IF there was one common theme from a Valentine’s weekend of annual general meetings in the horse world, it was the love of Traditional Irish Horse and Irish Draught breeds by voluntary committees, breeders and fans alike.
Sentiment set aside, the hard reality of retaining sufficient numbers of traditional Irish-breds (with their thoroughbred, Irish Draught and Connemara lines) was apparent at the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) meeting in Portlaoise last Saturday. The critical state of TIH herd numbers was addressed by the chairman, Kevin Noone, who also disclosed that the association had submitted a bid for a separate TIH studbook.
“It’s been a very interesting year and, on behalf of the traditional Irish horse, the TIHA has been doing a lot of work in the background.”
The publication last year of the Traditional Irish Horse Report, prepared by geneticist Dr J L Doyle for Horse Sport Ireland (HSI), set off alarm bells over falling numbers.
“I suppose one of the big ones for me personally was the huge reduction in the number of [TIH] foals born. In 2022, we had 1,165; in 2023, 912 foals and in 2024, 684 foals were registered as TIH.”
While the 2025 complete foal figures are not yet available, the downward trend was regarded as a major concern. Some breeders may have opted to register with Leisure Horse Ireland, while another issue was the increased use of Draught sires on TIH mares, which could both dramatically reduce the percentage of thoroughbred blood (currently around 57%) and alter the breed’s characteristics.
Noone also noted that TIHA has engaged extensively with Horse Sport Ireland, the Irish Horse Board (IHB) and political figures, including the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon TD, Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan TD and North Tipperary TD, Ryan O’Meara.
The members in attendance gave a clear mandate to the TIHA to proceed with an independent studbook for traditional-breds, with the association having already submitted an application to the Department of Agriculture for distinct breed status and a separate studbook for the TIH. This is seen as essential to overcome limitations faced as a subgroup of the Irish Sport Horse.
The TIHA was amongst the 71 beneficiaries of the recently-announced DAFM Breeding Grant Scheme funding, administered by HSI. The association’s annual performance championship at Mullingar in mid-September will again receive a €15,000 allocation.
The need for quality control in breeding schemes was emphasised.
Following on from secretary Louise Leonard’s report was treasurer Jim Cooke’s presentation. When asked about the absence of DAFM’s previous year’s €15,000 on the financial report, he explained that this funding goes directly to the breeders and producers from HSI afterwards and, as such, no funds are directly received or administered by the TIHA.
Membership (€25) has risen to 192, including 61 new members. Over €8,000 was distributed to various shows to promote TIH classes, and €1,800 was paid out in Mare and Foal Scheme premiums.
The TIHA also contributed €3,840 to ongoing DNA work, aimed at distinguishing Traditional Irish Horses from warmbloods. This research was regarded as a key tool for identifying genuine TIH animals, including those with pedigree gaps on their passports that could be brought into the TIH herd to boost numbers.
Cooke’s report also revealed the TIHA has a surplus of some €7,000, undoubtedly bolstered by the fact that the association is run on an entirely voluntary basis with zero expenses.
Calls were made for a more active social media presence and better linkage with other equestrian groups to promote TIH activities and successes more broadly. Much disappointment was expressed regarding the dropping of the Breeders’ Championship at the Dublin Horse Show, as this was regarded as a showcase for traditional-breds too.
https://foto.ifj.ie/fotoweb/archives/5006-Irish-Horse-World/Irish%20Horse%20World/2020/TIHAAGM3.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5006-Irish-Horse-World%2F%3Fq%3Dchris%2520ryan
2012 Throwback: Sam Watson, Chris Ryan, William Micklem, John Watson and Joan Bateman at a TIHA roadshow to relaunch the association \ Susan Finnerty
‘Boxing above their weight’
FOLLOWING the ‘heavy lifting’ part of any AGM, the afternoon moved on with presentations from John Watson, William Micklem and Chris Ryan.
“I was sent here to introduce these three wise men; one bred Olympians (Micklem - the full brothers Mandiba and High Kingdom), one produced an Olympian [Ryan - 2008 Hong Kong individual silver medallist McKinlaigh] and one rode at the Olympics [Watson - Seoul], which shows the depth of knowledge and expertise at this table,” remarked Liam Lynskey, a western stalwart who chaired this session.
Despite facing challenges, TIHs were described by the speakers as “boxing above their weight” in various equestrian disciplines, especially eventing. (The rollout of TIH suffixes on the FEI database was also regarded as a boost).
Chance Encounter, Robbie Kearns’ 2025 European silver medallist team horse, Grantstown Jackson, Rocket Man, Master Point and Rock Phantom, whose breeder Maura O’Malley featured in last week’s Breeders’ 10 series, were praised for their achievements, longevity and soundness.
The thoroughbred was identified as the “ultimate breed improver”, due to its contribution of elasticity, gallop and overall quality.
On the thoroughbred front, Ryan welcomed a new Treo Eile initiative. This will offer €500 incentives for covering suitable thoroughbred mares with sport horse stallions, aiming to increase much-needed thoroughbred blood in sport horse breeding. The inaugural Treo Eile thoroughbred class at last September’s TIHA performance championship was also praised.
An upcoming opportunity to see traditional-breds, Irish Draughts and Connemaras was also highlighted when a demonstration day takes place tomorrow (Sunday, February 22nd) at Kildalton College. It’s being organised by the Irish Draught Horse Breeders’ Association and its AGM and award presentations took place the following day in Athlone. Full report next week.
Treo Eile creating further breeding opportunities
AS mentioned at the TIHA AGM, Treo Eile, in partnership with Horse Sport Ireland, will launch a pilot scheme aimed at creating further breeding opportunities for thoroughbred mares post-racing.
Under The Treo Eile Thoroughbred Broodmare Scheme, eligible mares will receive a €500 reimbursement towards the 2026 covering fee, subject to certain conditions.
Anne O’Connor, Senior Executive Officer at Treo Eile, welcomed the collaboration, saying: “It is an exciting time to collaborate with Horse Sport Ireland in promoting the thoroughbred through the Treo Eile Thoroughbred Broodmare Scheme. This initiative supports a meaningful second-career pathway for mares coming out of training, or from within the thoroughbred breeding industry.”
Dr Sonja Egan, HSI’s Head of Breeding, Innovation and Development, highlighted the contribution thoroughbred dams have made, including Cooley Rosalent and GRS Lady Amaro.
“We are delighted to support Treo Eile’s pilot scheme, which aims to encourage the use of quality thoroughbred mares in sport horse breeding. Thoroughbred mares have long been vital contributors to Ireland’s foundation bloodlines within the Irish Sport Horse and Traditional Irish Horse populations.
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TIHA chairman Kevin Noone and TIHA Council member Jennifer Haverty at the performance championship in Mullingar EC \ Susan Finnerty
Renowned breeder and commentator William Micklem also strongly endorsed the initiative: “This is a terrific scheme by Treo Eile. We need to find more thoroughbred genes for our breeding programmes and Treo Eile’s initiative will help this. High Kingdom, a horse I bred, was a silver medallist at the London Olympics with Zara Tindall. He was almost 94% TB, but many thought he could have been a top jumper as well.
“The use of thoroughbred blood is also a way to improve cross-country safety in eventing. We need horses that gallop and jump well within their maximum to increase the safety factor. Quality is the golden thread of breeding success.”
In order to qualify for the incentive, mares must be presented at a HSI 2026 Spring broodmare inspection and achieve ‘Select’ classification or already hold this classification within the ISH studbook.
Mares must also have a Weatherbys or equivalent passport, to be endorsed by HSI. The €500 reimbursement will be paid following receipt of a 45-day positive pregnancy certificate and proof of the covering fee payment for the 2026 breeding season.
Eligible sires include those in HSI’s Irish Sport Horse and Irish Draught stallion book or the HSI list of Class 1 Connemara stallions.
Breeders can register for free with Treo Eile and scheme application forms will be available in early March.