Equestrian sport ‘needs funding to build on Olympics’
Horse Sport Ireland said it believed the performance of Ireland’s international competitors this year had made a strong case for the sport to receive extra financial support from the Government.
HSI chairman Joe Walsh — a former Fianna Fáil TD and agriculture minister — expressed concern there was an “imbalance” in the level of support offered to equestrian sports in comparison to the horse racing and greyhound industries.
He said the latter two had received almost €1bn in government support over the past decade compared to just €7m over the same period for HSI.
Speaking at the Dublin Horse Show, Mr Walsh said many of Ireland’s top junior equestrian riders were operating “on a shoestring” and “competing for rosettes”.
Nevertheless, equestrian sport was “doing very well on the world stage”. He claimed the HSI’s claim for extra funding was different to most other sports as there was “a whole industry behind it”.
A recent study conducted on behalf of HSI highligh-ted how the industry contributes €400m to the economy per annum.
Mr Walsh pledged that HSI would ensure that any additional funding would go directly to competitors.
He also noted the need for Irish riders to improve their performance in dressage competitions. “We are very weak in that discipline,” said Mr Walsh, who said Irish riders needed better coaching and training in that speciality.
He joked that Ireland’s poor performance in dressage was due to the Irish psyche’s unfamiliarity with “dancing horses”.
However, Mr Walsh, claimed Irish equestrian sport was in “a very good state of health”.
In addition to Cian O’Connor’s bronze medal at the London Olympics, he said Ireland’s junior showjumping team of Bertram Allen, Shannon McKenzie, Max O’Reilly Hyland, and Sven Hadley had beaten 20 other countries to win the gold medal in the European Championships in Austria earlier this week.
Other recent victories included Ireland’s pony riders winning European team and individual gold, while Ireland also won the Nation’s Cup at Hickstead in England and Paul Beecher from Tallow, Co Waterford, won the Hickstead Derby.
Mr Walsh said some people were also unaware that the Irish equestrian team had finished fifth in the team eventing competition in London while Aoife Clark had come seventh in the individual competition.
The HSI chairman said O’Connor’s success was a major boost for the sport and he described the Co Meath-based rider as “a great champion” who had received a great reaction from the crowds at the RDS during the week.
Meanwhile, the largest crowd of the week turned out yesterday at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show for one of the highlights of the event — the Nations’ Cup with eight teams competing for the famous Aga Khan trophy.
The home team did not disappoint with a narrow victory over France to claim the €64,000 first prize with the star of the Irish squad being Clem McMahon from Scotshouse, Co Monaghan, with a double clear round.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
