The attention of the working committee will now turn to distilling the many hundreds of suggestions made into an overall policy for the Irish sport horse industry. Horse Sport Ireland chairman Professor Pat Wall highlighted a number of interesting submissions this week, the first relating to the European pony Championships in Millstreet this summer.

It was proposed that the championships be used to showcase Irish horses and ponies to the many foreign competitors and their families who will be attending the event. Another submission proposed that the HSI studbook classes be abolished to prevent over-jumping of young horses. The money could be used, it was suggested, to fund education and training programmes and training programmes for breeders and producers and provide support to regional breeders groups for international study trips.