Calling all pony breeders

The breeders' committee of the Irish Pony Society announced that Horse Sport Ireland will sponsor the €2,000 The Irish Horse Gateway All Ireland Pony Foal Championship Show to be held at Tipperary Equestrian Centre, Thurles, Co Tipperary on Sunday, 30 October next, 11am.

There will be €500 on offer to the overall supreme champion foal and €200 to the reserve with a bonus of €100 if the foal is Irish-bred. Mrs Julie Rucklidge of UK's renowned Jackets Stud will judge 12 classes, catering for all types of foal including Connemara, purebred Welsh, foals eligible for over stamping in the part-bred section of the Welsh or Arab studbook, and foals the progeny of either an Irish-bred dam or an Irish-bred sire.

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There are also classes for foals to make potential top-class show ponies, show hunter or lead rein ponies. There is €100 prize money on offer per class.

The show is not confined to members of the Irish Pony Society. Foals must be shown without their dams and must not be bitted.

Foals may be plaited where the breed standard allows it. The show is pre-entry and entries close on 20 October next. Foals which are being offered for sale will be marked on the show catalogue.

For further information, please contact Claire 087-832 8565; Marian 087-205 4128; John 086-021 3383 or info@irishhorsegateway.ie or visit the shows page of www.irishponysociety.ie

Indecon to review HSI

Consultants Indecon will review Horse Sport Ireland in a move shortly to be announced by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed. The independent economic research organisation previously reviewed Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish greyhound industry.

Indecon will assess the 2015 Reaching New Heights report as well as all the submissions recently submitted to the Department for the upcoming review of HSI which is expected to take until early 2017 to complete.

Top IMFHA job for Lalor

David Lalor, master of the Laois Hunt is the new chair of the Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association, the All-Ireland body representing the 49 registered packs of foxhounds. He replaces Rupert Mccauley of the West Wicklow Foxhounds, who served as chair since 2002.

Lalor, who is from a farming background, has previously hosted the National Ploughing Championships on his farm near Ballacolla and is also the main organiser of the National Hound Show at Stradbally Hall. He has served as vicechair of the IMFHA for the past 10 seasons.