A MOVE by Horse Sport Ireland to hike the cost of youth High Performance eventing training sessions has been met with opposition. The four-person sessions, which were €60, will now be €90 per person.

“The athlete contribution for youth High Performance eventing training sessions has been revised from €60 to €90 per session, effective from May 1st 2025,” a HSI spokesman said.

“The previous rate was set in 2019 and the change reflects confirmed increases in delivery costs across key areas including venue hire, insurance, VAT-inclusive coach and manager fees, and programme coordination.

“This remains a subsidised programme, it is not profit-generating, and all income from training sessions is reinvested directly into the youth HP pathway. Similar cost adjustments have taken place across other disciplines.

“We are very mindful of the financial pressures families face, and we are extremely grateful for the continued commitment and support shown by parents.”

David Nestor, chair of the Eventing Ireland Youth committee said increased costs were crippling some families. “It really stings when you look at the background of the matter. We have had no HP managers since last October, they were only appointed late in March,” he said.

“At this moment in time there is no programme, yet we are charged a €50 fee upfront with no explanation of what that fee was for, there is absolutely no transparency. And it’s only charged to youths - not senior riders - so HSI are discriminating against the youths. Then we get this massive hike, which is extortionate. I have parents on the phone crying, saying they can’t make it work and yet all of the spaces filled up because people are afraid of not being selected. One of the conditions is commitment to the progamme and they feel they can’t not register - it’s blackmail in my view and it makes it very elitist. People are being priced out of the sport and that’s not in the spirit of High Performance.

“Horse Sort Ireland have failed to say where the Sport Ireland High Performance funding of almost €1m is being spent, yet we are plugging the gaps in the costs.

“It’s actually cheaper to go to the coaches individually where you get the same coach at the same venue for a €60 an hour versus €90 times four for 40 minutes under the HP programme. We are paying admin costs and that shouldn’t be our problem. I don’t believe that this is to cover rising venue or coach costs and, even if it was building up the bank in some way, where is the reinvestment?” Nestor added.

“It was very difficult this week listening to people saying they couldn’t meet the financial commitment. We stand to lose some of the best combinations, which means we have less ability to win medals, that is soul-destroying as someone trying to drive things forward. We put a lot of things in place to try to bridge the gap, but it’s just going up a blind alley.

“We are preparing a formal response, seeking HSI to revert to the previous fee and to tell us what the HP pathway is - put it down on paper or come and talk to us. Communication by social media and turning off comments is not good enough.”