists of various descriptions. So it feeds a lot of people.

MS: What are your hopes for the industry at the end of your five year term as chair?

JR: It is encapsulated in our strategy document. We would like to be able to say that we are producing the best horses and riders in the world; that we have done something at the sport and rider level and also at the breeding level.

We would like to be able to say that we improved the lot of breeders and that they are producing the horse that the market wants.