Innovation is one of the attributes Horse Sport Ireland’s (HSI) new chief executive officer Denis Duggan is credited with displaying during his terms with both Shannon Development and Macra na Feirme. This is timely since in his new post that talent will be very much needed as he aims to make HSI ever more relevant and taken seriously as it competes for Government and sponsor support.

Speaking of innovation, I must refer to a recent revealing conversation I had with Traditional Irish Horse Association chair Hugh Leonard, as he recalled a most innovative riding project he oversaw with the Ward Union Hunt back in the seventies and eighties.

Leonard told me: “It was designed for young farmers on small holdings to have the opportunity to ride, despite not having the cash to buy a horse. We would supply them with a well tested young horse that they could have for hunting, in hunter trials or some of the summer sports like show jumping or eventing.”

Financing

To finance the project Hugh called a meeting of 10 prospective donors from among the Ward Union membership that included the likes of Charlie Haughey, Stan Collon and Raymond Keogh. They also got assistance from Toddy O’Sullivan of the Gresham Hotel, who hosted an annual end-of-season gathering to help with the finances.

“We needed about £10,000 seed money and started with 10 five-year-old geldings that we bought at an average of about £600,” Leonard continued. I would hear of someone that had a batch of horses and go take a look. They would board with me until we felt they were ‘made’ and then loan them out to the young farmers through The Ward Union Trust.”

That was just the beginning: they appointed a steward to look after each horse too. If any problems arose, they would sort it out, or get the horse back to Hugh. On average they stayed with the young farmer for three years before being sold on and replaced with another one. Hugh is proud to note that some of the graduates went on to have good careers abroad. All of them were Irish Draught/thoroughbred crosses which at that time were well sought after.

The project lasted 10 years, during which time 35 horses went through the system which remained financially sound throughout. “Hunting wound down a bit after that, farms got more mechanised and we decided to end the project in the mid-eighties,” Leonard concluded.

I asked if it could ever be replicated for show jumping, eventing or dressage. His answer was a definite “yes” but he noted that any committee running such a project would need to be “dedicated and innovative people”.