Sport Horse Breeders Training

In 2007 the Irish Horse Board submitted an application for funding to develop a training network for breeders to Skillnets Ltd, an enterprise-led body that was established in 1999 to provide companies with new opportunities to develop relevant, effective answers to their training and development needs. Following this application, Skillnets Ltd awarded the Irish Horse Board with a grant of approximately €420,000 to develop a sport horse breeders training network. The IHB is delighted to announce that the training network, called the Sport Horse Breeders Skillnet, is now up and running and the first courses for breeders, 'Veterinary Care for the Mare and Foal' and 'Sport Horse Sales and Marketing', will commence next month.

The 'Veterinary Care for the Mare and Foal' courses will be run at four venues throughout the country for one evening a week for four consecutive weeks (see timetable below). The first evening will focus on 'Equine Reporoduction'. Other topics to be covered include 'Post Foaling Care of the Mare and Foal', 'Disease Prevention/Control and Limb Deformities' and 'Common Ailments and First Aid'.

The first of the 'Sport Horse Sales & Marketing' courses will be held at the Sport Horse Performance Sale in Goresbridge on 22nd May. Additional courses will be held at Cavan and Goresbridge Horse Sales throughout the year (see timetable below). Participants on these courses will identify a range of horses, discuss their suitability for various markets and follow their progression through the sale, giving the participant a greater awareness of market requirements.

Other courses which will be delivered by the Sport Horse Breeders Skillnet later this year include 'Nutrition', 'Mare Management', 'Care, Handling and Production of Young Stock' and 'Mare and Stallion Assessment/Genetics'. In addition, a number of field trips and workshops will be organised throughout the year. Further details on these courses will be announced over the coming months.

All courses run by the Sport Horse Breeders Skillnet are free of charge to members. Membership forms can be requested from Ms. Jacqueline Ladley (contact details below) or downloaded from the following link:

http://www.irishsporthorse.com/forms/sport_horse_breeders_skillnets_forms.711.html

The completed Membership Form should be returned to Ms. Ladley, along with the annual membership fee of €150. Membership is available to residents of the Republic of Ireland and is limited to the first 400 applicants. It is advised to apply for membership early to avoid disappointment.

The Sport Horse Breeders Skillnet is funded by member companies and the Training Networks Programme, an initiative of Skillnets Ltd funded by the National Training Fund through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

For further information on membership of the Sport Horse Breeders Skillnet and courses for sport horse breeders, please contact:

Ms. Jacqueline Ladley
Sport Horse Breeders Skillnet
Beech House, Millennium Park
Naas, Co. Kildare
Tel: 045-854515
Email: jladley@horsesportireland.ie

Timetable for Veterinary Care for the Mare & Foal course:

Timetable for Sport Horse Sales & Marketing course: