CHAIRMAN OF IRISH HORSE BOARD STEPS DOWN

FORMER Minister for Agriculture and Food Joe Walsh has stepped down as the Chairman of the Irish Horse Board/Breeding sub-board of Horse Sport Ireland, but he will continue as Chairman of the main board of Horse Sport Ireland, the new Governing Body for the sector.

Mr. Jim Beecher, the former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was elected as the new Chairman of The Irish Horse Board/Breeding sub-board of Horse Sport Ireland yesterday (Tuesday). Mr Beecher has been a board member of the Irish Horse Board since its inception, he is a Director of the Irish National Stud and he was also a member of the Teagasc authority for a number of years.

Horse Sport Ireland Chairman Joe Walsh said that he greatly enjoyed his five year period as Chair of the Irish Horse Board and he was delighted to have overseen its integration into Horse Sport Ireland as its breeding sub-board.

“Only this week the breeding registration unit of Horse Sport Ireland and formerly of the Irish Horse Board relocated to Horse Sport Ireland’s offices in Naas meaning that the breeding and sporting side of the sector is now under the same roof,” he said.

Mr Walsh said that he wished to thank all the current and former members of the Board of the Irish Horse Board that he had worked with and the staff of the Irish Horse Board and Horse Sport Ireland.

Mr Walsh confirmed that he would be continuing in his role as Chairman of the main board of Horse Sport Ireland.

“Now that the integration process is complete I feel that this is the time to step back from the breeding sub board and I am delighted that Jim Beecher will take up the reins as Chairman of the sub Board,” he said.

Jim Beecher said that he was looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“There are major challenges ahead on the breeding side and the sub- board have put a lot of work into a new breeding strategy which we aim to have in place for 2010,” he said.