MEATH international rider Alexander Butler has joined the growing band of Irish riders now based overseas, confirming he has moved to The Netherlands. The Kells rider has entered into a partnership with Carlos Pinto who has built a new Dutch yard.

Butler is no stranger to success and has won numerous titles in Ireland but feels he needs to move abroad for his business to thrive.

Butler told The Irish Field: “Ireland is a good place to produce a young horse, but once they get up to the age of eight, there is very little for them, so you need to go away to produce them or to sell them.

“All the clients are at the shows abroad. In Ireland, you will sell a 1.20-1.30m horse, but there is not a lot of money in them. If you hold on to a good horse and try and sell them at Grand Prix level, you are taking a chance.

“The facilities are much better abroad than at home and I don’t blame the centres on that. They are trying to make improvements but they get no support, unlike on the continent. Owners is another issue – if they are investing, they want their horses at good shows and in places where they might have a chance of selling them. There is really nothing in Ireland from September onwards to keep you here. The prize money is better on the continent,” he said.

Ballypatrick’s Greg Broderick shared his views, saying: “I have seen a big increase in (Irish) riders on the continent and yes, that is down to better infrastructure and better prize money and opportunities. Despite this, I really believe that Ireland is a great place to produce a young horse. If I didn’t think this I wouldn’t have invested so much in my facility in Ireland. A lot of world-class horses have begun their careers in Ireland.

“We do however need a more rounded calander to take in a full year of jumping. There is a lot of scope for improvements in Ireland, but there needs to be a rejuvenation of committees and then there needs to consultation with riders. A lot of the buying of horses happens between the end of September to December and we need international shows for buyers to come and see horses in competition,” said Broderick.

Ronan Corrigan of The Showjumpers Club added: “We need a revamp of committees in our national body and they need to listen to the riders. Although we need to serve participants of the sport, we also need to serve the industry.”

Tipperary rider Liam O’Meara said: “I had planned to go away this winter but it just didn’t work out for me. Don’t get me wrong, The Showjumpers Club Spring Tour is very important, but for me my horses are past the 1.35m level. I had planned to go abroad to help progress my horses that are over 1.35m.

“There is nothing for those horses during the winter or spring here. If you go abroad, you have a chance of also selling a few as there is always agents there. The facilities are better and the prize funds make it worth your while. If you hope to sell a few, they need an FEI record, small shows in Ireland mean nothing to international buyers, these do not have rankings.”

Kilkenny’s Vincent Byrne said: “I chose to go away this October as I have a very good eight-year-old and there was really nothing for him here. I jumped him in Ballinamona as a warm-up and he will jump 1.45m in the next few weeks.

“In the summer, Ireland has decent shows but for this period, there is nothing. The Spring Tour is brilliant for riders and horses at a particular level, but it is not suitable for my youngsters. I think that if they reduced the number of national Grands Prix in the summer and increased the prize money for those, it would encourage more riders to enter. For those venues that don’t get a Grand Prix, they should run a regional Grand Prix. They would get more numbers and wouldn’t have to put up as much prize funds.”

Maria Costello, who produces horses with her husband Seamus Hayes, added: “I really feel that if improvements are not made to the system, we will have no young riders left.

“We are producing young horses and there is very little for them, especially this time of year. When it comes to selling, international buyers like if the horses have an FEI record. The facilities are better abroad. We have often brought eight horses to a show here and only jumped one as the conditions were too bad.”

One rider who finished in the top three in a 1.20m class said he was handed an envelope with €8 and another envelope with €6. Other riders said that winning a class in the lower ranks just about pays their entry fees.