Irish horse sport aims for brighter future

The plan by Horse Sport Ireland sets out targets under four areas:

• A market led approach to breeding and sport horse promotion
• Increasing participation by riders, owners and spectators
• Strong Governance
• Improved infrastructure

Chairman and former Minister for Agriculture Joe Walsh said that the Strategic Plan sets out the signposts for the sector for the next four years.

"We need to adjust our breeding policy to take into account current competition requirements - e.g., Ireland needs to regain ground in the breeding of top class International show jumpers.

"While Irish bred event horses are top of the world rankings we had only one Irish bred show jumper (Flexible) in the top 200 in the world last year," Walsh said.

"This is a dreadful decline and we must act now to turn the tide. The sooner we make a start with the right breeding decisions, the earlier we will see the benefits of a good breeding policy, " he said. "Ireland is synonymous with the horse and we have hugely talented riders. My wish for the next four years is that the emphasis will be on the achievements of Irish riders and Irish bred horses rather than on other issues that have dogged the sector," he said.

Flexible, ridden in the US by Rich Fellers, won the Las Vegas Grand Prix at the World Cup showjumping final in Las Vegas last month. In contrast, last year, Irish event horses topped the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) Eventing Studbook Rankings for the 14th consecutive year. Irish horses also dominated the three-day-event at the Olympic Games last year.

"For the first time in the history of the sector the breeding, sport and leisure sides of the sector have come together as part of Horse Sport Ireland. This plan sets out the job of work for the organisation over the next four years," he said.

The Chairman pointed out that there were a number of urgent challenges facing the sector, including the need to implement the Holmes Report on the eradication of Prohibited Substances and Practices from Irish equestrianism.

Following the Olympic Games, Irish showjumper Denis Lynch was fined and banned over the doping case of his horse Lantinus.

"An absolute priority for Horse Sport Ireland will be to ensure a clean sport where the welfare of the horse is never compromised in the pursuit of sporting success or commercial gain," Walsh said.

Walsh pointed out that the detailed operational aspects of a comprehensive new breeding policy would be finalised during 2009 for implementation in 2010.

Horse Sport Ireland is also in the process of developing a new High Performance Plan with its key target being London 2012.

"We have now bedded down our High Performance structures and are putting plans in place for each discipline. These are currently being developed and will be published before the end of the year," he said.

Walsh also emphasised the need for strong Governance in the sector.

"The sector has had a reputation for being disparate and being dominated by vested interests. This plan sets out the pathway to the future and we must follow it resolutely," he said.

Walsh concluded by highlighting the potential of the sector which is worth over €400 million to the Irish economy, according to a recent UCD report.

• Horse Sport Ireland was established by the Government in 2007 and took over as the Governing Body for the sport in 2008 as recognised by the Irish Sports Council, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI). The organisation also runs the High Performance Programmes for the Olympic Disciplines of Show Jumping, Eventing and Dressage.

The organisation also has responsibility for Sport Horse Breeding policy and maintaining the Irish Sport Horse and Irish Draught Horse Studbooks.

Horse Sport Ireland was recently approved as a registered training provider by the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC).

The organisation is funded by The Irish Sports Council, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the through the National Development Plan.