JUST as we were about to press send on the paper on Friday evening, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine released the names of two new board members of Horse Sport Ireland.

They are Ms Karen Brosnan and Mr Paul Brolly, while Minister McConalogue also confirmed the re-appointment of Michael Dowling as Chair. As reported previously, Dr Kevin Smyth is also remaining on the board of Horse Sport Ireland. Originally from a dairy farming background in Kerry, Brosnan was Chair of Nuffield Ireland from 2019 – 2022.

McConalogue said: “I believe the new Board has the required skills and experiences to lead the organisation and ensure it helps deliver on the potential that exists in the sport horse sector.” The HSI Constitution provides for a Board of nine members. These new appointments bring the HSI Board membership to seven. Minister McConalogue hopes to finalise the appointment of a further Board member in the coming weeks, bringing the Board membership to eight.

Low budget expectations

It has been an incredibly busy week on the equestrian front, beginning with the amazing achievement of Irish riders and horses in Lanaken. But, despite the achievements of Irish breeders on the world stage, sadly, as Budget Day 2025 looms on Tuesday, there is little hope of any increase on the paltry funding of €5.45 million from the DAFM.

Big Budget asks from HSI are a thing of the past – due to the splitting of the tenders between HSI and the Irish Horse Board. However, it was positive to note this week that HSI are still lobbying behind the scenes. Last week, in the lobby returns filed online, I note that they asked Government ministers for additional funding for integrity measures and integrity programmes as part of the National Breeding Services, and an overall increase in the funding for the industry in Budget 2025.