TIES between Horse Sport Ireland and the Irish Horse Board have been further loosened with HSI no longer processing IHB membership applications.

This comes on top of Horse Sport Ireland ending their discounts on passport registration costs to Irish Horse Board members in its recent fees hike announced during Christmas week.

Posting on its website, HSI stated: “Horse Sport Ireland no longer process IHB Membership applications from January 1st. Horse Sport Ireland also no longer provides discounts on passport registration costs. As the Irish Horse Board is a separate entity to Horse Sport Ireland, any IHB shareholder should contact the Irish Horse Board with any queries relating to their individual membership. The contact email address is irishhorseboard@outlook.com”.

A co-operative society with a board of directors, the Irish Horse Board was first established in 1993 with approximately 32,000 shareholders, recently emerging as the winners of a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine marketing services tender for the sport horse sector.

Meanwhile, there were two meeetings over the Christmas period of Irish Horse Board members discussing the recent HSI fees hike, which, it emerged, was announced by Horse Sport Ireland without consultation with its Breeding and Production Advisory Council (BPAC).

Chairman of the Irish Horse Board, Tiernan Gill, told The Irish Field: “We will continue to engage with Horse Sport Ireland to ensure that they are fully aware of the implications these decisions have on breeders.”

The current Board Members of the Irish Horse Board are:

  • Tiernan Gill (Chairman) [Region 4]
  • Comdt Geoff Curran [Region 1]
  • Mr Helen Kelly [Region 1]
  • Ms Marguerite Ryan [Region 2]
  • Ms Marion Hughes (Vice Chairperson) [Region 2]
  • Ms Elizabeth Deane [Region 3]
  • Mr Pat McCarthy [Region 3]
  • Mr Liam Lynskey [Region 4]
  • Dr Jack Murphy [Minister’s nominee]
  • Mr Neil Henry [Region 5]
  • Mr Gerry Flynn [Region 5]

    • Services

    The Northern Ireland Horse Board online services remain open over the new year on their website (www.nihorseboard.org), email nihb.office@gmail.com. Both the offices of the NIHB and HSI re-open on Tuesday, January 3rd.

    Breeding Grants deadline

    A reminder that the deadline for the Breeding Grant 2023 applications closes at 2pm on January 9th. This grant offers sponsorship and support for breeding initiatives, production classes and competitions. All queries should be emailed to grants@horsesportireland.ie and applications can be made via the HSI website.