Booking open for Young Breeders National Championships
This year’s Young Breeders National Championships will be hosted at Teagasc Kildalton Agricultural College, Piltown, Co. Kilkenny on Saturday, 23 March. The aim is to host an event merging both competition and education.
Jointly supported by Teagasc and Horse Sport Ireland, and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the event aims to assess participants' skill and knowledge, while at the same time providing support.
The event, therefore, is equally accessible for those who have previously attended training and for those who may not have, but would like to ‘give it a go’. Some really nice prizes are on offer with support from DAFM and ‘The Equine Warehouse’. It is not a requirement to be an active breeder to partake in the championships and competitors aged 16 to 26 years of age (born 1998 to 2008) are invited.
What is involved?
- Multiple Choice Theory – 20 questions covering breeding/reproduction; feeding and nutrition; stable management; health and welfare; and sport. Theory bank from which questions are taken is provided here.
- Conformation and athleticism assessment – the scores and comments on two prejudgement horses are provided by the judges for both sections in advance of competition judging.
- In hand presentation – there is a set format for the presentation. A practice presentation with feedback from judges is possible before the marked presentation.
Highly respected and experienced industry professionals will share their insights and knowledge on the topics of conformation and athletic assessment, relating to potential for sport and breeding.
The results of the championships will be used to identify a panel from which two teams of four will be selected to represent the ‘Irish Sport Horse Studbook’ at the ‘World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses Young Breeders World Championships’ on July 4-6 2024 at Stutteri Ask, Denmark.
Ten individuals are to be identified in the junior category (born 2004 to 2008) and a further ten in the senior category (born 1998 to 2003) to partake in a further, compulsory, three training and selection days ahead of naming a team of four in both age categories to travel to Demark. As current World Champion titleholders, ISH Studbook look forward to taking up the challenge again in July.
The Young Breeders Programme has established itself as a mechanism for young people with aspirations to learn more about traits, which are both successful in competition horses and valued by the marketplace, by harnessing the input of expert breeders, riders and producers, while accessing high-quality demonstration farms and equines nationally.
Registration
An online information session will be provided on the evening of March 14th for all interested registered competitors. Registrations close on Sunday March 17th. Register early to avail of online support. Further information is available.
Photo caption: The Winning Team of the Irish Sport Horse Studbook World Champion Team 2022 (L to R): Colin Doyle; Camilla Snow Coyne; Amy Finn; Aoife Kirby; Shane Connolly; Annie Madden; Edward Hennessy; and Maria Cairns.