The chairman of Horse Sport Ireland described the discussion as “a good meeting”, adding: “Minister Coveney has been very busy dealing with other agricultural matters, but he understands the issues in the sport horse sector and is keen to make the breeding and producing of horses in the sport horse sector a commercial enterprise.”

Among the issues discussed at the meeting, which was also attended by HSI chief executive Damian McDonald, HSI finance director Mark Bolger and HSI director of breeding & programmes Alison Corbally, was an alliance between HSI, Teagasc and the RDS. The three bodies are currently working on a strategic plan for the industry to deliver an economic return, a development that the Minister supports.