ISH Young Breeders National Championships 2022

ISH Young (Equine) Breeders National Championships 2022

The ISH Young Breeders training programme is a joint programme between Teagasc and Horse Sport Ireland focusing primarily on the assessment of conformation and athleticism traits of eventing and show jumping horses. Training is provided across a range of topics such as husbandry and breeding, in hand presentation, and turnout, with opportunities to compete in National and World Championship competitions. The programme is aimed at those between the ages of 15 to 25 years who are interested in assessing, exhibiting, and perhaps breeding performance horses. Participants are not required to be active breeders – interest and an eagerness to participate and learn is all that is required. This Knowledge Transfer initiative is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Wendy Conlon, Equine Specialist, Farm Management and Rural Development Department, Teagasc says “The vision for the Young Breeders programme is to train the breeders and industry contributors of the future while providing them opportunity to network with other like-minded individuals and also to give them a platform to engage with professionals already established in the sector.”

National Championships will take place at the Teagasc Kildalton Agricultural College on Saturday, 2^nd April and are a first step in selecting teams to represent the ISH Studbook at World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses International Young Breeder World Championships in Ermelo, Holland July 2022. Although knowledge and skill of participants is challenged and assessed at the Championships, there is plenty of support, guidance and feedback provided throughout making the experience equally accessible to those who attended training previously and those who would like to ‘give it a go’.

Who can enter?

Those aged 15-25 years of age on 1/1/22. While encouraged, it is not compulsory to progress to World Championships if successful at Nationals.

What is involved?

Multiple choice theory test – topics include breeding, stable management, feeding, health and sport.

Assessing conformation, movement and jumping traits – Judges first score two horses, with discussion on reasons for allocating scores, before competitors assess a further three horses aiming to match the judges’ scores as closely as possible for the latter three.

Presenting in hand – Resource material is available on the website and a demonstration on the day will explain how this discipline is assessed. Horses are also provided

How to Enter:

All details are available on https://bit.ly/YoungBreederEvents

Or contact Teagasc equine specialist wendy.conlon@teagasc.ie

Booking at https://teagasc.clearbookings.com closes 20 March.

Wendy Conlon concludes; “The training activities and Championships also provide a great opportunity to network with others from around the country with a similar interest. A selection of quality young horses have been identified to discuss and learn from during the Championships at Kildalton College and a summer trip to Ermelo will be the outcome for eight individuals following a further selection process after the Nationals.”