WHILE the competition sector of our sport horse industry is currently experiencing government-enforced restrictions due to Covid-19, the breeding sector can continue, albeit adhering to all Government guidelines to prevent the spread of this virus.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have provided a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document which may be useful to breeders based on common questions they had received. They are available on the Horse Sport Ireland website and Facebook pages along with updates and other guidance as the situation changes (www.horsesportireland.ie/breeding-and-horse-exercise-advice-during-the-stay-at-home-phase-of-covid-19/).

As highlighted in recent HSI advertisements, we have made arrangements to continue to provide registration services and processing for our breeders while adhering to the current restrictions and guidelines. While we are not facilitating in person visits to our offices during the restrictions, the Horse Sport Ireland team will continue to assist you with any queries you may have. Please contact us by email, preferably, or alternatively by post or phone. Many of our services are now available online at breeding.horsesportireland.ie, breeding.horsesportireland.ie/Person/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f

HSI services ongoing include:

  • Mare declarations.
  • Foal/adult registration.
  • IHB membership renewal.

    • Forms for the following services, which require passports to be submitted to the office are available on our Horse Sport Ireland website.

  • Change of ownerships.
  • Endorsements.
  • Foreign horse movement notifications.
  • Duplicate passports.
  • Naming/change of name.

    • Many of the 2020 HSI national breeding initiatives are already published online and online forms are available for breeders to participate and apply.

    The Embryo Transfer Scheme

    The Horse Sport Ireland Embryo Transfer incentive scheme was first piloted in 2017 for breeders of the top mares in the country to maximise their genetic potential and increase the rate of genetic gain in the population. Due to its success since 2017 the programme has been continued, with and a total of 62 embryo transfers resulting in 2019. The breeders received a grant towards the cost of the embryo transfer procedure.

    In 2020, it should be noted that if breeders have not registered their resulting ET foals in a studbook by the closing date in 2020, they may be deemed ineligible to reapply this year. Pat Kehoe, breeder of ABC Quantum Cruise (ISH) and ABC Private Jet (ISH) who has availed of the initiative since its inception, told us why he applied.

    “I have been availing of the Horse Sport Ireland Embryo Transfer Scheme for the last three years. I think it is an excellent initiative by Horse Sport Ireland’s breeding department. I honestly don’t think I would do embryo transfers without this fund being available. Embryo transfer can be quite expensive, and this definitely makes life a little bit easier for breeders. I am lucky enough to have a couple of good mares that qualify for this scheme, but it also encourages and educates breeders on the type of mare and performance history necessary that we should be trying to breed from using modern technology.’’

    Thoroughbred percentage foal scheme

    The aim of this scheme is to increase the level of thoroughbred percentage in foals bred in Ireland and destined for eventing. From an analysis of the foal registration records over the past four years, it was clear that only (5%) of foals being bred in Ireland have more than 75% thoroughbred blood. At the HSI eventing breeding conference in 2018, the top-level event riders and trainers emphasised the need for more thoroughbred blood. Padraig McCarthy and Chris Bartle emphasised the need for greater than 80% thoroughbred blood for the top four-star event horse. When Michael Jung was in Ireland last autumn, he too was looking for horses with 80% blood, and he claimed that they are very difficult to source in Europe.

    One of the breeders who utilised the scheme last year was Mary Rothwell, from Tinahely, Co. Wicklow. Mary told us: “This was my first year doing this scheme and we had three mares for it. I think it’s an excellent incentive for the breeders and breeding in Ireland. Over the years, Ireland’s bloodlines have become diluted with the popular foreign stallions while we have lost some of our own Irish horse traits and characteristics.

    “The Irish sport horse has always been known and associated with having a great brain or a fifth leg, introducing warmblood lines has, in my opinion, affected this trait over the years. This scheme also helps the traditional breeder aiming for the event market, which is a longer road when going to the sales versus the produce from warmblood stallions which can usually command good prices as foals.”

    She continued: “It is a really worthwhile scheme introduced by Horse Sport Ireland because it encourages breeders to inject thoroughbred blood back into our lines and also the progeny from this scheme are predominantly aimed at the eventing discipline where we have been so well recognised in the world rankings for years. I definitely intend to use this scheme in the future and look forward to it being reintroduced in 2020.”

    Under the Thoroughbred Incentive Scheme, Horse Sport Ireland provides a grant of €300 to the first 200 breeders, (subject to meeting mare and stallion classification and performance criteria) that register a foal with more than 70% thoroughbred blood in 2021. Payment will be made this year to the breeders of qualifying foals that were bred in 2019 and born in 2020, following registration with a DAFM studbook by October 30th 2020. This scheme was oversubscribed last year, which augers well from the event horses of the future and it available again this year.