“DREAMERS, schemers and beemers” is how a ringside wag once summed up the inhabitants of the horse world. In the breeding sector, this can be broadly divided amongst those who carry on breeding for the love of the horse, breeders keen to avail of grant schemes and the wealthy.

Broad brushstrokes certainly. However, there has always been an element of the head vs heart judgement in the Irish sport horse breeding sector, which has recently seen the announcement of several programmes aimed at supporting the industry.

Just last week, Horse Sport Ireland lreland (HSI) launched a fleet of initiatives, including several of interest to breeders, while the Traditional Irish Horse Association’s (TIHA) current scheme is described as a ground-breaking genetic study.

Roadshows are another tool of the trade for both organisations. HSI ran information roadshows in 2018 and the following year, the TIHA also organised a number of nationwide events.

The news that HSI plan another set of roadshows is particularly interesting. Dates have yet to be released for this initiative billed as “an engagement roadshow from the HSI team to present and discuss prevalent topics to the industry.”

In the meantime, here’s a look at the latest schemes on offer.

HORSE SPORT IRELAND

Schemes: A wide-ranging group, administered by Horse Sport Ireland, including the HSI Studbook Series in show jumping and eventing, Young breeder programme, Starting (formerly breaking) and Schooling schemes, Environmental Research Report and Environmental Sampling, plus the breeding schemes summarised below.

Aim: “To ensure monetary backing for Irish breeders across the country, in all DAFM-approved studbooks and Irish-bred studbook registered horses.”

Budget: Up to €2.9 million

Funded by: The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

When: Applications have already opened for some schemes while additional production classes and events will be launched in the autumn.

Further details: See the Breeding page on the HSI website www.horsesportireland.ie

There’s a range of established and new schemes included in the latest package, with the return of the Mare Upgrade and Embryo Transfer schemes, while a new Colt Retention scheme and X-Ray screening initiatives for both mares and High Performance stallions have been added.

The 2023 HSI schemes are a welcome, ambitious package and the aim of breeding schemes, according to HSI Head of Breeding, Innovation and Development, Dr Sonja Egan, is to “develop a ‘cobweb’ of data on the Irish horse, which can be integrated into the innovative SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) transition project.

“This baseline data will be a huge support in beginning the database to monitor various traits in the Irish herd related to health and performance. This will take time, expertise – and a lot of data – but we want the equine industry to be in a similar place to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) genomic programme in the future.

“The HSI team adopted a consultation and outward looking approach in the development of new schemes, and tweaking of existing schemes, to maximise their benefit to the Irish breeders, both small and large, and the Irish herd.

“In 2023, schemes will be issued in tranches, where funding is available, with the first set of application deadlines in June. This will help Irish breeders to get a quicker return on, for example, their X-rays or have the optimal period of time to have their horse produced and campaigned under the production schemes.

“I would like to recognise the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for their support of theses scheme for Irish breeders and horses for 2023.”

Included among HSI’s 2023 schemes are:

  • Mare Upgrade Scheme - a renewal of this incentive for breeders who aim to buy a performance line-bred filly foal or performance mare for their broodmare herd. The scheme will finance the veterinary screening and transport back to Ireland of qualifying purchased high genetic merit mares/fillies purchased abroad to a maximum of €2,000 per mare.

    • Sport pony mares may also be eligi-

    ble. A Horse Sport Ireland Breeding

    Scheme Advisor will be available to

    assist breeders through this process.

  • Premium Mare Retention Scheme - a new support for breeders of high merit mares, aged from five to seven-year-olds, to have these mares professionally produced. Successful applicants, including eligible pony mares, are eligible to receive up to €6,000 over a three-month timeframe with the aim of retaining such potential broodmares.
  • Mare X-Ray Screening Scheme - another new initiative aimed at two to five-year-old fillies and mares. Ponies are eligible but must also meet the performance criteria and again, be registered/endorsed in an EU/DAFM Approved Pony Studbook.

    • Amongst this scheme’s objectives are to provide breeders with an accessible X-ray screening programme for their own personal use in benchmarking their breeding herd; to document the prevalence of osteo-abnormalities and degree of bony changes in the Irish young horse population, plus the data will be used as a benchmark for bony changes in the Irish herd and to disseminate this information in a scientific journal/scientific conference(s).

    Owners may apply for up to two fillies/mares.

  • Embryo Transfer Scheme - Back for a seventh year and this time with an ICSI option, for Ireland’s top-class performance mares. According to HSI, this initiative has been developed to encourage usage of AI and ET in order to accelerate the dissemination of superior genes.

    • A Traditional Irish Horse (TIH) category was introduced in 2019 and is on offer again. Performance ponies are also eligible to receive funding under the scheme.

    Successful applicants will receive a payment of €1,500 per embryo and breeders may apply for two embryos (ETs) and two intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSIs).

    Any breeder applying for ICSI will have to provide a legitimate reason as to why the mare cannot reproduce naturally or via ET: for example mares aged 20 or over, a vet report or if semen is only available for ICSI.

    This scheme is open to mares that are three-years-old and over, are registered/endorsed in a DAFM approved studbook and meet the performance or progeny performance requirements.

    The embryo transfer must take place at a designated clinic in 2023 and there’s an upcoming application deadline for this scheme of June 26th.

  • Colt Retention Scheme - Another new addition, this one is aimed at owners of two-year-old colts, who aim to present them for studbook inspection. Open to colts that are registered in a DAFM-approved studbook or are listed as bred in Ireland in their passport and registered in a studbook, and meet specific requirements. Ponies may also be eligible. Successful applicants will receive up to €2,000 towards the retention costs of the colt over a three-month period.
  • High Performance Stallion X-Ray Scheme - Another X-ray screening programme, this time for owners of performance stallions aged five-years-old and over. The same eligibility criteria of the stallion being registered/endorsed in a DAFM-approved studbook applies. Ponies are also eligible and all stallions must also meet specific performance requirements. Approved applicants will receive up to €350 (ex VAT) towards the X-ray screening by selected HSI-approved veterinary surgeons.

    • Full and detailed eligibility criteria and application details for these DAFM-funded schemes are posted on the Horse Sport Ireland website. Applications are already open for some projects.

    Is there something for every breeder and producer in the 2023 schemes? Not necessarily.

    The required application process for any grant can sometimes be off-putting, the criteria for certain schemes may rule out some interested breeders and not all costs are fully covered.

    For example, the breeder looking to import that performance mare from abroad still has to buy the mare but will still receive a welcome boost towards vetting and bringing her home.

    However, every little does indeed help and it will be interesting to follow up on some of the successful applicants for the HSI 2023 scheme.

    TRADITIONAL IRISH HORSE ASSOCIATION

    Scheme: DNA Equine Genetics project.

    Aim: A DNA ancestry programme, aimed at identifying horses as a TIH.

    Provided by: Dr. Emmeline Hill and Plusvital, the equine supplement firm founded in 1975. In 2015, Plusvital acquired Equinome, a world leader in the research and development of state-of-the-art genomic tools for the Thoroughbred industry. Plusvital already provide tests that analyse the DNA of the thoroughbred to predict optimum race distance, race surface and performance potential.

    Application deadline: July 1st.

    Cost: €100/€120.

    Contact details: Email Louise Leonard (TIHA Secretary) secretary@traditionalirishhorseassociation.ie

    The news that the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) is casting its net further to officially confirm whether or not a horse is traditionally-bred is good timing.

    Take Michael Jung’s Kilcandra Ocean Power, second recently in the Baborowko CCI4*-S, where he netted €16,000 for his placing.

    Bred by Vinnie Cousins at his Kilcandra Stud in Co Wicklow, the 10-year-old is by the traditionally bred BGS Ocean View, a stallion bred on Grange Bouncer and Power Blade lines. However, Kilcandra Ocean Power’s Bonnie Prince dam Bonnie Dolly has no recorded breeding for her own dam Coolanick Dolly and therefore doesn’t quite meet the official definition of a TIH.

    A genetics test, like this initiative, could confirm his TIH ancestry and give traditional breeding fans another flag bearer. Because they’re becoming increasingly scarce, most often now seen in the first, second and even third generations of continental lines crosses in Irish Sport Horses.

    The Flexibles and Lenamores are gone, there has been no traditional-bred in the top world show jumping rankings since Flexible’s era and while there are still some traditionally bred TIH five-star eventers such as Alfies Clover and Majas Hope, both top-10 Badminton finishers, the field is shrinking.

    As is the herd of TIH mares.

    “The number of mares is estimated at 3,000 but is probably less as there is no system in place to link deceased mares into the numbers, unless the owner indicates so,” TIHA chairman Kevin Noone told The Irish Field.

    According to figures provided, the TIH mare herd stood at approximately 3,070 in 2019. Included in that figure are 4% of mares foaled before 1999 and 18% foaled before 2004. The largest number of TIH mares (39%) were foaled between 2005 and 2009, followed by 31% between 2010-2014.

    Worrying statistic

    Most worryingly for traditional breeders is the fact that just 9% of the TIH mare herd - or four to eight-year-old mares - was foaled between 2015 and 2019.

    Both Horse Sport Ireland’s inclusion of TIH mares in their latest Embryo Transfer Scheme and the TIHA’s own initiative are needed then if this number is to increase.

    “Our mare scheme is closed for his year, we had a large number of quality applications and 36 mares were accepted into the scheme. At the moment, we’re trying to drive the TIHA scientific research project,” added Kevin.

    Described as “a chance for our members to take part in a ground-breaking study to secure the future of the Traditional Irish Horse,” the genetic study could also identify more traditional-breds, that don’t meet the current recorded generations criteria.

    “We are promoting this development of a DNA Ancestry test to identify horses as TIH, even if they do not have a complete pedigree, which prevents them being registered as TIH under the present rule,” said TIHA secretary Louise Leonard, whose father Hugh is the association’s president.

    “Dr Emmeline Hill and Plusvital have offered this wonderful opportunity to the TIHA to join forces to preserve the unique TIH Irish equine genetics. The DNA-ancestry composition of a horse cannot be changed, so to be able to measure the genetic make-up of an animal and relate this to its performance potential is a truly exciting development. It will be a massive aid also to help to the genetic diversity of the breed.”

    Owners who would like to check or confirm their horse’s TIH ancestry will receive a full sample kit and ‘How To’ instructions after ordering the pre-paid test from Louise. Tail hair with roots is required for the test.

    “The individual results will be provided privately as a report for each animal accepted into this study programme. The whole scheme will be used with the aim to pioneer a new genetic test to be available for the TIHA and its breeder members to help identify and preserve our rare and valuable TIH bloodlines and uniquely measurable characteristics,” she added.

    Breeders have to be commercial, markets and sports change, that’s reality. Yet there’s still a good demand for traditional-breds. The TIHA volunteers have punched way above their shoestring budget in their efforts to secure a nucleus of traditional-breds and the latest project may well add more welcome numbers to the herd.

    Eligibility

    What is the definition of a Traditional Irish Horse? Historically, it was often a thoroughbred x Irish Draught cross. Crossing this F1 generation of half-breds with more thoroughbred blood produced three-quarter TB types, another cross resulted in seven-eighth TBs and breeders then sometimes opted to reintroduce Irish Draught sires to retain bone and substance.

    The Irish Draught-thoroughbred cross is another variation of a TIH, as is the popular option of using Connemara stallions to introduce the renowned native breed’s fifth leg and ‘pony smarts’.

    The current definition of the TIH category within the Irish Sport Horse Studbook is for a horse to be registered in that studbook’s Main Section; have only the following breeds, Irish Sport Horse (traditional lines), Irish Draught, Thoroughbred and Connemara; have no foreign ancestors recorded in their back pedigree and have no unknown ancestors in the first two generations.

    Any Irish Sport Horse ancestors from the second generation back with unknown or partial pedigree must have been foaled prior to 1982.

    Since 2017, all TIH foals meeting the above criteria have had Traditional Irish Horse Category ISH (TIH) included in their passports and such horses are also identified by a shamrock symbol on the IHR Online pedigree database.