ONE week on from the Irish Sport Horse studbook’s record feat of retaining its World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) rankings crown, does the title reap benefits for breeders?

To retain this title amidst increasing competition is an exceptional achievement and to have bred one of the six Irish Sport Horses that achieved it often brings immeasurable pride for the connections.

In its 24-year timeframe of the WBFSH rankings, eventing has undergone its change from long to short format, seen the European markets supply an increasing number of the Irish speciality – a world-class event horse, witnessed Irish-bred show jumpers fall behind in the rankings race and all offset against a dwindling number of breeders and foals.

So yes, another WBFSH title is an exceptional achievement and whether another studbook will ever achieve the ISH record of 22 wins out of 24 years in the eventing rankings is unlikely.

And while Irish show jumping breeding rebuilds itself with the aim of matching the success of the Belgian studbooks in particular, the exploits of Irish-bred event horses keeps Ireland in the international spotlight.

However there is no room for complacency.

The Oldenburg studbook, featuring this year’s European individual champion horse Horseware Hale Bob, was just 43 points behind its Irish rival. It took Cooley Cross Border’s recent Blenheim Palace International win for the ISH studbook to leapfrog over four other contenders also in the running for the 2017 title.

COMPETITIVE

The WBFSH race gets more competitive since the bygone foregone conclusion that the Irish would win the eventing title and the KWPN take the other show jumping and dressage crowns.

A range of some household names, medal winners and consistent point’s earners made the top-10 individual horses list this year.

Show jumping rankings based on prize money won could produce a different set of rankings results; Don VHP Z is the sole European championships medal winner featured and horses aimed at championships, the lucrative Global Champions Tour and major Grand Prix prizes operate on a different competition schedule.

Likewise with the eventing rankings, where a consistent three-star performer can overtake a horse primed for one or two four-star events or that year’s championship.

And when even Michael Jung’s medal machines fischerRocana FST and La Biosthetique Sam, the greatest horse in modern eventing, plus Kristina Cook’s hugely promising Billy The Red, could not elevate the rebranded Deutsches Sport Pferd studbook above seventh place, that shows that six consistent performers will outweigh a handful of stars.

WORRYING

The European championships had a major impact on the event horse top-10 rankings and apart from the Irish team, the fact that there were only four other Irish Sport Horses competing at Strezgom is worrying.

Cooley SRS made the British team with Oliver Townend; Piggy French, competing as an individual, had Quarrycrest Echo (Clover Echo x Cavalier Royale), and then there was Barraduff (Carroll House x Sea Crest) and Captain Hero (Cult Hero x Master Imp) competing for Italy and the Czech Republic respectively.

The fact that once-traditional markets now campaign continental-breds, that Germany set a new record for their team dressage score at the European championships, and that the revitalised British team can afford to leave a horse of the calibre of Toledo de Kreisker on the subs bench for Strezgom is indicative of how competitive both the performance and breeding elements have become in eventing.

Another factor to consider is the majority of the successful ISH event horse team this year are 10-year-olds. 7,440 foals were registered here in 2007, the year they were foaled.

By last year, that figure had dropped to 4,968. Quality is always better than quantity but what impact this drop will have on the supply of future performers and WBFSH points-earners will only be known in time.

Will we see a more focussed production line, will we lose more of the farmer-breeder demographic, will we catch up to the European show jumping powers? Again, time will tell.

At the other end of the timescale, this year’s rankings are without the great Flexible, a stalwart of these rankings and earner of multiple Horse Sport Ireland breeders awards for Edward and Catherine Doyle.

The fact that Rich Fellers’ remarkable horse has retired, plus that there was only one traditional-bred – Ardagh Highlight – amongst the six Irish Sport Horses that pulled off this year’s title, is a worrying one for traditional breeders and supporters.

Does the Irish Sport Horse success translate into commercial success for breeders and producers?

The release of the final rankings often coincides with foal sales and looking at the wider picture, it will matter little to breeders returning home with unsold foals.

The achievement is still a great selling point for the Irish Sport Horse studbook, yet having it trickle down to the breeder would be the greatest achievement of all.

NEXT WEEK: 2016 FOAL FIGURES AND POPULAR SIRES.