Walsh heads new equestrian body
The establishment of the new body was announced yesterday by Sports Minister John O’Donoghue and it will bring together the diverse interests of those involved in show jumping, the horse breeding industry and a variety of different interests.
Although no date has yet been set for the first meeting of the board of the new body, Mr O’Donoghue said yesterday he would like this to happen as quickly as possible.
The new board is aimed at bringing together the many sectoral interests involved in an area which has been riven by political in-fighting in recent years and the hope is now that these many and varied parties can be brought together under the stewardship of Mr. Walsh.
Mr O’Donoghue said Horse Sport Ireland would be responsible for devising and implementing strategies for the development and promotion of an internationally competitive Irish sport horse industry involving everything from breeding, to sport and to the leisure side of the business.
He said Horse Sport Ireland was being established following the acceptance by himself and the Agriculture Minister, Mary Coughlan, of proposals contained in a report prepared by Michael Dowling, the former Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture and Food, which recommended new governance structures for horse sport in Ireland.
In preparing that report, Mr. Dowling consulted extensively with the main sectoral interests, including the Equestrian Federation of Ireland, the Irish Horse Board, the Irish Sports Council.
It is proposed that the board will have a membership made up of eight people representing FEI (International Equestrian Federation) disciplines, four representing other sport/leisure organisations, five representing the breeding side of the industry and the independent chairman.
While Joe Walsh will be the first chairman, the other 17 members of the Board have been nominated by their respective organisations.
Discussions are continuing with sectoral interests in the North with a view to their possible participation in the Horse Sport Ireland structures.
The nominations to the Board of Horse Sport Ireland are: Joe Walsh TD, Chairman; Larry O’Neill, ILDRA, CDA, PEI; Joan Keogh, Dressage Ireland; Brian Mangan, Eventing Ireland; Gerry Leahy, Eventing Ireland; Patricia Furlong, Showjumping Association of Ireland (SJAI); Brian Gormley, SJAI; Tommy Dixon, SJAI; Eamon Rice, SJAI; Alice Mernagh, Irish Pony Club/Irish Pony Society; Lt Col Gerry O’Gorman, Army Equitation School; Helen Mangan, Association of Irish Riding Clubs/Association of Irish Riding Establishments; Bernie Brennan, RDS; John Jude Doyle (breeding); Paul Duffy (breeding); Michael Duignan (breeding) William Kennedy (breeding); and Harold McGahern (breeding).
