Horse Sport Ireland’s (HSI) disastrous handling of the new passport system has left Irish breeders hanging, and it’s clear the issues run far deeper than a “transition period. “At this point, HSI’s promises of improvement have become little more than lip service”.

They launched the much-touted “Horse Source” digital passporting system with a bold claim that it would cut down delays and provide a “streamlined” process—yet breeders and owners are left worse off than ever, with delays dragging on for months, lost paperwork, and unanswered queries.

HSI’s CEO Denis Duggan may have assured the public at last year’s Oireachtas committee meeting that the new SNP DNA technology would resolve parentage verification bottlenecks. He pinned early delays on DNA verification and staff turnover, blaming the latter on employees “seeking higher salaries elsewhere.” But such excuses don’t wash when breeders are facing ruin. Breeders have recounted nightmare situations—waiting up to nine months for passports while essential sales are lost, or missing critical export windows because HSI can’t manage basic record-keeping.

And the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, has minced no words: he’s openly declared these delays “unacceptable.” At an Irish Farmers’ Association conference, the Minister himself highlighted the toll this fiasco has taken on the sector, admitting he’s had to intervene with HSI in an effort to get things moving. His words ring out like an indictment, echoing the frustration of hundreds of breeders who’ve had to chase their own paperwork for months while the supposed “streamlining” of Horse Source has only resulted in further chaos.

For breeders, the stakes are high. They’re effectively held hostage to HSI’s inefficiencies and disorganisation, with no independent body to hold HSI to account. We have spoken about this numerous of times this year, especially when we publicly asked for answers re changes made to their constitution which fundamentally took away any pathway to accountability.

One breeder, after five years of unanswered queries and lost applications, described the situation as “hopeless,” adding that HSI’s inability to track and manage its own documentation has cost him substantial sales. Another, still waiting on passports after seven months, had to watch foreign deals collapse simply because HSI couldn’t get its act together. In practical terms, these delays mean a whole industry in limbo—hundreds of breeders are now questioning their future in this sector, and their anger is growing as HSI’s reassurances wear thinner by the day.

We ran a poll on this on Friday and you should see the 15+ answers that came in. Shameful. This isn’t the first time and won’t be the last time we cover this. Things need to change and we, the media, need to put more pressure on.

This isn’t just an issue of transition, staffing, or technology hiccups; it’s a deeper, systemic failure within HSI itself. A failure to communicate with breeders, to be transparent about timelines, and to deliver on their promises. Breeders have repeatedly voiced their fears that HSI would botch this rollout, and here we are, precisely in the mess they predicted. With no external accountability or oversight, and all grievances ultimately handled by the very body causing the delays, it might at this stage be called “a closed loop of dysfunction”. The mind ponders…

HSI’s leadership has touted “milestones” of passports issued since November. But the reality is that, as breeders scramble to salvage what they can from lost sales and missed events, these numbers mean nothing.

If HSI doesn’t sort out this crisis soon, the damage to the Irish equine industry could be long-lasting. Without accountability, and a functioning system that treats breeders’ livelihoods with respect, we’ll be right back here next year, hearing the same empty assurances, with even fewer breeders willing to stake their futures on HSI’s word.

Until Next Time,

Shane