It emerged at HSI’s open meeting with stallion owners in Newbridge on Thursday night that only 18.7% of covering certificates from 2013 have been returned.

The meeting agreed all mare owners should be asked to supply stallion owners with the correct mare numbers and also update change of ownership details. Meanwhile, stallion owners present were asked to send a list of mares covered to HSI to help “greatly speed up’’ the system.

HSI’s director of breeding, Alison Corbally, released figures showing that of an estimated 9,000 coverings by October 2013, only 1,690 certificates have been returned to date. The figure has improved from just 156 certificates returned by February 2014, less than 2%.

“We are in trouble, that’s the problem, we are trying to make progress and need some system in place, a workable solution. I cannot believe that 80% of mare owners have not paid up,’’ said Jim Beecher, chairman of the Irish Horse Board.

It also emerged that the number of white identity documents issued has shot up to 51%, with the case of the Irish-bred Olympic mare Castlefield Eclipse used as a stark illustration.

“We need more Irish-bred documented horses in the ISH Studbook. The shift to white books does not benefit anyone, us, the stallion owners or the breeders,’’ pointed out Corbally.

Bill Kennedy of Kennedy Equine Centre said: “We are owed a lot of money but people are in tough times. We [stallion owners] are keeping the show on the road. We are still covering their mares and know we will get paid when they have it.” He called for white books to be scrapped and highlighted the situation of top horses like Castlefield Eclipse (by KEC’s OBOS Quality) going to America on white books.

However it was pointed out that aside from HSI, two other agencies also readily issue white books.

Mary McCann of Hartwell Stud advised stallion owners to get paid before the mare or the semen leaves the yard.

Beecher questioned whether Show Jumping Ireland and Eventing Ireland should restrict their competitions to ISH Studbook registered animals only. Cavan veterinary surgeon Dermot Forde pointed out that this was anti-competitive.

Forde’s suggestion of an app, similar to that used by Department of Agriculture veterinary surgeons for cattle identification, met with universal approval from the floor.

Michael Murphy of the Stallion Owners Society stressed the importance of stallion keepers retaining their rights over covering certificates and highlighted the savings that would be made if HSI issued the foal kits to veterinary surgeons directly.

He suggested a “heavy levy’’ on white books but asked HSI to respect the right of stallion owners to run their own businesses their way.

“This is our livelihood. Stallion owners cannot send in a covering cert unless we get paid,’’ added Murphy.