THE title ‘Untapped Potential’ suggests exactly what the Sport Horse Alliance report is trying to do – unlock the economic potential of the sport horse industry - and the issue of rural Ireland lies at the heart of that issue.
According to economist Jim power, author of the report: “The sport horse sector has a special contribution to make from a regional economic perspective in a manner that is entirely consistent with the Action Plan for Rural Ireland.”
This week, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, TD, launched the first call for proposals under the government’s new Rural and Development Fund, part of Project Ireland 2040.
The fund will provide €1 billion in investment over the next 10 years to support the renewal of rural area, and will support initiatives like job creation, entrepreneurship and tourism initiatives which attract visitors to rural Ireland, all applicable to the sport horse sector.
The fund is open to private sectors and communities, as well as government departments and local authorities, and the lead partner must be a state-funded body.
Chairman of the Sport Horse Alliance, Barry O’Connor, agrees with the fund, but added: “What we are looking for has to be an ongoing thing where the government invest money into it, to create jobs and export, this can’t be one-off funding.
“We have to retain the jobs we have, and then create more. Maintain the industry we have, and then make it better. This is not about propping up the industry, this is about making it grow.”
O’Connor is active in getting the report off the ground. “I went to meet a couple of TDs and the reaction in general has been a welcome surprise.
“They do see the benefits in it (the industry), it has never been described before as an economic mandate. I am going to get a lot of people to get their own local TDs into their farms and yards and show them what we do,” he said.