ONE of the most talked-about events at the Expo is the Dragons’ Den.

Sponsored by AIB, this replica of the popular television show will see six equine sector entrepreneurs present their business plans to an expert panel. After each five-minute presentation, the contestants will be quizzed by the panelists for up to 10 minutes before deciding which ones will win some of the €5,000 on offer.

There are three categories and the judges have already whittled down the entrants to two finalists in each section. The three category winners will each win €1,000 and there is a further €2,000 for the overall winner.

Let’s meet the contenders.

CATEGORY: INNOVATIVE

INITIATIVE OR BUSINESS

FOR UNDER 30s

EQUINE MEDI RECORD: SIMON HILLARY & Pierce Dargan

Equine MediRecord develops, sells and maintains a mobile application and website making it easier to properly record medicines administered to racehorses and other bloodstock that is mandated under regulation.

It is the first online application to be approved as compliant by British and Irish regulators. Equine MediRecord is also in contact with other global regulators such as the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

It is the first system globally that is accessible to private yards, veterinary surgeons and regulators. Currently all veterinary regulatory documents in the equine industry are based on paper. Any medication administered to a racehorse must be recorded in a medicines register, traditionally a hard-copy book that is provided by racing regulatory bodies to all registered trainers.

Now trainers can view a list of all of the horses under their care electronically, can choose the prescribed treatment from a list that will autofill with all the relevant details, and also delegate the task of recording the medicines to an assistant or veterinary surgeon by simply requiring that they accept the record by push notification.

The system also records non-regulatory data such as training schedules, horse weights and feed notes.

MY EQUINE PA: Fiona O’Dwyer

This online application promises to revolutionise the way equestrians manage their horses and organise their yard routine.

No equine management service has targeted the individual with a comprehensive service even though almost 50,000 people in Ireland own a horse.

My Equine PA will reinvent the typical diary, targeted at the individual as well as the large stud farms and yards. It will work in accordance with a calendar and alarm/reminder system.

The app will essentially act as the users’ personal assistant. It will be accessible 24/7, anytime and anywhere, with a reminder system, so users should never forget a farrier appointment, dental or vet check.

There will be online worming programmes advising and reminding users what wormer is best to use, depending on season and worm history of the horse. Veterinary and farrier notes can be saved to cross-reference for future visits.

CATEGORY: BEST

ESTABLISHED SMALL-TO-

MEDIUM ENTERPRISE

SERVING THE

THOROUGHBRED

INDUSTRY

BOTANICA: Sean Cooney

Botanica started out at the kitchen table, first used by family and friends for all skin complaints, instead of usual common medical creams. Now Botanica International Ltd caters for the growing interest in natural products and to utilise the wonders of nature’s healing energy.

It is currently the only western company exporting herbal medicine to China. The herbal range contains a combination of natural ingredients, all of which have proven beneficial properties. Botanica’s herbal system works to promote healthy cell growth and complete recovery without scarring.

Botanica’s wash cleanses the area and helps to remove any dirt or scabbing which may have formed. This part of the process is vital as it keeps the affected area open and draining.

The wash is complemented by Botanica’s Herbal Cream which is readily absorbed into the skin. It activates healthy cell growth and the powerful combination of the herbal and soothing properties of the natural ingredients get to work on a swift, complete recovery.

MOUNT MILLS: Jim Magill

Mount Mills is a family farm, originally beef and sheep, based in Co Down. It keeps a small number of broodmares and sells the progeny as foals or yearlings.

In 2008 it diversified into the growing of niche crops and experimented with marigold, hemp and flax. It based its operations in the shed originally used for lambing and calving. With the assistance and mentoring of the Department of Agriculture, Invest NI and InterTrade Ireland, Mount Mills developed its first product, Horse Flax Oil.

Later it introduced by-product Flax Cake, which is included in high-end calf and horse rations.

Mount Mills now has a purpose-built facility to produce a human range of flax oil products. Exports go to mainland Europe, Dubai and the company is in discussions with Saudi Arabia.

The farm will be launching its latest equine product, Flaxeen Gastric, at the Expo. This product will produce feed efficiency whilst promoting stomach and hind gut comfort.

CATEGORY: BEST START-

UP AWARD SERVING THE

THOROUGHBRED

INDUSTRY

EQUI ROLE GLOBAL: Paul Ferguson

Finding staff in the equine industry has been challenging in recent years and this start-up addresses the issue with an innovative, technological solution.

The Equi Role Global app is the first of its kind and is initially for equine recruitment, allowing employers in the equine industry (including the thoroughbred industry) to match their vacancy requirements with the skills and experience of candidates around the world.

The iOS app was very recently released and, with 1.6 million full-time equine industry jobs worldwide, it is a large market in which Equi Role Global plans to gain significant market share. An android release is planned for May.

There are plans to add a chat and news function which is expected to bring in a high volume of traction from the industry. Companies will also be able to advertise their products and services through the app.

A subscription fee for members will ensure a constant revenue stream.

EQUINE DATA SOLUTIONS’ EQUI-PASS: Margaret Wilson

Equi-Pass is an in-development innovative and disruptive business-to-business, software-as-a-service for veterinarians and passport-issuing organisations (PIOs). It digitally automates the completion and submission of horse identification documents.

Equi-Pass saves veterinarians time and reduces errors by replacing the current manual, paper-based system. It allows digital drawing of identity features.

Its uniqueness is in its ability to recognise these identifying marks and automatically generating the required description of the horse, eliminating handwritten description requirement.

Equi-Pass reduces the manual data entry for veterinarians by incorporating dropdown menus, autotext boxes and recognising the digitally drawn identifying features, enabling automatic generation of the written description of the horse.

Equi-Pass offers significant timeline reduction in passport issuing, by reducing the time taken to complete and submit the relevant marking chart, reducing the level of errors on a marking chart, removing the need for manual data entry by PIOs and incorporating telephone and email details to improve veterinarian and PIO correspondence.

The initial market identified is thoroughbred and warmblood horse identification in Ireland and the UK, where approximately 46,000 foals are registered annually. The potential global market includes one million thoroughbreds.