HORSE Sport Ireland will receive €2.03 million in funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2017, it has been confirmed.

The annual grant for HSI in 2016 was €1.87 million so the €2.03 million figure for 2017 shows that the only increase in this block of funding is the €160,000 which has been allocated for the implementation of Reaching New Heights, as revealed in The Irish Field recently.

The €2.03 million from the Department of Agriculture is allocated, according to a spokesperson, in recognition of its work in promoting and developing the Irish sport horse sector.

It is one of two tranches of funding from the Department of Agriculture to HSI, which also receives funding under the Equine Infrastructures Grant Scheme.

The scheme is aimed at fostering breeding, provides funding for marketing, educational measures and disease prevention research within the horse sector.

In 2016, HSI was approved for €561,367 (see table, right) under this scheme but its share of the fund will not be known until the scheme is launched next year.

HSI’s expected income from Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport funding for 2017 was not available as we went to press.

In 2014, the most recent year in which income figures were published by HSI, its total income was €5.049m. Of this, four elements related to sport income: Irish Sport Council high performance grant (€539,000) and core grant (€781,000), sport capital grant (€30,000) and Sport NI grant (€156,000).

One element of HSI’s spend on sport will be up for discussion on November 14th next.

The organisation has confirmed that Ireland’s top 20 show jumping riders will meet to discuss the senior show jumping high performance programme for the next Olympic Cycle.

The meeting date was agreed to coincide with the Goresbridge Supreme Sale Of Show Jumpers, which is taking place at Barnadown and the Amber Springs Hotel in Wexford on November 15th.

AMBASSADORS

James Kennedy, chairman of the HSI senior show jumping committee, said that Irish riders, largely based in Europe and the USA, were phenomenal ambassadors for Ireland and had huge experience at the highest level of the sport.

“We need to explore ways to of harnessing the huge expertise and experience the riders have to ensure that we put the best possible structures in place,” he said.

In 2016, some €210,000 was allocated to show jumping high performance, with around €100,000 being spent on the chef d’equipe’s fee, travel, expense and phone.

The bulk of the remaining €110,000 was spent on the high performance vet and travel grants for riders competing at major shows.

Riders receive a €1,000 grant for attending a Nations Cup show, as well as a €1,000 payment for a clear round or €2,500 for a double clear round.

Also up for discussion will surely be the riders’ preferences for the new show jumping chef d’equipe.

This year, the projects listed under the €561,367 included: