THE year started off on a promising note, as the Hippomundo end-of-year rankings showed Ballaghmor Class was their leading event horse, leading to posthumous top eventing breeder honours for his late breeder, Noel Hickey.
Pacino Amiro (eighth) was the highest-earning ISH of 2023 and his breeder Simon Scott led off the Breeders’ 10 series for 2024, reflecting on another incredible year for the Donegal-bred.
It took just three editions before foal passport delays returned as the lead news story, when Paul Kehoe and Michael Fitzmaurice were the latest TDs to raise questions on the issue.
2,571 passports, outstanding from 2023, remained to be issued by Horse Sport Ireland (HSI). As of January 15th, the Connemara Pony Breeders Society (CPBS) had issued 52% of its passports for the previous year also. Both organisations cited the changeover to the SNP DNA process, as required by Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), as the cause of the delay.
The second part of the Hippomundo rankings review showed that the KWPN (€23,497,085) and Irish Sport Horse (€956,192) were 2023’s highest-earning show jumping and eventing studbooks and that Diamant de Semilly (show jumping) and Birkhof’s Grafenstolz (eventing) were the leading sires.
Storm Isha meant a short but thorough AGM held by the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) in Portlaoise, chaired by Kevin Noone. Their 2022 accounts showed the association, run on a voluntary, no-expenses basis, operated on a shoestring budget of €31,295.
In a follow-up, several breeders explained why they continued to breed traditional, with additional viewpoints provided by HSI’s Sonja Egan and IHB chairman Tiernan Gill.
By February, Longford TD Joe Flaherty was the latest to weigh in on the passports issue.
Horses of a lifetime
Mr Medicott, bred by the late Donal Geaney, kicked off the Horse of a Lifetime wintertime series, the Lindy Nixon-Grey-bred Supreme Rock and two Galway horses: Carling King and James Kann Cruz, bred by the late Dr. Pat Geraghty and Patrick Connolly, also featured.
An extended deadline for the National Equine Census, (its original deadline was November 30th) was flagged in the February 17th issue. BBS McGregor’s breeder Marguerite Ryan was January’s Gain Equine Nutrition Star of the Month. Another Kilkenny-bred: HHS Calais won the Longines World Cup Grand Prix in Sharjah.
The March 2nd issue featured the Irish Horse Board (IHB) AGM report, held in Mullingar where a progress report was made for 2023, its first year of operation since the IHB won the marketing and promotion tender from the DAFM. Delays in foal passports being issued was another AGM topic.
Kylemore Stud’s Womanizer was upgraded to five-star status on account of his eventing progeny. HSI announced the reintroduction of the Irish Draught amnesty for a three-year term.
82% of 2023’s foal passports had been issued, according to a CPBS update.
Mikey Pender and Molly Hughes Bravo won the Sunshine Tour six-year-old and seven-year-old finals on the homebreds Madgeslane Luidam and HHS Mercedes. Before March closed out, a preview of the HSI stallion inspection entries at Cavan was included and the Swedish Warmblood Studbook (SWB) announced a ban on registering ICSI foals from March 2025.
The ‘Class of 24’ feature listed the successful stallions at the 15th year of HSI’s stallion inspections at Cavan, where the timetable also included a Stallion Showcase.
A bonus in the early April was the 40-page Sport Horse Stallions 2024 pullout section; the topical ICSI issue and, in the run-up to Paris, which medal winners ever bred another Olympian were amongst this year’s articles. The 2024 stallion inspections wrap-up included a Q&A section with HSI’s Sonja Egan, who confirmed there were no immediate plans to introduce a ban on ICSI foals.
Another turn in the ongoing passports saga was the news story about HSI’s decision not to provide ‘sales letters’ for breeders who hadn’t received passports by sales time. Compliance with EU law was cited as the reason.
“Passport prices set to skyrocket” was the next development. The cheapest passport (€147.60) represented a 50% increase. HSI also announced that its new e-passport service would be rolled out in June.
Thumps up! Oliver Townend after winning the Defender Burghley Horse Trials with Ballaghmor Class (ISH) \ EquusPix Photography
‘Millionaire mare’ retires
Cooley Rosalent, bred by Woods Rosbotham, got her breeder, the ISH studbook and in-house sire Valent off to a flying start in the rankings after her Kentucky CCI5*-L win with Oliver Townend. It was his fourth Kentucky victory, after Ballaghmor Class (2021) and Cooley Master Class (2018, 2019), all Irish-breds.
By the May 11th issue, the Registered Stallion Owners Society (RSOS) had rowed in on the passports issue, writing to Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConologue to voice their frustration. The first of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) rankings were released, which showed the ISH studbook in second (eventing) and ninth (show jumping) places.
The ISH studbook was already a clear leader in Hippomundo’s prize money-based rankings after Cooley Rosalent’s Kentucky win. That early lead was then consolidated by Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier’s matching CSI5*-L winning result at Badminton.
The May 18th issue reported on the sad passing of Wexford stallion master Jack Lambert, while Badminton winning breeder Michael Callery was that week’s Breeders’ 10 subject, as part of a Badminton breeding special.
HSI CEO Denis Duggan faced tough questioning at a RSOS meeting in Abbeyleix over passport delays. He also flagged that the stallion covering cert requirement could be dropped within two to three years as, legally, HSI could not refuse to register a foal whose parents’ DNA was on file.
Joanne Sloan Allen officially retired the ‘millionaire mare’ Suma’s Zorro, bred by Susie Lanigan O’Keeffe, at Balmoral Show where a presentation was also made to Cooley Rosalent’s breeder, Woods Rosbotham.
On to June, when ex-Arigna coalminer Joe Flynn paid tribute to his homebred TIH stallion Ardcolum Duke, one of 2024’s stallion losses.
Keen breeder and ex-Irish Horse Board member Michael Duignan passed away and the month’s final issue, another HSI passports issue news story. Denis Duggan and Sonja Egan appeared before an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, where TDs Michael Fitzmaurice (IND) and Joe Flaherty (FF) heard that 200 passports from 2023 were said to be outstanding and the new online registration system was ready to be rolled out.
The Breeders’ 10 series began profiling new finalists for The Irish FieldBreeders’ Championship and five-times Hickstead Derby runner-up A Touch Imperious, bred by Leo Rice, retired at his favourite venue.
James Kann Cruz and Pacino Amiro were part of a notable victory for the Irish show jumping team at Aachen, where they scored Ireland’s sixth win in the history of this German Nations Cup.
The July 20th issue carried news of the launch of HSI’s long-awaited online registration system: horsesource.ie, a month later than scheduled. Passport applications had halted in May to allow data transfer to the new system, which Denis Duggan predicted would have a four to six weeks turnaround for foals with DNA-verified parents.
The Pony Tales pages featured the sale of two Connemara ponies to Hawaii by agent Padraic Heanue and Hollymount’s Peter McHugh’s wish for a memorial in Ardcroney to commemorate the late stallion master, Philip Heenan.
Francis Derwin won individual silver on the Knightfield Stud-bred Flexi K (ISH) at the European young rider championships in Kronenberg, where the Irish team won back-to-back gold.
Medals
Irish Sport Horses at the Paris Olympics numbered eight (eventing) and three (show jumping). The three-member team rule is one factor, although the Irish-bred tally is still significantly lower than the heights of 17 (eventing) at Hong Kong. MGH Grafton Street, bred by Martin Collins, was the sole ISH on a Paris medal team after the Japanese team took bronze in eventing.
Jessica Burke won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hickstead with the Liam Nicholas owned and bred Express Trend. In the second part of a Paris Pedigrees feature, the dressage and show jumping medallists were profiled.
In The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship, it was a second win for owner Paula Howard (eventing) and first-time win for Mayoman John McDonnell (show jumping) with Dernahatten Out Of Touch and CBI Ice Queen respectively. Anne Marie O’Gorman’s five-year-old champion Cutting Edge doubled up with the Broodmare Futurity title and Denis Hickey lived many Irish breeder’s dream, when watching GRS Lady Amaro compete on the Aga Khan home team with Mark McAuley.
Hickey was to also pick up a €1,000 bonus from the IFA Horse Project for breeding the highest-placed Irish-bred in Dublin’s Rolex Grand Prix.
Amongst the Horse Show attendees was Claremorris native James Balfe, who breeds Connemara ponies in Australia. At the Flanders Embryo Auction held during the Horse Show, a Cornet Obolensky-HH Azur embryo was sold for €76,000.
The Lanaken squad came close to matching 2023’s clean sweep of medals, when the Marion Hughes-bred HHS Mercedes made it 10 gold medals for Irish Sport Horses at the WBFSH championships after her seven-year-old final win with Mikey Pender. BP Royalty, bred by GBBS International and ridden by Galway’s Michael Duffy, won bronze.
In October, it was back to yet another DAFM joint committee meeting where Deputy Joe Flaherty (FF) described the passport situation as an “absolute breakdown in delivery”.
Dunboyne, HHS Ice Flo and Dougie Drea provided the horsepower for Lt. Michaeli Byrne, Molly Hughes Bravo and Emma O’Dwyer’s silver medal team win in the WBFSH studbook seven-year-old final at Valkenswaard. Stacey Babes, Kevin Meagher and Victoria Foster were the respective breeders of this ISH trio.
HHS Calais was back in the spotlight after a Grand Prix win with Mikey Pender at the Longines League of Nations final in Barcelona.
Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue stated he was “monitoring the [passport] matter closely,” at the start of near-weekly first-hand accounts in the Irish Horse World from breeders affected by delays. HSI had declined to provide an update on the number of passports issued to the Irish Horse World, according to this October 19th news story. However, weekly updates then began to be posted on the HSI website.
Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier (ISH), winners of the 2024 Badminton Horse Trials \ Nigel Goddard
Disconnect
Clever Trick (ISH) and Sportsfield Freelance, bred by Vincent Cousins and Sharon and Brian Hallahan, were on the victorious Irish team at the Boekelo Nations Cup.
The ISH studbook finished second and eighth in the WBFSH final rankings; James Kann Cruz (sixth) and Cooley Rosalent (fifth) were the highest-placed Irish Sport Horses in show jumping and eventing. The Daniel Coyle-partnered Legacy (BWP) was the top-ranked show jumping horse.
Ballaghmor Class entered ‘Greatest of All Time’ consideration after winning his fourth five-star event, this time at Maryland International.
Irish Sport Horses were out of the medals for a second year at the WBFSH young event horse championships at Le Lion d’Angers, where most attention was on the seven-year-old final winner; one of Chilli Morning’s clones: Chilli Morning IV.
Just 16% of foal passport applications applied for on horsesource.ie had been processed, according to a news story in the November 19th issue. In a hard-hitting editorial, Judith Faherty commented on the disconnect between breeders and HSI, with HSI ‘blaming’ breeders for a surge in passport applications.
The Holsteiner stallion VDL Cartello, Darragh Kenny’s campaigner, was to be retired at CHI Geneva.
The 2024 Equine Census, set for November 30th, was flagged in the November 16th issue and Matthew O’Meara’s ‘big birthday trip’ to Kentucky was in time to witness brother John (breeder of Rio Olympics event horse Blackfoot Mystery) top the Keeneland November Sale.
Kannan, Diarado and Johnson TN were the WBFSH’s leading sires in show jumping, eventing and dressage.
By the November 30th issue, the number of foal passports issued stood at 34%, while some TIH foal passports were missing this designation. HSI said this would be remedied.
Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz (ISH) at the Paris Olympic Games \ Tomas Holcbecher
Stallion losses throughout 2024 included the Connemara stallion Ice And Fire d’Albran, Loughehoe Guy (ISH) and Je T’Aime Flamenco.
Highlights: Ballaghmor Class, the five-star machine; HHS Calais, James Kann Cruz, another Lanaken gold medal, another Olympic medal and undisputed leaders in Hippomundo’s eventing rankings.
Minuses: The passports delays issue once again dominated 2024 for breeders.
What they said
“I was in Turkey on holidays last week with a bunch of friends; they were talking about the hurling county quarter-final, I was talking about the young horse world finals in Lanaken. They’re still looking at me when I showed them the horse coming third in the final, hip hip hurrah. The hurling team won as well!”
Larry Costello, breeder of Goodwins Loyalty, dam of two Lanaken medallists including BP Royalty.
“We have an irony here in the Department of Agriculture has given €600,000 in Brexit funding to HSI to administer and process passports and, at the same time, it’s writing to the sales venues and telling them that they can’t process the sale of foals unless they have a passport. The market is breaking down.”
Joe Flaherty, TD.
“It is an absolute joy for me to be connected to this horse and rider [Colorado Blue and Austin O’Connor]. Like the Olympic movement itself, they stand for sporting achievements that lift us all out of the ordinary and into that better place, where true sport conquers all barriers.”
Kate Jarvey, Colorado Blue’s breeder.
“But on the day after it’s [Olympics] all over, it’s always important to remember that half the world is fighting over a bowl of rice.”
Boyd Martin, US multi-Olympic team member.
“I accept it’s more comfy to watch from home on Clipmyhorse, but you can’t beat throwing your eye on the stallion in front of you!”
Gladys McArdle, at the HSI Stallion Showcase.
“When you go to two and three-star level, it’s full of warmblood flashy types, then by four-star, they get weeded out and by five-star, you’ve got your Irish breeding going on and sometimes the continentals don’t dig as deep as we need them to.”
Caroline Powell.
“CSF James Kann Cruz (Gizmo) is a special horse. We’re lucky to have such a great horse and even luckier to have a great Irish-bred horse. Breeding in Ireland is catching up quickly with the rest of the world and that’s thanks to breeders like the Connollys and other breeders in Ireland. People like this are putting a lot of thought, effort, money, time and dreams into breeding something they can be proud of.”
Shane Sweetnam.
“It [HSI stallion book] was a very, very easy document to flip through. I’m sorry, I might be a Neanderthal, but trying to look up stallions on the internet just doesn’t suit me, unfortunately.
And I don’t think I’d be the only one who doesn’t get an internet signal in the cave either!”
John Watson.