At least three former Irish Horse Board members spoke the minds of many among the 150 attending the board’s Irish Horse Co-op’s recent AGM in Mallow when declaring that HSI had in effect “castrated” the breeder organisation when it took it over eight years ago. “We were a cash cow with an annual income of €3m. Where is it gone? We are left with nothing,” said Bill Kennedy of Tralee who had opposed the takeover during the formation of Horse Sport Ireland in 2008.

This discussion arose out of a revelation in the annual accounts of the Co-op that its board pays an annual affiliation fee of €129,000 to HSI and gets back only €59,000 to cover operating costs and VAT liabilities. Several contributions from the floor revealed a clear “Brexit” mood among the members. It was evident that they would like to go back to a time when they were an autonomous body in control of its own funds. “This is all as a result of being taken over by HSI and there are a lot of disgruntled people in the breeding sector,” it was said.

In fact, the desire expressed is in line with the way things are done in just about every European Sport Horse Breeding country from France to Belgium to Sweden. Even in Germany and Holland, where there is a connection between the breeding and sport sectors, the breeders still have all but total control of their own finances and organisation.

Underlying the response from the head table to the many outbursts of dissatisfaction was the statement that “you never know, things may soon change”.

Could that be a hint as to what might emerge from the Indecon review that main speaker, outgoing Horse Sport Ireland chair Professor Pat Wall, noted should be out in February.

Indecon was commissioned to assess whether or not HSI’s board is “fit for purpose” and it may indeed have something to say about the viability of having the breeding and sport sectors lumped together. It has been muted that the funding from the Department of Agriculture should be ring-fenced for the Horse Board breeding programme, while that from the Sports Council should be similarly separate for the competition-orientated Horse Sport Ireland.

Speaking of Indecon, there was also the hint that everything regarding new appointments like that of chair or CEO of Horse Sport Ireland should be on hold until the review report is out. In short, we are in a limbo phase of Irish equestrianism – a vacuum into which no short-term jobs or appointments should be poured until the road ahead is clear.

Stallion Inspections

The Irish Horse Board has decided to go ahead with Stallion Inspections in 2017. They will be held for both Irish Sport Horse and Irish Draughts at Cavan Equestrian Centre on the Tuesday and Wednesday, 7 and 8 March.

However, the time for making preliminary entry is short. Application forms must be in by a week from next Monday, 19 December. Following that, veterinary reports, X-rays and sampling results will have to be returned by Monday, 9 January 2017.

Meanwhile, a date of 26 January has been set for the inspection of thoroughbred stallions. The inspection of mares has not yet been finalised and “is still under discussion.”

For information on the stallion inspections, you can call Antoinette in HSI on 045-854 508 or Lorraine at 045-854 517. Full details are also on www.horsesportireland.ie.