Irish Horse Board Young Breeders Championship

Following the success of the Young Irish Breeders at the WBFSH International Young Breeders competition in Denmark in August 2005 the Irish Horse Board is delighted to announce the formation of a Young Breeders Championship in Ireland.

The Irish Horse Board hopes that this new Young Breeders Championship will:

• Encourage young people to become actively involved in breeding, showing and judging mares and young horses.
• Identify young breeders with the potential to become judges. 
• Improve young breeders knowledge of horse breeding. 
• Give young breeders an opportunity to meet other breeders both nationally and internationally.

The Young Breeders Championship will consist of two age categories; 16 to 19 years of age and 20 to 25 years of age. Four regional qualifying competitions will be held and will consist of five different sections:

(i) Theory
(ii) Presenting a mare in hand
(iii) Judging the gaits of loose horses
(iv) Judging loose jumping
(v) Ranking three mares on conformation.

Five individuals from each age group will be selected from each of the four qualifiers to compete at the final. At the final six individuals will be chosen from each age category and will receive coaching during the following months from which the final selection will be made for the teams travelling to the WBFSH Young Breeders Championship in 2007 to represent Ireland.

The Irish Horse Board hopes that the Young Breeders Championship will encourage young people’s involvement in the breeding industry and would like to thank Teagasc for their help in establishing this competition.

Further details will be announced shortly.