HORSE Sport Ireland has announced the appointment of three industry professionals to join its board of directors. They are Dr Siobhan McAuliffe, Sue Foley and Allison Mercer. However, there was no appointment made to the High Performance Sport Advisory Forum.

The Irish Field understands the Army Equitation School, Show jumping Ireland, Dressage Ireland and Para Equestrian Ireland did not provide nominees and therefore the High Performance forum has no quorum and cannot meet to elect a chair and select its candidate for consideration by the nomination panel. The RDS did not provide nominations to the forums they sit on.

It is also understood that the Minister for Agriculture will be appointing his fifth member in the coming months.

New appointments

Chairman of the Board, Mr Michael Dowling, said: “We are delighted to welcome these highly respected individuals to our board. Their extensive experience and deep-rooted passion for the equestrian sector will undoubtedly contribute to the continued growth and success of Horse Sport Ireland.”

Dr Siobhan McAuliffe, MBV, DACVIM, Cert RA is a renowned equine veterinarian with over 25 years of experience. McAuliffe is a member of the Irish Equine Veterinary Association (IEVA), and is the IEVA representative on Horse Sport Ireland’s Coaching and Education Advisory Forum.

Sue Foley is a successful equestrian business woman with Clonshire Equestrian Centre in Adare, Co Limerick. She is current Vice-Chairperson of AIRE (Association of Irish Riding Establishments). She is the AIRE representative on the Equestrian, Sport and Recreation Advisory Forum.

Allison Mercer is the Managing Director at The Concept Group, a facilities management company, which she set up with two partners. She is currently a director of the Northern Ireland Horse Board (NIHB), a member of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society Council and a director of the Northern Irish Sports Forum. Mercer is the NIHB representative on Horse Sport Ireland’s Breeding and Production Advisory Forum.

The appointments come after 12 months of consultation, engagement and consideration of an alternative model to select directors.

The process, agreed in a 2024 constitutional change, involved reform of the previous Advisory Councils to create four Advisory Forums. The panel consisted of Tom Moran, Chairman of Kerry Group PLC and Chairman of the Public Appointments Service, who chaired the panel, along with Dr Una May, CEO, Sport Ireland; Dr Gemma Daly, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEARA) in Northern Ireland; and Brian Mangan, former board member of the FEI and former Chair of the FEI Audit and Risk Committee.

SJI ‘perplexed’ at board decision

REACTING to the HSI board appointments, Ronan Corrigan, Finance and Management Chairman at Show jumping Ireland, told The Irish Field: “We are not shocked HSI has decided to proceed with board appointments without the High Performance affiliates. We are however still perplexed that concerns we raised about the appointment process and High Performance funding models have not been addressed.

“Unfortunately, we are of the view we have almost exhausted every avenue to engage with them at this stage, but there is little we can do. It certainly is troubling they seem ambivalent about our concerns and have not attempted to engage with us in the lead up to this announcement.”

Eventing Ireland chairman, Niki Potterton, said news of the appointments was disappointing and that EI did make nominations to the forum, pending clarification on certain points, but clarification never came.

“I’m surprised by who they are and I feel I don’t really know what they represent. I feel it’s very disappointing that there is none of the Olympic affiliates on it. The four Olympic affiliates have their fingers on the pulse of the high end of the sport, and surely somebody in that area needs to be there to advise the board, so we’re definitely missing a trick.

“The High Performance part of it is a huge financial element of the sport horse world. It’s a shame as we’ve always had a good relationship with HSI, but at the moment that relationship is a little bit out of kilter.

“I suppose we feel a little bit let down that we haven’t had more influence on the new board.”

BOARD MEMBER BIOS

Dr Siobhan McAuliffe, MBV, DACVIM, Cert RA: A renowned equine veterinarian with over 25 years of experience, Dr. McAuliffe has been instrumental in advancing equine reproduction, health, and welfare standards. Having graduated from UCD in 1997 she worked in ambulatory equine practice in Ireland until 2001 when she took up a residency in Equine Internal Medicine at the then Hagyard, Davidson and McGee clinic in Lexington, Kentucky.

On completion of her residency, she worked for King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia. In 2010, she took up a position as Head of Neonatology at the newly constructed Kawell Equine Hospital in Buenos Aires, where she remained until returning to Ireland in 2017 to establish a new medicine and neonatology unit at Fethard Equine Hospital.

She has numerous publications in both English and Spanish. She currently works as an equine internal medicine consultant and her comprehensive knowledge of equine science, as well as her commitment to the highest standards of horse care, will be a tremendous asset to HSI's initiatives. Dr. McAuliffe is a member of the Irish Equine Veterinary Association (IEVA), and is the IEVA representative on Horse Sport Ireland’s Coaching & Education Advisory Forum.

Ms. Sue Foley: As a successful equestrian business woman with Clonshire Equestrian Centre in Adare, Co. Limerick, Ms. Foley brings a wealth of practical industry knowledge and a strong network within the Association of Irish Riding Establishments (AIRE) network of riding centres, where she is current Vice-Chairperson. She is one of the best qualified and most experienced instructors in the country.

She has helped many riders reach their riding dream, whether it is passing career exams, tackling a difficult jump, or just learning how to enjoy a gentle hack in the countryside. As a dedicated teacher and Level 2 Coach, Ms. Foley strives to ensure the horse and rider find true harmony. She enjoys dressage and eventing, is an AIRE member and is also the AIRE representative on HSI’s Equestrian, Sport & Recreation Advisory Forum.

Ms. Allison Mercer: Ms. Mercer graduated from Queens’ University Belfast in BSc Biochemistry Hons and BAgrSc Agricultural Chemistry Hons and is currently the Managing Director at The Concept Group, a facilities management company which she set up with two partners and ran successfully for over 20 years until the business was acquired by The Mount Charles Group in 2022.

Ms. Mercer has competed extensively in show jumping, eventing, dressage, working hunter and showing classes, most recently championing her own homebred young stock. She has completed the relevant coaching and judging courses, and has previously been on the Irish Pony Society and Dressage Ireland judges panels.

She was the HSI Youth show jumping chairperson for three years, a director of Showjumping Ireland, is currently a director of the Northern Ireland Horse Board (NIHB), a member of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society Council, and a director of the Northern Irish Sports Forum. Ms. Mercer is the NIHB representative on Horse Sport Ireland’s Breeding & Production Advisory Forum.