CHANGES to how Horse Sport Ireland recruits its High Performance managers for youth show jumping and youth eventing have been met with wide-ranging concerns.

Previously, in eventing there was one manager appointed to pony teams, and another to juniors and young riders. In show jumping, there was a manager for pony teams, and another team manager who oversaw children on horses, juniors and young riders.

Last week, HSI advertised two ‘requests for tender’ (RFTs) for High Performance services; one tender for youth show jumping to include ponies, COH and juniors, and one tender for youth eventing to include ponies and juniors. For both disciplines, management of young riders will now fall under the remit of the senior eventing/show jumper manager.

With regard to both eventing and show jumping, the RFTs state HSI is seeking to “engage innovative and capable service providers to design, implement, and manage high-performance programmes for youth eventing/show jumping”.

They go on to say: “Proposals are invited from groups of equestrian professionals with complementary expertise, who share a vision for creating a holistic and connected pathway for youth athletes. HSI seeks collaborative delivery teams capable of working across categories (ponies and juniors for eventing and ponies, COH and juniors for show jumping). This approach replaces the previous model, where individual applicants managed individual programmes. Instead, HSI requires a delivery team that includes professionals with skills in coaching, team selection and management, ensuring a unified, athlete-centred programme.”

Among the items applicants must provide in their proposals to be submitted by February 7th are:

  • A draft programme design, including coaching structures, progression pathways, and a high level selection process
  • A performance monitoring and evaluation plan
  • A timeline and key milestones
  • A fee structure including a fixed daily rate fee covering costs for planning, development, event attendance (including chef d’equipe responsibilities) and training delivery. All expenses (e.g. travel, accommodation) must be included in these rates.

    • Extreme concern

    ShowJumping Ireland (SJI), in a statement to The Irish Field, said it was “extremely concerned by the news that the most successful youth show jumping programme in Europe is in real danger of being dismantled”.

    The statement went on to say: “The recent advertisement by HSI for tenders for the youth teams have confirmed fears that a proven, tested and unparalleled system is being dismantled by virtue of the requirements within the advert.

    “SJI consider this move to be a backward and needless step. SJI are also extremely concerned, as they have been informed and advised that no consultation took place with team managers, athletes or persons competent and knowledgeable in the needs of such programmes, before such changes were made. Furthermore, neither SJI nor any of its officials were consulted in relation to these changes.

    “SJI can neither endorse nor support any action that is made without reference to those with the necessary knowledge and experience in the sport.”

    Consultation

    Niki Potterton, chairman of Eventing Ireland (EI), said EI concurred with the concerns raised by SJI and said that no attempt at consultation with EI was made by HSI. “They did meet with the youth committee before the RFT went out, but the changes were not discussed,” he said.

    EI has since sent a letter to HSI outlining “urgent concerns” including that the timeline for applications was inadequate. The letter requested an “immediate cancellation of the tender process” and asked that HSI appoint it’s senior eventing high performance manager first, before getting that person’s input on how the youth programme should be structured.

    “The proposed approach, including a potential split between young riders and juniors, is not in the best interests of the youth eventing HP programme,” the letter states. “This change risks undermining the success and cohesion achieved by the current model and does not align with international competition.”

    Response

    In response to questions from The Irish Field, HSI’s head of sport, Avalon Everett, said: “It is important to clarify that the previous agreements were consultancy agreements for services, not employment contracts. On that basis, nothing has fundamentally changed. The procurement process is now referred to as a request for tender instead of a job service specification. An open tender process is designed to ensure fairness and competition, so that Horse Sport Ireland can ensure the best services for the available funding are sourced.”

    Asked if an individual can apply or must it be a group, Everett said: “The RFT is open to groups of equestrian professionals, who can deliver a structured, multi-disciplinary programme. However, a single applicant can act as the principal tenderer, provided they demonstrate a team-based approach to delivering the programme.”

    Value for money

    Asked if the move is a cost-saving measure, she replied: “This change is not necessarily a cost-saving measure, however with any procurement process, getting value for money is always a factor, given this is exchequer funding. Concerns about projecting costs years in advance are standard in sports funding, multi-annual budgeting, and professional service agreements.

    “The incorporation of Young Riders into the senior programme seeks to improve conversion rates into senior ranks, a known area of challenge.”

    Asked if the affiliates were consulted, Everett said: “As for consultation, SJI opted not to nominate representatives to the HSI Advisory Fora, which has been well-documented in the public domain, making consultation challenging.

    “Regarding Eventing Ireland, the EI Youth Committee initially outlined their requests in correspondence sent in November 2024, advocating for a structured vision, greater collaboration, and improved training and athlete retention strategies.

    “The current tender process is directly aligned with those objectives, aiming to establish a transparent and accountable framework for youth high-performance delivery.

    “HSI, as the National Federation, remains committed to delivering world-class, podium-placing high-performance programmes.”

    The deadline for applications has been extended from January 31st and must now be received by COB on Friday, February 7th, 2025.