Horse Sport Ireland are delighted to re-launch the breaking and schooling scheme for owners of future breeding performance sport horses including fillies, young mares and stallions. The aim of this initiative is to incentivise Irish breeders to produce future breeding horses through a designated training pathway and in so doing add value to them, provide additional information to their owners and breeders as to their negative and positive traits and ultimately to ensure that more informed breeding decisions are made. This scheme includes breeders and owners of Native Rare Breeds (Irish Draughts, Connemara Ponies and Kerry Bog Ponies), aiming to purpose these equines, incentivise their production and retention as future breeding horses. This initiative supports identifying target populations and purposes for which to market their horses and ponies and adds overall a value and appeal to Native Rare Breeds in Ireland. This scheme is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.
The Horse Sport Ireland scheme is open to breeders/owners with young horses intended for breeding aged between three and six years of age. The breaking option within the scheme is open to breeders/owners with young fillies and stallions born in 2018 or 2019 and sent for training to a producer selected by the breeder with a proven track record in the breaking of young horses. The schooling for competition option is open to breeders/owners with mares and stallions born between 2016 and 2018 who have not yet started competing and are sent for training with a producer selected by the breeder who must be approved on an existing list of producers. For smaller Native Rare breeds and ponies, producers will be selected on the basis of their skill in a specific discipline (ie., pony size, driving, showing). Breeders may apply for up to two horses to participate in the scheme but only one option (breaking or schooling for competition) may be selected for each horse.
Breeders/owners will have the opportunity to apply to participate in the scheme by completing an online application. HSI will reimburse breeders with funds towards six weeks training with a producer to break their young horse up to a maximum of €1,000 per horse for Native Rare Breeds (i.e., Irish Draught/Kerry Bog Pony/Connemara Pony) or €800 per horse for all other DAFM registered/endorsed studbook breeds following receipt of a valid application which is subsequently approved prior to the training period. Prior to reimbursement, the following must also be supplied: an invoice from the producer, video evidence of the horse’s progress (before and after videos). Ponies are eligible to receive funding under the scheme but must be registered/endorsed in a DAFM Approved Pony Studbook. All applications must be submitted before the 30th September 2022 and all invoices must be submitted by the 4th November 2022. This deadline will not be extended and no late submissions will be accepted.
This HSI scheme has a number of objectives:
1. Support the production of Irish bred fillies to determine their suitability as performance and breeding animals.
2. Support the production of a small number of stallions to determine their suitability as performance and breeding animals.
3. Incentivise breeders to invest in the production of their future breeding horses.
4. This scheme helps breeders to identify horses suitable for breeding retention and or the marketplace.
5. This scheme adds value to the equine through formal production and market purposing.
6. Supports the market purposing of rare breeds – this is an issue as defined by the Kerry Bog Pony cooperative society.
7. This scheme supports rural spread and dissemination of funding to producers, suppliers, breeders, venues, and equine related breeding business nationwide.
Before beginning this application form please ensure you have the following:
- Filly/Mare/Stallion Passport & IHR details
- Accurate dam & sire Information
- IBAN Number (International Bank Account Number -a combination of letters and numbers that usually include your bank account number and sort code - this can be found on your bank statement or using banking online, eg. IE29 AIBK 9311 5212 3456 789
- Contact and performance details of the producer(s) you wish to use
This scheme is open to equines, intended for breeding, resident on the island of Ireland. The applicant must be the registered owner of the horse subject to this application.
This scheme will give preference to horses who have completed the HSI X-Ray scheme and otherwise operate on a first come first served basis up to the maximum allocation facilitated by the existing budget allocation.
Applicants may apply for up to two equines. Please see terms & conditions for performance criteria and eligibility.
This scheme is open to breeders with young horses intended for breeding aged between three and six years of age. The breaking option within the scheme is open to breeders with young fillies and stallions born in 2018 or 2019. The schooling for competition option is open to breeders with mares and stallions born between 2016 and 2018.
Horses must be registered or endorsed in a DAFM approved studbook. Sires of the horses applying for the scheme must hold an Approved/Preliminary Approved/Recognised/Preliminary Recognised/Class 1 classification in a DAFM/WBFSH approved studbook.
Breeders may apply for up to two horses but only one option (breaking or schooling for competition) may be selected for each horse.
Eligibility
· Applicant hereafter pertains to the breeder/owner of the horse(s) funded under this scheme.
· Horse hereafter pertains to both horses and ponies.
· Mares and stallions must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:
o Be born in 2018 or 2019 to avail of the breaking option, or, be born in 2016, 2017 or 2018 to avail of the schooling for competition option;
o Be registered/endorsed in a DAFM approved studbook;
o Sires must have an Approved/Preliminary Approved or Recognised/Preliminary Recognised or Class 1 classification in a WBFSH/DAFM-Approved studbook;
o Be accompanied by a letter from a veterinary surgeon to confirm that stallions are entire;
o Have not yet been registered to compete with an affiliated sport organisation.
o Native Rare Breeds must be registered in the Connemara pony, Irish Draught or Kerry Bog Pony studbooks with a full recorded pedigree.
· Applicants and producers must be resident in Ireland (including Northern Ireland).
· Applicants must be the registered owner of the animal at the time of application.
· This scheme operates on a preferential basis, please see terms below.
o Fillies/Mares who have been approved for and completed the associated screening under the HSI X-Ray Screening Scheme in 2021 OR 2022
· The scheme may be closed ahead of the advertised deadline if the maximum allocation facilitated by the existing budget allocation has been reached.
· Application numbers are limited to two horses per applicant.
· Horses who were broken/schooled under the 2020 or 2021 scheme are not eligible for funding under the 2022 initiative.
· The selection of a producer is at the discretion of the applicant; Horse Sport Ireland accept no liability for potential damage arising during or related to the funded period.
· Producers must not be close family members of the applicant, breeders/co-owners of the young horse, employees of the applicant, or operating from the same premises as the applicant.
o Producers are permitted to have a maximum four horses approved in the scheme in training at any given time.
o Nominated producers must produce the horse, no other rider/producer is acceptable
· Applicants must be satisfied as to the skills, knowledge, experience and facilities of their selected producer to care for their horse appropriately and to produce it in an appropriate manner.
· Nominated Breaking/Producing professionals’ option must meet one of the following criteria:
o Riders that have qualified a horse for the final in RDS SJ 5, 6 or 7 year olds in the last 3 years;
o Riders that have qualified a horse for the final day of any leg in the ISH Studbook Show Jumping Series in the last 3 years;
o Riders that have competed a horse for the final in RDS Young Event Horse class in the last 3 years;
o Riders that have recorded a MER at CCI2*L in the last 3 years;
o Riders that have qualified a horse for the World Breeding Championships for Young horses in Lanaken or Lion d’Angers;
o Producer and underage rider combinations that have qualified a pony for the RDS in the last 3 years.
OR
· Producers for ponies and Native Rare Breeds will be selected based on their skill set in specific discipline (i.e., pony size, driving, showing etc) and must have relevant producing and competing experience (Kerry Bog Pony Society showing and Dublin Horse Show equivalents for Irish Draught and Connemara Ponies)
o Nominated Breaking/Producers must provide verification of qualification for the Connemara Performance hunter class in the RDS Dublin Horse Show OR the Clifden High Performance Final Or a top 5 placing in a RDS/Clifden pony showing class in the last 3 years
o Nominated Breaking/Producers must provide verification of qualification for the Performance Irish Draught class in the RDS Dublin Horse Show OR a top 5 placing in a RDS Irish Draught showing class in the last 3 years
o Equivalents are in place for Kerry Pony Nominated Breaking/Producers:
Ridden Ponies
· To be ridden by a child in a safe manner.
· Walk, trot, canter, stand still and back. Jump cross poles.
· Pony to attend and compete at a show or take part in pony club activities.
Driven Ponies
· To stand still unattended.
· To walk, trot a figure of eight, stand still, back and walk forward answering to voice commands.
· To be safe in traffic and at a show.
Trainer/Producer
· To be selected by the owner of the pony.
· Ponies to be selected by HSI based on applications and adherence to the criteria for qualification.
· Ponies to be assessed by HSI based on video evidence prior to grant payment.