A pivotal meeting at the Royal Dublin Society on April 24th highlighted a significant governance crisis within Horse Sport Ireland (HSI). Representatives from across the Irish Sport Horse Industry, including major stakeholders from Showjumping Ireland, Dressage Ireland, Eventing Ireland, and the Irish Horse Board Cooperative Society Ltd., gathered to voice their concerns and call for substantial changes.

Affiliates Demand Overhaul

The meeting at the Royal Dublin Society was not just a routine gathering; it was a critical confrontation of the deep-seated discrepancies between how affiliates perceive their role within Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) and the recent seismic shifts instituted by HSI’s leadership. The amendments to the governance documents, stakeholders argued, have not merely adjusted but significantly curtailed their influence, sidelining their input and diminishing their role in critical strategic decisions.

Inclusivity versus Exclusion – Actions Speak Louder than words and this week has shown that.

“These changes have fundamentally altered how the grassroots perspective is integrated into both the governance and the strategic decision-making processes of HSI, which will ultimately detrimentally impact how effectively it serves the industry,” stated a forceful joint statement from the affiliates. This outcry underscores a profound disconnect and highlights a growing concern that the new constitutional framework is steering HSI away from its core mission, to the detriment of the sport’s foundational community.

One of the catalysts for this has been that on January 25th of this year HSI took this out of their constitution. They still have not answered why they took these definitions and references out in an amendment to their constitution but are singing from the roof tops about being more inclusive…

Why take out “collaborating with Affiliates”? Why take out “to provide opportunities”? Why take out “to work with Affiliates for the benefit of sports and recreation”? These are good things that align to inclusivity, a shared vision and they support grassroots equestrians.

The Inconsistency is Unbelievable when it comes to “Advisory Forums”. What HSI and their leadership are saying and what the affiliates are saying, is streets apart. Not on the same page or even close and to be fair, we know who we believe.

HSI’s CEO Denis Duggan insisted that the “advisory forum” process had been inclusive. “Nobody was excluded. The public consultation, which opened in June 2023 and closed after the RDS Horse Show in August 2023, offered an opportunity for all affiliates and members of the wider equestrian public to input into the changes proposed”.

To be clear HSI is saying “Nobody was excluded” and they were all “Offered an Opportunity”. Honestly, what does this mean? We get what it’s supposed to mean, but it was obviously ineffective and lacked real purpose otherwise you wouldn’t have been having a big meeting this week WITHOUT HSI being there and focusing on the very future of the Industry and in turn, HSI.

Let’s be clear, some of the biggest Affiliates in the country have not participated or contributed to the “Advisory Forums”. And even if they are ignoring questions on it… Horse Sport Ireland DID EXCLUDE the definition of Affiliates and the detail of how they will collaborate with Affiliates from their new constitution. Didn’t consult anyone. Didn’t make it public news. Didn’t get support from key Affiliates and yet, its kind of like… don’t worry everyone, trust us. Everything will be alright.

We are skeptical at best and scared shitless at worst.

Engagement Versus Influence:

Duggan also addressed allegations of excluding affiliates from decision-making. “Absolutely not. This is a false claim that is utterly baseless and ignores the fact that 34 organisations are now included within the Advisory Forum structure,” he remarked. 

However, some of the biggest affiliates in the country literally have had no involvement in the Advisory Forums they keep alluding too. NONE. These Advisory Forums are supposed to on some way not only replace the Advisory Councils and the shared Peer Groups… these advisory councils under the new constitution in HSIs words “This system ensures the widest possible level of engagement and inclusivity from our industry partners” hmmmm 🤔 cough cough.

It is a lot to take in; I know but stay with us.

SJI, Dressage Ireland, Para Equestrian Ireland, The RDS and Army Equitation have not been involved in any of these Advisory Forums or throughout any of the selection process. They have made no nominations to these “Advisory Forums”, nothing. Yet according to HSI, these forums ensures the widest possible level of engagement.

We want the grassroots community to think about this; There were 30+ affiliates at the meeting this week without HSI being present. They were discussing the very future of the industry and according to people in attendance did not want HSI as part of that discussion and want a total revamp of leadership and governance in the Equine Industry. We think our close to this article captures it perfectly.

These Affiliates collectively came together and asked for a whole new governance structure… “The meeting called for an overarching body, which provides accountability to the industry, increases stakeholder engagement” that is what their press release said. A total change to governance and what might look like a call for a change in leadership.

But yet, we should carry on according to HSI… 

Let’s ignore…

1. Let’s ignore the lack of engagement from HSI.
2. Let’s ignore the lack of involvement Affiliates had. 
3. Let’s ignore the fact the definition of Affiliates was removed from the constitution.
4. Let’s ignore the fact the reference to collaboration with Affiliates was removed from the constitution.
5. Lets ignore the fact 30+ affiliate representatives and stakeholders felt the need to call a meeting without HSI to talk about serious issues and the future… 
6. Let’s ignore the fact HSI changed the quorum from 9 people to 3 people. 3. Yes you read that right.
7. Let’s ignore the fact that grassroots equestrians are shouting out about passports.
8. Let’s ignore the fact they have disbanded advisory councils and peer groups which were the pathway for grassroots involvement and engagement.

And let’s repeat it again everyone as HSI have said “The vast majority of affiliates do not share or support this position. Most affiliates have engaged fully with the new Advisory Forum process”. – Hold up a second. There was 30+ affiliates at that meeting this week without HSI and we are supposed to believe that the vast majority of affiliates do not support this position, we can agree to disagree. Actions speak louder than words and their actions this week significantly triumph the words of HSI.

Just Imagine most of the big GAA Clubs in Ireland coming together to say they want to either totally transform or dissolve the GAA. What would happen next? What would be the outcome? I doubt very much that it would be business as usual if the GAA had been shaken to its very core.

Let’s be frank. What are we certain that is true? That major Affiliates have not participated in the Advisory forums and they do not agree with the Constitutional Changes. They believe the changes will give them less input and grassroots equestrians less representation. They want new leadership and governance… That and only that can we constitute as fact. Everything else can be disproven to a point.

HSI – How can Horse Sport Ireland say anything at this stage except “this isn’t working” and “we have failed you all”. “We will be better. We will listen more. We’ll revert the Constitution and we will dissolve the Advisory Forums”.

Here is a simple question we asked Thursday of this week and we are still awaiting a response “Is HSI position now tenable with the lack of support and input from all the key representative bodies and key affiliates?”

30+ Affiliates are asking for a whole new setup but HSI wants business to continue as usual. Read the room. That can’t happen now. This isn’t a couple of unhappy people… These are representatives of huge cohorts of the industry in an Olympic year and less than 12 months out from a General Election. 

Grassroots equestrians should be happy and somewhat proud that these Affiliates all came together to unite, to stand against HSI, to call out the wrongs and injustices they both feel and see. What it looks like is that these Affiliates came together to protect grassroots, their members and the future of the industry and to deliver a solution for better communication, transparency and governance. We should be supporting them and their vision. The time for change is here, the time for change is now.

By all accounts, this meeting was a glimpse into the future, the collective communication of a shared vision, the pathway towards real grassroots representation… and according to multiple sources in attendance the RDS did an absolutely fantastic job hosting the discussion, a brilliant presentation was made and people felt heard. People got a chance to have their say and air their frustrations but most importantly, a collective vision and pathway was formed.

The Demand for a New Structure:

The affiliates are calling for what looks like one of two things. You could read it either way. 

A.) A restructuring of HSI’s governance to ensure that it is more accountable to the industry’s needs and includes greater direct involvement from the affiliate organisations. 

or

B.) A whole new entity to lead the Equine Industry and a whole new governance structure. 

“Consensus was quickly reached in terms of the required structure; it should be answerable to the affiliates, hold an AGM where its Executive and Directors report to the affiliates, and have a Board of Directors largely populated by representatives of the Affiliate organisations,” detailed the joint statement. This proposal aims to rectify the perceived lack of stakeholder engagement and align HSI’s actions with its foundational mission.

A Path Forward – a new future. 

To be clear, 30+ Affiliates turned up at this meeting and cited a lack of engagement yet no one has been excluded! They proposed a monumental shift in governance of and leadership of the equine industry and yet, HSI seem to want to continue as normal. Affiliates came together, with a united vision off the back of transformational changes HSI made in their constitution that literally change the very fabric of grassroots representation and we’re all supposed to think everything is ok? Pull the other one… all is not what is seems.

As these issues escalate, the next steps involve direct engagement with government officials to address the failures perceived by the stakeholders and to discuss substantial reforms that would restore HSI’s accountability and realign it with its original goals.

The outcome of these discussions could be pivotal in determining whether HSI can realign itself with its foundational purpose and regain the confidence of its stakeholders, or if it will continue on a path that may lead to a significant disconnect with its base. The industry is watching closely, as the actions taken in the coming months will crucially shape HSI’s governance and its relationship with the grassroots community.