JUDGES AND INSPECTORS

Removed (out of date) April 08

MARE INSPECTIONS

The Society shall, each year, conduct Inspections of Irish Draught mares and fillies, 2 years old and over, who are by a Registered Irish Draught Stallion out of a graded Irish Draught mare.

The Inspection Team shall consist of 3 Inspectors (2 from GB and 1 from Ireland).

Owners of mares and fillies bred as above, which have been notified to the Society, should contact the office no later than 31st May for an application form, which should be returned to the Administrator, with the full remittance, no later than 30 June.

Mares should be presented in a clean and tidy condition and foals must be led.

The Inspection team will complete a score sheet for each horse and will then advise the owners of the result.

Pure bred mares who show insufficient ID characteristics may be given a grade lower than that for which they are eligible, at the Inspection Team’s discretion.

In rare and exceptional cases an outstanding mare or filly may possibly be upgraded at the discretion of the Inspection Team.

Each animal being graded must undergo a full veterinary examination, details being recorded on an IDHS(GB) Veterinary Form. This examination must be carried out, not more than 3 months before or 6 weeks after the Inspection, by a recognised equine veterinary Surgeon and must include lunging, to assess wind, or endoscope. Upon receipt of a satisfactory score sheet, veterinary form and remittance, the animal’s passport will be endorsed accordingly and returned to the owner. A copy of the inspection sheet will be available on request.

Should a mare or filly initially fail to achieve the grade for which they are eligible they may be brought forward for upgrading, without the need for referral, on the payment of an Inspection fee and a completed application form, as often as the owner wishes.

Male and female Progeny of a RID mare by a RID stallion, born in or before the year 2000, are eligible for RID
Female progeny of an AID mare and a RID stallion, born in or before the year 2000, are eligible for RID.

Female progeny of a SID mare, and an RID stallion are eligible AID.

Female progeny of any graded mare and a stallion OTHER than a RID stallion are eligible for the ID Sport Horse Register.

Male progeny of AID and SID mares, by a RID stallion are eligible for the ID Sport Horse Register as colts or, on production of a certificate of castration from a veterinary surgeon, will be awarded the grade they would have had if they had been female.

Progeny of any graded ID mare by an ID Sport Horse stallion are eligible for the ID Sport Horse Register.

Eligibility for any grade does not guarantee the achievement of that grade and any grade awarded is at the discretion of the Inspection Team.

The Society recognises the Irish Draught Horse Society, registered in Ireland, as the final authority in respect of the suitability of any horse to be registered as an Irish Draught Horse

HORNBY PREMIUMS

Any graded mare, with her own foal at foot by a Registered Irish Draught stallion, is eligible to be considered for a Hornby Premium. Any mare owner with such a mare should notify the office no later than 31 May and obtain an application form which must be returned no later than 30 June.

The mare and foal shall be presented at a mare inspection venue where she will be inspected and scored by the Inspection team. All foals must be led. The foal is not taken into consideration when scoring the mare. The mare must score a minimum of 125 marks (the same as a colt) to gain a Hornby Premium.

On the receipt of her 3rd Hornby Premium, a mare will automatically become a Select Hornby Premium Mare, which will last for life, and she will not be required to be inspected again. All future foals out of such a mare, by a Registered Irish Draught Stallion, will be registered with the Society free of charge. All Select Hornby Premium Mares will receive a special rosette.

Hornby Premiums are financed by a private Trust. Therefore, the suitability of any mare to receive a Hornby Premium is solely the decision of the two IDHS(GB) Inspectors. Any changes to the procedures and rules governing these premiums would need to be sanctioned by the Trust.


COLT INSPECTIONS

The Society will conduct Annual Colt Inspections for Registered Irish Draught and Irish Draught Sport Horse colts, 3 years old and over, which have been notified to the Society, and are eligible for Inspection.

For a colt to be eligible for Inspection for inclusion on the RID register, both parents MUST be RID.

To be eligible for inclusion on the IDSH register, the colt must have a minimum of 25% Irish Draught blood, supported by a recognised covering certificate.

The Inspection Team shall consist of 3 Inspectors, 2 from GB and 1 from Ireland, a referee and stewards who, due to the confidential nature of the Inspections, should be Council members.

Owners of colts, 3 years old and over, should obtain application forms for Inspection from the office, which should be returned to the Administrator with the full remittance, no later than 31 December of the previous year.

Rules and Guidelines for the Inspections will be included with the application forms.

It is the owners’ responsibility to obtain the application forms in good time and to return them to the office by the deadline. Failure to do so will result in the Inspection of the colt being deferred.

All colts will be required to negotiate a loose jumping lane.

It is in the owners’ best interest to ensure that colts have been well handled and are properly prepared for the inspection, and that both horse and handler are tidily presented.

An Inspection score sheet will be completed for each colt and owners will then be notified of the Inspectors’ decision.

After Inspection, all colts must be examined by the Society Veterinary Surgeon. This examination will include lunging to assess wind. If the vet is not satisfied with any aspect of the colt’s heath or soundness, he will refer the owner to a specialist in that particular field, who will report back to the Society vet, who will in turn submit his findings and recommendations to Council.

RID colts. Those passing both Inspection and Veterinary examination, will be added to the list of Registered Irish Draught Stallions (Grade 1) and passports endorsed accordingly.

Those failing Inspection but passing Veterinary examination will be added to the list of Grade 2 ID stallions.

Those passing or failing Inspection and failing the Veterinary examination will be added to the list of Grade 3 ID stallions.

The Society recognises the Irish Draught Horse Society, registered in Ireland, as the final authority in respect of the suitability of any horse to be registered as an Irish Draught Horse.

ID Sport Horse colts. Those passing Inspection and the Veterinary examination will be added to the list of Irish Draught Sport Horse stallions (Grade 1) and their passports will be endorsed accordingly.

Those failing Inspection but passing the veterinary examination will be added to the list of Grade 2 ID Sport Horse stallions.

Those who pass or fail the Inspection and fail the veterinary examination will be added to the list of Grade 3 ID Sport Horse stallions.

In some cases, colts who are eligible for the RID register, but do not show enough Irish Draught characteristics, may be placed on the ID Sport Horse register, at the Inspection Teams’ discretion.

Colts and stallions failing any part of the Inspection may be brought back for re-inspection, as often as the owner desires, on payment of the Inspection fee and the completion of an application form, which must be received by the IDHS(GB) office by the deadline date.

If any colt is unfit to be properly vetted on the day, for whatever reason, he must complete his Inspection at a later date, at the owners’ expense.

If the colt is unsound, he must, after a period of time determined by the Society Vet, be seen by a Veterinary Surgeon approved by the Society Vet. This later examination should be supervised by a Society Inspector, and if the horse is sound the Inspector should ask the vet to take blood samples which should be tested for Equibutamozole or other NASAIDs. The results of this examination should be sent to the Society vet for his consideration who will report with his recommendations to the Council.

APPEALS PROCEDURE

Any owner dissatisfied with the result of a colt inspection may lodge an appeal. The appeal must be registered with the IDHS(GB) office, by the owner or his representative, within 2 weeks of the date of the inspection and must be accompanied by a payment of £1000. If the appeal is successful, this payment will be refunded. If, however, the appeal is unsuccessful, the payment will be forfeited.

Any animal the subject of an appeal will be seen as soon as is practically possible, at a suitable venue. The appeal team will comprise of three completely different inspectors.

This appeal panel will carry out their inspection and complete a new score sheet. No decision can be given on the day, as all decisions must be referred to the parent Society in Ireland for their endorsement. Owners will be notified of the final result as soon as an endorsed decision has been received.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Society shall arrange to hold an Annual General Meeting for the purpose of adopting the accounts for the previous year, election of Council and to put forward any proposals to the Membership.

Any member who wishes to have an item discussed at the AGM must send it, in writing, to the IDHS(GB) office, not less than 10 days prior to the AGM, for it to be placed on the Agenda. Items not on the agenda cannot be discussed. Council will take all suggestions away from the AGM for discussion at Council Meetings, and report back at the next AGM.

Each year, 5 Council members retire, but are immediately eligible for re-election, without the need to be proposed and seconded.

Nomination forms for Council positions shall be circulated to the Membership, to be returned no later than 31 January.

No nomination will be accepted unless it is proposed and seconded by fully paid up members of the Society and is accompanied by a declaration from the nominee that he/she is willing to stand for election, and a signed statement that the nominee fully understands and accepts the rules governing Trustees.

If 5 nominations or less are received these will be deemed to have been elected to Council.

If more than 5 nominations are received, a ballot of the membership will be organised. Each nominee will be contacted and asked to supply a short statement about themselves and any other relevant information. These statements and details will be circulated to the Membership, and must be returned to the Independent Adjudicator no later than First Post on the Monday prior to the AGM.

The 5 nominees with the highest number of votes will be elected to Council and will be adopted at the AGM. In the event of a tie for 5th place a tiebreaker vote will be taken at the AGM

YEAR BOOK

The Society shall publish an Annual Year Book to be circulated to all members. The Editor and assistants shall collect material at all times, but the deadline will be 30 November.

No advertising copy will be accepted without the full remittance.

All stallion owners shall receive letters inviting them to place an advertisement. VAT receipts will be issued as standard. Advertisements, with full remittance, should be returned to the advertisement co-ordinator by the due date. Failure to do so will result in the advert being deferred. Reminders will be placed in every Newsletter,

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or fragment articles where appropriate. Not all articles are automatically accepted for publication, and the Editors decision is final.

Reminders for articles will be placed in each Newsletter.

NEWSLETTER

The Newsletter shall be published quarterly and shall incorporate an up to date Horses for sale/wanted list. Articles, news items and letters to the editor, which do not arrive by the deadline date, will be deferred to the next issue. Members are actively encouraged to submit articles, news items and letters. However, any articles or letters which are deemed to be detrimental to the reputation of the Society will not be published.

Each Newsletter will carry reminders of the deadline dates for the newsletter and Year Book entries, as well as reminders to mare and stallion owners of the dates by which they should send for Inspection application forms.

COUNCIL MEETINGS

There shall be a minimum of 4 Council Meetings each year, to discuss items raised at the AGM and any other issues which concern the Irish Draught Horse and the running of the Society.

Members’ thoughts and ideas are valued by the Council, and it is Councils’ desire to encourage input from all members.

Any member who wishes to have an item discussed at a council meeting should either notify the office or any council member, in writing, and the matter shall be brought forward for discussion at the next Council Meeting. The member shall be notified of the outcome. Anonymous letters or telephone calls will not be considered.

Council may, from time to time, enlist the help of experts in particular fields, who will be invited to attend Council Meetings.

Personal vendettas will not be tolerated and shall be dealt with severely by the Chairman. Individual disagreements and personality clashes should be resolved outside Council Meetings.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

The Society recognises that, from time to time, complaints may arise.  Where a member feels that he/she has a legitimate complaint it must be sent, in writing and signed, to the Complaints Officer (usually the Company Secretary) ONLY, following the Society’s Complaints Procedure.

A written complaint made which does not follow the Society’s Complaints Procedure, or seeks to circumvent it, will not be accepted.

Anonymous or third party complaints will not be considered.

Members are advised to keep the details of their complaint confidential.  Experience has shown that the outcome of complaints can be affected by details being discussed with a third party.

If you have any queries relating to the Complaints Procedure, please contact the Complaints Officer, Mr B Gates, Lower Green Farm, Onecote, Staffordshire Moorlands, ST13 7RY.  Telephone: 01538 300048 (home) or 01280 825502 (work)

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