HORSE SPORT IRELAND

HORSE Sport Ireland share stallion DNA profiles of horses registered in its studbooks on request from other WBFSH member studbooks in accordance with our inspection procedures.

In the case of mare DNA profiles being requested by another studbook, HSI requires the explicit consent of the mare owner to provide the profile to another studbook.

The reason for this is that the stallion and mare DNA profiles were obtained by HSI from the breeder and/or owner on the basis that it would be used for legitimate HSI /IHR studbooks purposes. We do not have an explicit or implied right to assign the information of the obtained profile.

Therefore, when another studbook is seeking access to the profile, additional explicit consent is then required for that access. WSI is seeking unlimited/carte blanche access to all DNA profiles obtained by HSI acting in its capacity as a registration body for the IHR Studbooks.

Normally when mare DNA is requested from one studbook to another, it is because the mare owner wishes to register a foal from their mare, in the second studbook. In this instance the explicit permission is freely provided by the mare owner. The DNA profiles have been provided to other studbooks in all such cases by Horse Sport Ireland, when consent is provided. Horse Sport Ireland corresponded to WSI on the 30th May 2018 outlining this position.

Horse Sport Ireland received completed foal registration applications from breeders wishing to register their foals by the stallions Clarcon, Ulysses M2S and Ballistic M2S, in 2018.

All required documentation has been received for the registration of these foals.

However, to date HSI has been unable to complete the registration process in accordance with these breeders wishes. This is due to fact that HSI has been informed by Weatherby’s Scientific Laboratory that they cannot proceed with the normal parentage verification for these foals, because the stallion owner/agent involved, has blocked the use of the DNA profile for these stallions and consequently denied these breeders the right to register their foals in the Irish Sport Horse Studbook.

HSI has further requested WSI, the stallion owner/agent/controller to release the DNA in accordance with the wishes of the mare owners. To date these requests have been refused.

This is a unique situation where the stallion owner/agent/controller is also a studbook owner/operator.

In these instances, the breeders clearly wish to register their progeny with the Irish Sport Horse Studbook, and currently they are being prevented from doing so, due to the blocking of access to the DNA profiles of the covering sires, which the breeders in question chose in good faith, in 2017.

Horse Sport Ireland understands that these mare owners have contacted the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding this matter. Horse Sport Ireland has further replied to correspondence received from DAFM to assist in expediting a solution to this matter. Horse Sport Ireland strive to operate its studbook function for all breeders while respecting their data and privacy rights.

Alison Corbally, HSI Director of Breeding & Programmes.