DAVID Stanton TD, Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for Equality, Immigration and Integration, spoke on Thursday at the launch of Traveller Horse Ownership.

The report was commissioned by Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Its purpose was to provide a national picture on horse ownership activities, skills, and knowledge within the traveller community, to identify key enablers and obstacles to engagement and compliance with horse welfare and registration systems, and to establish good practices for supporting responsible horse ownership within the traveller community.

“Horses are culturally, economically and socially of symbolic importance to the traveller community,” Minister Stanton said. “There are deep emotional attachments that stem from historical links with horses. It is therefore not surprising that they are so deeply valued.” He added: “Horse culture is in the very bones of the traveller community and we must find a way to marry the needs of the community with the important legal requirements to ensure the welfare of the horses.”

Among the speakers at the launch were Dr Pat Wall from University College Dublin and well-known and successful horse owner Hughie Friel from Donegal Travellers Project. Contributors to the report included the former CEO of Horse Sport Ireland, Damian McDonald, and Sharon Power of Irish Horse Welfare Trust.

The report highlights how horse ownership plays a central role in traveller culture, and is seen as a key driver in maintaining good mental health. Frighteningly, suicide rates among traveller men are almost seven times the national average and a strong policy on ownership and associated matters is believed would play a major role in helping to address this issue.

The report makes a number of recommendations, including the establishment of traveller horse owners’ associations, stabling and training projects, regulated racing and the setting up of knowledge transfer groups. It also suggests ways in which travellers with a deep knowledge of horses could be mainstreamed across a range of different jobs within the equine, racing and equestrian sectors.

Minister Stanton concluded his by saying: “There is a need for all parties to work together and find a way to address the concerns of all parties with a developmental approach to traveller horse ownership. Local authorities, horse owners and traveller and welfare organisations must work together to find reasonable workable solutions to overcome the issues addressed in this report and I have full confidence that this can and will be done.”