THE Swedish Connemara Pony Society is currently in administrative court fighting the Swedish Board of Agriculture after the board made the decision to close their studbook. Costs incurred by the society so far are up to €10,000 amid fears that it could affect trade.

The society register 60-70 ponies per year, and in 2016 transferred 400 ponies into their studbook, mostly imported from Ireland.

The issue, ongoing since 2016 but which came to a head in February this year, means the Swedish society are no longer able to issue passports, register foals, inspect ponies for classification or record a stallion covering.

EU REGULATIONS

Due to new Zootechnical EU regulations, each of the 18 studbooks in Sweden had to apply for a new licence from the Board of Agriculture. Out of the 18, the Connemara Pony Society were the only ones that didn’t pass the criteria.

Speaking to The Irish Field, vice chairperson of the Swedish Connemara Pony Society and chair of the International Committee, Madeleine Beckman, said it has been a nightmare.

“Suddenly in February we got a letter to say from that day we were no longer able to issue passports, without any notice.

“So it means at the moment we can’t issue passports for the Swedish foals, and we had hoped to get the Hoof Wall Separation Disease testing started last year but due to this we haven’t been able to do it.”

Following a meeting with the department on the initial reasons for not passing, the studbook were knocked back again in March for not following the mother society’s studbook rules surrounding the vetting of geldings.

However, geldings don’t fall under the same criteria as stallions and mares in the classification process. Stallions and mares must pass a veterinary and visual inspection and achieve a minimum marking standard to be passed, while geldings do not need to be presented for a visual inspection.

After receiving a letter from the Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society (CPBS) in Clifden, Co Galway, explaining the classification of geldings, the board have said they will provide the Swedish society with an answer by Monday, August 28th.

Beckman explained there was no documentation provided with the reasons for turning away the studbook.

“When we got the decision we asked for the documentation and there was none.

“There were a few things that we said ‘okay can you show us why you came to this decision’ and they couldn’t – you can’t work like this as an authority so it’s questionable and very, very frustrating.”

She continued: “Maybe they don’t like the society, I don’t know, but it hurts the third party – the pony breeders.

“Our Swedish Horse Board has now taken the question on because they are worried about the other studbooks –the Connemara society is one of the most solid.

“The strangest thing is we share most of the rules with, for example, the New Forest Pony Society and they got through with the same rules that we didn’t,” said Beckman.

CANCELLED SHOW

The Swedish society’s in-hand show was cancelled for 2017, and while they held unofficial stallion inspections and followed the CPBS rules by getting the Irish judge and correct veterinarians, the one stallion who was passed as Class 1 has not yet entered the studbook.

Beckman is hopeful the problem will be solved by the end of the month but is cautious. “Logically it should be solved, there is nothing left to be refused.

“We have gone through a nightmare, we have tried to solve it ourselves but it’s time people start asking questions from abroad.

“This has cost us one year, a year without the show, a stallion that isn’t in the studbook and about €10,000.”

The Irish Field contacted the Swedish Board of Agriculture but they were not in a position to comment on the case.