This piece is from a grassroots equestrian that reached out and asked could she write about her dealings, delays and frustrations with HSI and the never ending passports issue.

It is fairly clear that the long winded, stats driven press release last week by HSI was Lip Service… we wrote about it earlier this week. Click the link and you can read “A Victim of it’s Own Success”. but first read on.

We may turn this into a mini series if more grassroots equestrians want to be open, transparent and share their dealings and interactions with Horse Sport Ireland when it comes to passports. These stories need to be heard and told. This is one of the core reasons we created the Grassroots Gazette, to give Grassroots Equestrians and platform and a voice. Here is one Grassroots Equestrian using her voice. We wish more were like Meghan.

The piece begins.

I bred myself a lovely filly out of my own mare. She was born last June. I waited till she was 6 months old which was December last year. I sent in the paperwork to Horse Sport Ireland on the 13th of December by registered post. Then in January they announced the price increase, I thought this wouldn’t affect me as the application was sent in before the price increase.

So I paid no heed to it until March rolled around and no sign of the passport. I rang on the 7th of March only to be told they had not only lost the application but also “misplaced” the DNA samples. I was so annoyed with this but said I’d let it slide that time. I then rang again a month later on April 12th. Only to be told they were still processing the application. I was starting to get fed up then.

I was told on that call I would only be waiting 6-8 weeks for it. Roll on to June 18th I rang again to be told it was still being processed. I was beyond angry at this point and looked for an explanation as to why this was happening and I was told it was because of backlog. I knew full well it was not because of this. I knew I had no choice but wait but I wasn’t going to sit idle I kept ringing every month after up until the last time I had rang which was the 23rd of August and I pleaded with the girl on the phone to just get me my passport, to which she had responded she understood why I was so angry and I asked if she owned a foal to which she answered she hadn’t and I said you don’t know what I’m going through then!!

She then promised to have my passport to me by the first week of September. I scoffed and said I’ll believe it when I see it. I finally received the passport on the 9th of September but was overcharged heavily for the passport. I was told on that last call I wouldn’t be paying the new rate due to the application being sent in before it came into action!!

I was charged €360 which was originally meant to be €180. As a member of the equestrian community it disgusts me that in this day and age this is what we have to deal with. I think we need to write to the ombudsman action needs to be taken against Horse Sport Ireland.

They are ruining what is a hobby for some and for others is what puts food on the table and helps them provide for their families if they breed and sell.

Meghan