Exciting time for Irish breeding

Every breeder has their own preferences when it comes to sport horse breeding. There is currently a movement towards using more thoroughbred blood in eventing and the market is always trending towards different stallions. Maintaining good practice throughout all stages of breeding and production of young horses is vital to maintain a high standard of horses coming out of Ireland.

Irish breeders, riders and producers have worked tirelessly to build the reputation of Irish horses around the world. There are various stages involved in the breeding and production of quality Irish horses that are in demand globally.

The hard work and dedication to each of these links, along the production chain, were rewarded at the 2018 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon, North Carolina where Irish horses and riders recorded outstanding success.

Three members of the Irish silver medal winning eventing team partnered Irish-bred horses – Sarah Ennis with Horseware Stellor Rebound, Cathal Daniels with Rioghan Rua and Sam Watson with Horseware Ardagh Highlight.

This was only the beginning of the success recorded by Irish-bred horses at WEG. Individual Irish rider Patricia Ryan rode the Irish-bred Dunrath Eclipse and two more Irish-bred horses were part of the gold medal winning British team.

Piggy French finished 10th with Quarrycrest Echo and Gemma Tattersall finished 30th with Artic Soul.

Irish-bred success was not restricted to eventing, Luibanta BH was the highest placed of five Irish-bred horses in the show jumping competition at WEG. The Luidam-sired 10-year-old, ridden by Britain’s Amanda Derbyshire, finished in 17th place individually.

I am hopeful that this success will encourage and motivate more Irish breeders to breed quality Irish horses. To do so, a great deal of thought must be put into the grass roots of the breeding industry.

GROUND LEVEL

I have never understood the concept of breeding from a mare because she was unsuitable for any other job. To my mind you should breed from the very best mares, the ones who have what you would like in your foal, such as the jump, movement, temperament, the list goes on.

Thankfully, through this supplement I have reaffirmed my faith that I am not alone in this belief. Breeders are becoming more selective with their breeding and the results are showing. Present day breeders do have the advantage of modern technology, which is constantly progressing and making it a lot easier to breed, especially from competition mares.

Almost all of the breeders involved in this supplement highlighted how much embryo transfer has transformed breeding. It has given breeders and riders the opportunity to breed and compete mares at the same time.

This is not always straightforward, and as is the case with most veterinary procedures, some mares react and suit the procedure much more than others.

Combining modern practices, such as using frozen semen and artificial insemination with the likes of embryo transfer can be challenging but for many breeders it has resulted in a great deal of choice in relation to choosing a suitable stallion for each individual mare and keeping her in light work, if not in full competition work.

Breeding is very rewarding on so many levels but it is important to remember that it has to be commercially viable. For this, breeders need to be in touch with riders who are competing regularly and are familiar with the market needs.

Riders, breeders and producers should work together, after all the end goal is the same and will reflect well on all parties involved.

I wish you all, as breeders, the very best of luck this season and continued success in the years ahead.