Tattersalls horse trials under threat
Just a fortnight ago, Tattersalls, the foremost event of its kind in the country, attracted a high-calibre national and international field and, despite poor weather, it was estimated that almost 18,000 spectators attended. It was the seventh running of the event in Ratoath, with the Irish selectors using it to fine tune their squad for the Olympics.
HSI is thought to have pumped approximately €300,000 into the event since 2008.
It is also believed that in 2012, Tattersalls received twice the HSI funding of the country’s five other international horse trials combined.
However, in a statement yesterday, Tattersalls Ireland general manager Roger Casey said it needed to know where it stood in terms of finance if the fixture was to continue next year.
“Despite the success of the Tattersalls International Horse Trials we cannot ignore the long-standing financial challenges which we face each year in staging this event. Attracting outside funding has been difficult from the outset and even more so in the current economic climate, and yet again in 2012 we found ourselves committing to the event without any reciprocal commitment from Horse Sport Ireland. We are acutely aware of the pressures faced by Horse Sport Ireland and do not underestimate the demands on their limited resources, but in order to commit to staging this event in 2013 we must now seek to establish a sustainable guaranteed funding mechanism. The forward planning required in order for the Tattersalls International Horse Trials to continue in its present form means that we will need a guaranteed funding plan in place by October 1, 2012, and if we are unable to achieve this we will regrettably be forced into a position where we are unable to host the 2013 renewal.”
Responding, HSI chief executive Damian McDonald said while the governing body’s support would continue, it could not at this stage put a figure on its contribution.
“We provided substantial funding again in 2012 thanks to the Irish Sports Council and the Breeding Sub-Board of Horse Sport Ireland. Tattersalls is an outstanding event and I am sure we will be in a position to significantly support the event again next year,” he said.
“However, we are not in a position to give a guarantee of a set amount of funding until we receive written confirmation of our own annual funding allocation. The Government generally has its own budget in December and only then will the Sports Council know its allocation. After that, they have to go through a process to decide how much to give each governing body. Once our allocation is confirmed, we have to go through our own decision-making processes. There is a huge level of scrutiny on the allocation of public monies and proper processes have to be followed.
“A meeting is due to take place in July between The Minister for State at the Department of Sport, the Irish Sports Council, Fáilte Ireland and Tattersalls Ireland to discuss funding for the event. We won’t be making any further comment until after this meeting,” he said.
“The real issue is that the sport horse sector is under-funded. The total allocation from the Government to the sport horse sector in 2012 will be under €3m while the allocation to the thoroughbred sector will be €46m. The sport horse sector is deserving of a far greater allocation. The sector creates similar levels of employment and, while its economic contribution may be just under half what the TB sector contributes, it also makes a huge social contribution,” he said.
