Irish Draught Horse Society Limited's Foundation Page

28/05/2026

Good News for our Breed. We’ll post here our submission to the Amnesty debate, and to the 3 questions that HSI had asked;

We in the IDHS, unanimously want the terms of the Amnesty to continue, preferably on a permanent basis. It was our Council who originally proposed the first scheme, in particular through the work of Elizabeth Deane Cogan, and John Anthony Cogan (RIP) within HSI. It is poignant that one of the greatest internal advocates within HSI, for the scheme, was Dr. Jack Murphy.

The initial scheme which ran from 2016 to 2021, was envisaged to grant lifetime rights to Inspection for all foals born within those years, from Class 4 parentage. Unfortunately, in an underhanded way, this option was scuppered without the knowledge of those who had championed the Amnesty.

So to answer the three questions;

1. Should the current amnesty rule remain in place beyond 2026?
It Must. And we favour it becoming regularised within the Studbook Rules, so that special provision does not need to be visited every 3-5 years. At the very least, a 10 year renewal is the least that should be granted. To limit it to 3 years is not sufficient and since it was given for 5 years in 2016, then surely this is not a hard limit. Extending the terms, preferably permanently, would give certainty and predictability to the sector.

As to the why? There are a number of reasons;
Firstly, the Amnesty continues to be necessary because the conditions supporting the two past amnesties, have not changed. In an Endangered Herd such as the Irish Draught, we cannot have purebred stock denied the full consideration for equal status within the herd. Typically 40% of purebred stock have been born to at least one un-inspected parent, for each year of the past decade.

Secondly, and possibly even more importantly, the Class 4s continue to hold a reserve of the greatest genetic diversity within the herd. The value of these stallions and mares, and their ongoing potential in contributing to herd health dynamics, needs to be promoted rather than impeded. A failure to grant an extension of the terms of the amnesty, would be destructive in this regard.

It should also be added here, that the North American Society has continued to operate the amnesty without interruption, since 2016. We think this is commendable of them, but it disadvantages us and means that our purebred foals out of C4, have devalued status here. They can be bought cheaply, (maybe by a middleman) and imported into the US, and immediately be eligible for inspection as an adult. We do not have this available to us. This cannot be considered in any way, to match the previous claims by HSI, that a Harmonisation of studbooks exists across sister Societies for the herd. It highlights a discriminatory allowance to one group over another.

We expect to have at least equal favour to other breeders and owners elsewhere, from our state sponsored Studbook Holder which is HSI. This is the home of our breed. If anything there should be greater favour promoted here, for the sister societies to follow. We are still rightfully sore about the secret, covert Amnesty that was granted by HSI to the GB Society from around 2010. We will not continue to be the breeders that are disadvantaged.

Lastly, the Amnesty has in a surprising way, also facilitated a move towards greater numbers for inspections. Considering we are dealing with purebred animals of un-inspected parentage, and a legacy of disfavour towards inspections, the Amnesty has been successful in engaging breeders and owners to more readily bring out their stock for inspection. These legacy issues stemmed from a time when there was greater distrust of the Inspection Process. With a change in personnel in HSI, there has been a greater acceptance of the inspections. But the practical legacy of the turmoil of the previous administration, has resulted in a backlog of owners seeking inspections for their mares. This year all the inspection sites were over-prescribed and there were not enough slots for all eligible mares to be inspected. We feel that the Amnesty also needs to be extended to accommodate the inspections of these mares who could not get an inspection slot. There needs to be greater capacity to handle more numbers.

2. What impact has the amnesty had on your members, and the Irish Draught Horse population since its extension in 2024?

The impact is twofold. It has supported breeders and given those who have bred such foals, greater freedom and success in marketing these offspring. But the term limit for the scheme, undermines all this. Foals born to C4 parentage during the years of the scheme are still undervalued because there is no certainty that they will be eligible for inspection in the future.

In terms of Genetic Diversity, it has allowed genetically valuable stallions and mares, to have their stock be considered for full status. This means that their genes are more likely to contribute to the herd. This is necessary in an endangered herd dominated by three over-balanced branches within three of the seven Foundation lines. The other four have almost fully been extinguished, but for a number of the Class 4 stallions. So these need to be accommodated to ensure their genes are added to the herd.

3. Are there any suggested amendments or improvements to the amnesty rule to better serve breeders and maintain studbook integrity?

The best way to help the breeders, is to help the breed. And the best way to help the breed is to give every purebred animal equal rights within the studbook. Our position is that all foals born within the years of any of these schemes should be eligible for inspection through their lifespan. Of course, there would be no need for all this if these terms were regularised permanently within the Studbook, and we did not have to keep revisiting these matters, and we could forge ahead with certainty.

https://www.horsesportireland.ie/hsi-to-recommend-continuation-of-the-irish-draught-amnesty-following-industry-consultation/?fbclid=IwdGRzaASDy-ljbGNrBIPKxGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHqAhWDi7w2WxvQoHJV7XZyCu13_l0c1OQYxh7trcGopwwPO4RvcxmFVk_O-L_aem_96sFeIkXrRVfVnJNFDkCBg&sfnsn=wa

Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) has confirmed that it will recommend the continuation of the Irish Draught Horse inspection amnesty rule...

16/05/2026

The Irish Draught Horse Society is supporting a number of shows this year. First up is the annual Newcastle West Show, which is on Monday June 1st this year.

Please find all the details and show entry through the following link;

https://www.newcastlewestshow.com/enter-classes/newcastle-west-show-2025

These shows give local breeders a chance to show their stock. Please support these classes to showcase our precious breeding stock.

10/05/2026

Last weekend the IDHS nominee Mattie Page, was inducted into the National Hall of Fame. It was fitting tribute to a man responsible for the existence of the mighty Cloverhill. The following is the text from the catalogue of the evening’s celebration;

It is with the greatest of pleasure that the lrish Draught Horse Society has nominated this very worthy recipient for the 2026 Hall of Fame Award. Matthew Page, known as Mattie to one and all, is a remarkable man. He’s fit, alert , and with a razor sharp mind at a sprightly 94 years of age. A real gentleman of his generation, he has bred lrish Draught Horses all his life. To this day he stands an lrish Draught Stallion. His current Stallion is Welcome Grandpa out of Ohillys Beauty, who traces back to Clover Hill.

Mattie was born on his family farm at Ohilly, to parents Alfie and Agnes Page. He had four sisters and one brother Stan. Mattie and Stan farmed alongside each other all their life, on their mixed farm in Co. Galway. They breed cattle, sheep and horses on the farm. The Pages can trace their family back to 1625 on this family homestead.

Mattie married Mary Dungan in 1974 and they have had eight children - Veronica ,Aifie ,Anthony, Cyril ,Stan ,Agnes , Louise,and Louis .

Stan and Mattie Page bred one of the most famous sires of competition horses this country has ever produced. His stock in their day, were some of the very top show jumpers and competition horses sought after everywhere , with his name renowned and revered all over the world. Horses like Coille Mor Hill and Flo Jo, who represented lreland on the world stage, to name but two. The name of this illustrious Irish Draught Stallion, is Clover Hill (665).

Mattie recalls that they always kept at least four lrish Draught mares for work as it is a large farm (before the advent of the tractor). They heard that their uncle, Stephen Burke of Clondagoff, was selling an 11 year old very traditional grey lrish Draught mare by Killowen Boy (479). They promptly purchased her. She was a big mare standing a good 16.3 hand, being very stout and powerful, with great bone. She was exceptionally gentle, and a kind willing worker but also having a great jump. In those days people didn't have horse boxes and Mattie
would have walked her to the stallion Golden Beaker, a chestnut Thoroughbred horse who stood with Michael Moran of Kylebrack Co Galway. This was a distance of roughly eight or nine miles.

Mattie remembers when Clover Hill was a foal of about 10 days old, and a man arrived early one morning about six o'clock to mow hay. The foal got startled by the sound of the mower and jumped over two strands of a high thorny wire fence and a deep drain, in one go. Mattie found him an hour later running about in a different field separated from his mother. The jump was always there in him, he declared from that young age.

The late Dick Jennings M.R.C.V.S and Department Inspector at the time, had seen the foal with the Pages and he organised Pat Mc Namara to purchase Clover Hill for Philip Heneghan. Philip had recently sold his lrish Draught stallion to Morocco. Pat McNamara delivered him in a turf trailer as a youngster to Philip in Borrisokane, Co. Tipp. And as they say, the rest is history. Clover Hill stood his entire life there. He became a living legend in his own lifetime, as his fame exploded from even those early years.

The Pages to this day retain this bloodline on their farm, and the legacy of the dam of Clover Hill, still lives on in her descendants around this country and beyond. Their tradition continues with not only Mattie’s children breeding and keeping lrish Draught horses. His grandchildren are also ensuring that these special bloodlines will continue through the generations. A more fitting legacy could not be witnessed. We honour Mattie for his role in the success that was Clover Hill, and for his dedication to the seed stock of the Irish Draught that has brought the magic ingredient to so many famous Irish Horses. We wish Mattie continued success in his breeding endeavours.

07/02/2026

Well deserved recognition for one of our breeders, and member of our Council.

Super proud to have been published in The Irish Field last week & thank you to Flying The Flag 💖 We wanted to wait until this week’s hard copy was out before sharing the article 🥰 We feel very lucky to have been selected & it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come from being so reluctant to use social media about 5 years ago

26/01/2026

The passing of Dr. Jack Murphy has come as a shock to all in the equine world and beyond. Jack was passionate about all aspects of the equine industry. He had expertise across all facets of horse production, both in the academic and policy making fields. But above all else he understood breeding, and being a breeder himself, he had a particular understanding and respect for the breeder.

We in the IDHS got to know Jack very well when he began in HSI, on the encouragement of Dr. Pat Wall, as the latter also began his tenure there. He proved to be a most capable, rigorous and fair moderator, during a time of significant strife. He was practical and challenging, but a willing listener to the needs of our breed and our breeders.

His interaction with both John A. Cogan (RIP) and our current Chair, Elizabeth, whilst on the Breeding Sub-board, was instrumental in securing their proposal for an Amnesty for un-inspected purebred stock.

He had a constancy about him, and a righteousness based on fairness, which was all the more admirable when it was obvious it would not promote favour with the majority.

We in the IDHS will be forever grateful for the sincere counsel and support he gave us, in our pursuit of healthier policies for our endangered breed. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Tributes have poured in for Wexford horse breeder Dr Jack Murphy who died in the Maudlins, New Ross, Co Wexford on Tuesday after suffering a medical emergency while driving.

28/11/2025

We had contributed to this article in last week’s The Irish Field. We felt it appropriate to leave it a few days, to allow the paper to sell hard copy. We were limited in the word count and there is more expansive discussion to be conducted. That said, we are happy that our responses highlight a distinction in how we view the state and mission for the breed.

As far as nailing down the fact that our horse has been a distinct breed for generations, further debate will favour our conviction in this regard. All enthusiasts should be eager to understand the origins of the breed, rather than entertain those who present examples that do not reflect the foundations of the herd.

We will post the full text of our contribution in the comments.

12/09/2025

On Saturday September 13th we welcome our own John “Bosco” McMahon to open our Golden Anniversary National Show.

Bosco is from Ballybunion in the Kingdom of Kerry, but he has spent his life travelling the highways and byways with his horses, or to visit horses. His father and grandfather before him, stood Irish Draught Stallions well before Registration. He stood his first Irish Draught Stallion when he was but a lad of 16 years of age, almost sixty-four years ago!

Bosco campaigned a rich selection of proper Irish Draught Stallions throughout his lifetime. He stood Inisfree, Shandrum Prince and Kylemore to mention just a minor fabled trinity! He bred and stood Foxtrot, Heather Breeze, and Elm Hill. Hallowed horses that preserved true type and temperament.

He can recall with clarity, the individual characteristics of each Foundation stallion line. He witnessed these traits in the stallions he kept, but also in the breeding mares he saw in every corner of this Emerald Isle. Many of these mares were the last daughters of those first registered Foundation Stallions. And so Bosco is perhaps the purest living link to the origins of the breed we honour today.

Bosco has committed a lifetime to the practical keep, care and promotion of the breed. It is the most fitting that it should be he who opens our Show, on this illustrious day.

11/09/2025

Our 36th National Irish Draught Horse Society Breed Show, kicks off this Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Ballinasloe Showgrounds. A full complement of In-hand Classes as well as some Ridden Classes, should make for a day not to be missed by the true enthusiast.

At the lunchtime break we will have a display of the Irish Draught in harness. Renowned horse trainer Godfrey Worrell will demonstrate some of the everyday tasks where our breed earned their keep, and then some.

His companion in this work will be the Red Dun Stallion, Baltydaniel Sean Buí, bred by Elizabeth Deane and owned by Brendan McGirl. Sean Buí is also atop of the rare stallion list as compiled by HSI in 2024.

06/09/2025

This day week we will be in the thick of it. Our National Breed Show has many wonderful classes but none as unique as the John A. Cogan Memorial Class. It is a celebration of the man and the breed. Each year it presents as a procession, a solemn, silent, and serene celebration of our noble horse. Here is last year’s parade. We are delighted to add that not only will each participant receive a premium of €100 but they will also receive a premium bag of Dungar Quality Oats.

03/09/2025

Our entries closed last evening and we are thrilled with the number of exhibitors.

We hope that we will see many of you on Saturday week, the 13th of September. We'll have many more postings before then.

On last Saturday we had the Show Launch in Gullanes' Hotel, Ballinasloe. A pleasant evening of discussion and music, courtesy of Paddy Joe Tigh, was had by all.

Denis Duggan, CEO of HSl, launched this our 36th National Show.