Irish Draught Horse Society

NEW SHOW FOR IRISH DRAUGHTS

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:19:00 +0000

LANCHESTER AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY SHOW
SUNDAY 4 JULY 2010

The Lanchester Agricultural Society Show is well established and efficient - this year will be our 58th Annual Show - and we are pleased to announce that for the first time we are introducing Irish Draught Classes across the board.
There will be In-Hand classes, including Brood Mare and Foal plus Qualifier for the New Snowford (GB) Breeding Championship, Youngstock Classes, plus Qualifier for the NFU Pure Bred Youngstock Championship and Ridden Irish Draught Classes including a Qualifier for the Blue Chip and IDHS(GB) £2,000 Challenge. All three Championship Finals will be held at the Irish Draught Horse Society Breed Show at Arena UK in September.

Our show is well organised, with a kind and friendly environment for horses. The show already includes major qualifiers including Puk and BSPS summer championships, RIHS (coloureds), Bronze Medal welsh classes, Cherif PBA classes and we hope that the addition of the Irish Draught Classes will further enhance the Show.

As well as Equine Classes, Lanchester Agrultural Show also holds a cattle and sheep section.

There is an extensive local Farmers Market and refreshments and bar.

We are very pleased to welcome the Irish Draught classes to our show. Please do support us in this new venture and send SAE for a schedule to: C Miller, Escomb Farm, 81, Low Escomb, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham DL14 7SW.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Charlotte Miller
Show Secretary
07717 326 116

Website User Accounts

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:39:00 +0000

All website user accounts that have not been accessed within the last 90 days have been deleted. This will be ongoing every 60-90 days - please log on occasionally if you wish to keep your account active.
(617 accounts were deleted !!!)
Dave, Webmaster

Updates

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:41:31 +0000

2010 Shows online (and in 'Shows' downloads)
2009 Winter Newsletter online

'Downloads' have been re-categorised .... note that you will need to click on the 'sub-folder' that you require. Clicking on the main folder (when the files are in sub-folders) will return 'Files not found'.

Dave, Webmaster

Follow IDHS(GB) on Facebook & Twitter !!

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 08:43:06 +0000

You can now keep up to date with the latest news, updates, etc; on Facebook and Twitter ..... and of course on our own RSS feeds. Please become a fan/follower ......... this has the potential to become a convincing marketing/sponsorship tool if there is enough interest/followers.
Links at the top of the home page, and 'Follow Us' below the left menu.
Dave, Webmaster

Website - Sat 16 Jan 2010

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:31:44 +0000

Some people may have had difficulty getting onto the website earlier today - and possibly seen a variety of error messages. There was an 'issue' with our server, which has now been fully resolved. Aplogies for any inconvenience caused.
Dave, Webmaster

Top Ten Tips - Protecting Yourself from Fire at Winter Time

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:00:44 +0000

Over the years NFU Mutual has built up lots of experience on the main causes of house fires and how to avoid them. This is particularly important at wintertime, when the number of fires increases significantly.

The practical suggestions below will help you keep your home and family safe this winter:

1 Smoke Alarms – fit smoke alarms on each floor of your home (preferably hard-wired alarms which are connected to the mains circuit). Test alarms once a week and replace worn-out batteries immediately.

2 Cooking Equipment – stay in the kitchen when cooking, as most kitchen fires occur because people get distracted and leave their cooking unattended.

3 Heating Equipment – have your boiler inspected annually by a qualified technician, and your chimney cleared and inspected annually. Keep portable heaters at least 1m away from anything that can burn, eg. curtains, furniture, etc.

4 Electrical Equipment – ensure your electrical appliances don’t have loose or frayed cords. Don’t overload plug sockets.

5 Christmas Decorations – keep your Christmas tree away from all heat sources, including television sets. Check decorative lights and discard any frayed or damaged lights or cords. Switch off the lights when you leave the room.

6 Careless Smoking – always extinguish cigarettes properly and do not smoke in bed.

7 Children Playing with Fire – children cause fires out of curiosity or mischief. Keep matches and lighters away from the children.

8 Candles – keep candles in a sturdy holder on a level surface, away from combustible materials and out of the reach of children and pets. Blow them out before leaving the room.

9 Thatched Properties - if you have a thatched property, please refer to our specialist guide on thatch fire safety on www.nfumutual.co.uk

10 Insurance - make sure your possessions and home are insured. Are any policy limits sufficient for your needs? Does your insurer have a Defaqto 5 star rating? The Defaqto Star Rating reflects the quality of features and benefits. Visit www.defaqto.com to check what Star Rating your existing policy has.

Contact us today to discuss your own insurance requirements. Find your local agent at www.nfumutual.co.uk or call 0800 197 1283.

NFU Mutual is The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited (No.111982). Registered in England. Registered Office: Tiddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 7BJ. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. For security and training purposes, telephone calls may be recorded and monitored.

Another first for a RID

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:24:06 +0000

BSH Adventurous is the first foal to be born in South Africa conceived with frozen semen imported from the UK from an RID Stallion. The UK home bred stallion Avanti Amorous Archie RID went to Tullis Matson at Stallion AI services to be collected from for worldwide distribution and to date has progeny in Australia, New Zealand and we are waiting for his 1st foal to arrive in France, but South Africa has always been very hard to export frozen semen too due to their very stringent import rules. Aventurous along with his Dam TB mare Pardon Gale and Archie have made history and Yvonne Flavell his proud breeder is keeping him entire in the hope he will grade onto the SHR in South Africa so hopefully he will be flying the flag for the Irish Draught Horse for many years to come.

Parelli Celebration Proves A Major Success

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:03:51 +0000

November 24, 2009 :: Press Release

They clapped, they cheered, they had huge smiles on their faces and yes � they cried!
The 2009 Parelli Celebration at the LG Arena, Birmingham brought together more than 4,000 horse lovers for two days of entertainment, learning and thought provoking magical horsemanship.

The weekend included many aspects of Natural Horsemanship with Pat and Linda passing on their incredible skill and knowledge in a fun and enlightening way.

Over two sessions Pat worked with four-year-old racehorse, Tippy, based at Amy Weaver�s racing yard in Newmarket and known to be somewhat �difficult� and often determined to do his own thing.

The 16.1hh bay gelding that Amy brought in to the bright lights of the arena on the Saturday, that then ended the morning session on the Sunday was a very different horse that had become easy to manage, relaxed and confident, even allowing Pat to ride him bareback with just a rope and halter.

Linda�s session on the different types of Horsenality was brought to life by video footage which really helped those new to Parelli techniques to see the huge advantages all horse owners have once they can start to read and understand their horses at a higher level.

The first day finished with an amazing hour and a half as Pat introduced their new concept � The Parelli Games � with the help of some amazing Parelli Professionals and top students, including Alison Jones, Lyla Cansfield, Rachael Morland, Garry Stevens and Mikey Wanzenried, the arena was electric.

The incredible bond and rapport they have with their horses was there for all to see and visitors showed their appreciation with a number of standing ovations.

Day two dawned with Pat riding Magic around the arena and telling his many tales as only he can.

His second session with racehorse Tippy brought the house down and it was incredibly moving to watch as he managed to help the young horse overcome his many fears.

The wonderful relationship Linda has built with her dressage mentor Walter Zettl is well documented but watching them work together for the first time in the UK, on the Sunday afternoon, demonstrated how the great foundation Parelli delivers can go on to help riders and horses reach a much higher level of work and play.

This session was made all the more interesting � especially for Linda � as she rode Parelli Professional, Carmen Zulauf�s wonderful horse Goyani, as her well known Dutch Warmblood, Remmer was out of action due to a hoof abcess and unable to make the trip to the UK.

Walter certainly made Linda work and think, but throughout the demonstration what spoke out the most was the harmony between horse and rider that Walter was keen to create.

Wanting to bring new ideas, philosophies and demonstrations to the UK, to keep the Celebration fresh and ever changing, Pat and Linda had asked their student and prot�g� Lauren Barwick to tell her story as the finale to an amazing two days.

Having broken her back nine years ago, Lauren�s heart wrenching tale had more than a few in tears, but the determination that saw her take a Paralympic Gold and Silver medal in 2008 spoke volumes for the wonderful programme Pat, Linda and their team have created.

For further information please contact Tim Smith at TSM on (01724) 784600.

Parelli Website

Comments on HSI�s Draft Breeding Policy for the Irish Draught Horse, November 2009

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:10:35 +0000

The Irish Draught Horse Society of Great Britain

Comments on HSI’s Draft Breeding Policy for the Irish Draught Horse, Issued November 2009

The Irish Draught Horse Society (Great Britain) Limited (IDHS (GB)) was pleased to see the HSI Task Force’s draft Breeding Policy for the Irish Draught Horse. That Policy appears to us to have many positive elements, including the move to linear scoring; the inclusion of a system of upgrading; and increased transparency of information regarding inspections.

We have a number of comments on the draft Policy. Paramount among them is the singular lack of appreciation that the Studbook should accommodate horses bred outside Ireland. Surely a worldwide studbook has to be the ultimate goal for a dwindling population of horses, which are additionally dwindling in quality and genetic diversity?

There is a cursory mention towards the end of the Policy of encouraging other countries to “harmonise their classification and inspection processes”, but that is entirely different from offering RID stallions in other countries recognition in Ireland. The current situation, whereby the vast majority of RID stallions in other countries are not recognised in Ireland (despite the involvement in every inspection of an Irish, HSI-approved inspector) not only narrows the gene pool, but also amounts to a restriction of trade.

IDHS (GB)’s insistence on the importance of a worldwide studbook does not emanate from a desire to create a new market for British breeders’ stock, but from a heartfelt desire to protect the essence of the breed.

By contrast, HSI’s draft Irish Draught breeding Policy, which:

(a) makes no attempt to capitalise on the genetic diversity in the Irish Draught population elsewhere in the world;

(b) awards merits on the basis of a horse’s performance, as opposed to it being an exceptional example of an Irish Draught horse or “true to type”; and

(c) does not celebrate or appreciate the Irish Draught horse for what it is, while seeking to identify aspects of conformation or movement which could perhaps be improved,

seems to emanate from a desire to ensure that Ireland is seen as a major producer of world-class performance horses, regardless of the detriment that this goal may cause to the Irish Draught breed.

We do not consider that the two goals (of breed conservation and sport horse excellence) are strictly incompatible, but the former is not given sufficient weight in the draft Policy.

Reverting to the worldwide studbook issue, we contend in any event that EU legislation requires the holder of the studbook of origin (namely, Ireland) to automatically recognise a stallion standing abroad as an approved/RID stallion in that studbook, if the stallion has already been fully approved as an RID stallion by a daughter society (with an Irish inspector involved in the inspection). We should appreciate a reply from HSI on this point.

A final overriding point is that there seems to be no appreciation in the draft Policy that daughter societies in EU Member States are obliged by law to comply with the principles established by the “mother society” for (among other things): identifying horses; defining the characteristics of the breed; and defining the breed objectives. All of the principles/systems set out in the draft Policy are geared towards Ireland. There is no mention, for example, of how stallions in other countries might be able to achieve extra merits or whether, if they do so, those merits will be recognised by the HSI.

Obviously, the daughter societies in Europe and elsewhere around the world are in a position to set themselves adrift from Ireland, if the arrangements that HSI puts in place are not acceptable to those societies, but we query whether that is really the result that HSI seeks.

A number of more specific comments on the draft Policy are set out below.

Specific comments

1. Breeding Objective (page 4 of the Policy):

what precisely is meant by “good quality” in the breeding objective? We consider that it is a mutable term, therefore its meaning ought to be expressed clearly.

2. ID Classification System (page 5):

(a) we agree with the principles outlined, but what is HSI’s intention regarding daughter societies such as our own? We have RID stallions in Great Britain, which were inspected by both British and Irish inspectors, yet they are not deemed to be RIDs in Ireland. Instead, they are accorded “S1” status. The Policy states that all S1 stallions “may” be accorded Class 2 status, but this is scarcely appropriate, given that the British stallions meet the same breed standard as the Irish stallions and particularly in light of HSI’s stated aims to harmonise the studbook worldwide; improve the Irish Draught horse; and protect rare bloodlines. Surely HSI do not consider that they will retain the goodwill of foreign Irish Draught societies if they lump these societies’ stallions (some of which are truer to the Breed Standard than some Irish stallions) into Class 2?

(b) further, does HSI intend that the “transitional arrangements” outlined on page 7 of the Policy be applied to foreign societies’ stallions, so that they are obliged to be re-presented for inspection under the new rules? If so, why, since these stallions will already have been inspected and their gaits and loose (or ridden) jumping ability will already have been assessed?

(c) what is anticipated by the “recommended for breeding” sires system, with regard to the Supplementary Section? On what basis will such stallions be selected? Who will select them?

(d) how is the “Supplementary Section” supposed to be implemented outside Ireland, if the non-ID part of a horse’s breeding has to be sourced from a horse on the ISH register? That register obviously does not include Thoroughbred or Connemara crosses in Great Britain or elsewhere.

(e) with Connemara blood being introduced and the desire to breed smaller animals, is it worth adopting a lower minimum height especially for mares? Lowering stallion height would also allow for smaller horses to be kept on the registers. The lower height of 15hh was included in some of the early Breed Standards;

(f) following on from the height recommendation above, might it be worth qualifying the wording “approximately 9 inches of bone” with something along the lines of: “provided that the amount of bone is proportionate to the animal before the Inspectors”, so as to allow for consideration of height and stature?

3. Stallion Inspection Process (page 9):

(a) regarding the pedigree assessment, what is actually intended by the wording: “performance/merits of bloodlines” and “the value of rare bloodlines will also be acknowledged”? What will be the respective weighting between all these factors? In what way will the value of rare bloodlines be acknowledged?

(b) what will be the maximum height of the jumps that a stallion is assessed over? Our concern is that this is a performance requirement in all but name. “Loose jumping ability” and “athleticism” are very indistinct terms, which can be applied in a discretionary fashion. What are the precise proposals for this element of inspection, including the criteria for failure? Will it also be scored in a linear fashion?

(c) what is meant by the “over-preparation” of a stallion, on page 12, which would lead to disqualification from the jumping assessment?

(d) what information will mare owners (and possibly inspection spectators) receive regarding the performance of a stallion at inspection? There is mention of increased transparency, owing to the linear scoring method, but what are the proposals for giving mare owners/spectators such information? For example, will the stallion score sheets be made available on HSI’s website or will they be available only on request, in which case, will a charge be levied for copies of the score sheets?

(e) the prohibitive cost of x-rays prior to assessment would be likely to prevent many owners from bringing their stallions forward in Britain. Wouldn’t it be acceptable for x-rays to be performed following a successful assessment?

(f) we cannot understand why the extra merit system is based only on a stallion’s performance in the gold section. Why do the three wins of the stallion class at RDS not qualify for a gold merit, rather than a silver merit? Surely such wins would be a helpful way of identifying top class stallions for the benefit of the Irish Draught as a breed, as opposed to the performance requirements, which will not necessarily benefit the breed itself. Why isn’t mere excellence as an example of an Irish Draught (judged, for example, on inspection scores) rewarded with an extra merit? Will the proposed system be adaptable to foreign societies? For example, would wins at the Horse of the Year Show or the Royal International qualify a stallion to be recognised as, say, silver under the system proposed?

4. Mare Inspection Process (page 16):

as per the comments above regarding stallion inspections, where relevant.

5. Studbook Initiatives (page 18):

(a) how will the studbook initiatives accommodate foreign inspectors? Will the training for breeders be cross-border, i.e. available to breeders in countries other than Ireland?

(b) do the proposals on genetic diversity extend to breeding stock in other countries?

(c) studbook harmonisation can only happen if stallions and mares which meet the breed standard in every country are afforded the same status. Without offering parity to stallions worldwide, HSI will be imposing a trade restriction on the Irish Draught horse and limiting its genetic diversity, to the detriment of the breed.

(d) please offer an explanation of what is meant by “the Central Performance Testing of stallions”.

IDHS (GB)

19th November 2009

Contagious Equine Metritis

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:35:25 +0100

Defra are in the very early stages of a disease investigation following confirmation of Contagious Equine Metritis in a horse in South East England (note: as far as we can establish at this stage, this is a separate incident to the case reported in July). Investigations are continuing, but in the meantime I thought you would want to be aware of the latest information (copied below) following confirmation of disease earlier this afternoon.

No further information is available at this stage.

LATEST INFORMATION – 22 October 2010

Contagious Equine Metritis has been confirmed in a horse in Buckinghamshire.
Restrictions have been put in place and veterinary investigation is underway.
Control measures will be in line with the Horse Betting Levy Board (HBLB) Codes of Practice. (available on the web http://www.hblb.org.uk/document.php?id=43)

Background:
Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is a reproductive disease of horses that is transmitted both at mating and indirectly, for example, through contaminated instruments and the hands of staff.
First reported in the UK in 1977, the last reported case was in July 2009.
CEM is a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases of Horses Order 1987.
CEM can be treated under the direction of a Veterinary Surgeon. After the treatment regime is completed, repeat swabs must be negative on at least three separate specified occasions.
There are no human health implications associated with this disease.
Further details are available on the website http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/cem/index.htm

With questions and answers at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/cem/cem-qa.htm