BY HORSE SPORT IRELAND / HSI
GRAPHICS: HSI

The Traditional Irish Horse (TIH) represents the foundation of Ireland’s sport horse breeding heritage, preserving the influence of traditional Irish bloodlines that have long defined the athleticism, soundness, and temperament for which the Irish horse is renowned

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the TIH population within the Irish Sport Horse Studbook. The findings provide valuable insights for breeders, policy makers, and industry stakeholders, supporting evidence-based decisions that for safeguarding the future of the TIH.
Through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-funded National Breeding Services, there are several targeted supports to promote and recognise the TIH, including dedicated prize funds in certain schemes, breeding grant funding to support TIH-specific classes alongside access to all DAFM-funded breeding schemes, open to all studbook breeds.
In addition to these financial supports, HSI continues to strengthen non-monetary recognition of the TIH. These include the novel use of the shamrock symbol on ISH-TIH passports, ongoing engagement with the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA), recognition of TIH breeders at the Dublin Horse Show, and the updating of TIH classifications within the FEI database where possible. Furthermore, genomic research into TIH breed composition, led by Dr, Jennifer Doyle, and the publication of this report demonstrate HSI’s commitment to data-led monitoring of the TIH population.
The insights captured in this report reaffirm the importance of the TIH within Ireland’s breeding landscape and highlight the continued dedication of Irish breeders to maintaining and promoting traditional Irish bloodlines. Horse Sport Ireland remains committed to supporting this work through collaboration, research, and targeted investment in sustainable breeding practices.

Successful horse breeding history

Ireland has a long history of successful horse breeding dating back over 2000 years with the Irish Hobby horse. The Irish Hobby was later combined with the Irish Draught, the Connemara pony, and the Thoroughbred to create the Irish Hunter; a breed that excelled at showjumping and eventing throughout the 20th century. In 1974, on establishment of the Irish Sport Horse (ISH) studbook, the Irish Hunter became known as the Irish Sport Horse.
In 1982, the first progeny of foreign stallions crossed with Irish mares were registered in the ISH studbook. Since then, there has been an increase in the importation of continental Warmblood breeds, and their germinal products, to Ireland and there is now a considerable amount of crossbreeding with these breeds in the ISH studbook, which has supported the studbooks’ adaptation to the modern sporting disciplines. In 2011, the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) was formed to identify, conserve, and improve the Traditional Irish Horse which comprised the original ISH and Irish Hunter with no continental influence.
Thanks to the work of the TIHA, the TIH category was introduced to the ISH studbook in 2017 in order to differentiate between the traditionally bred ISH with only Irish breeds in the back pedigree and the ISH with a more continental influence. To be eligible for this category, under the current definition, a horse must:

• Be registered in the Main Section of the Irish Sport Horse Studbook... and
• Have only the following breeds recorded in their pedigree: Irish Sport Horse, Irish Draught, Thoroughbred, Connemara Pony with no foreign ancestors recorded in their back pedigree... and
• Have no unknown ancestors in the first two generations ... and
• All Irish Sport Horse ancestors from the second generation with unknown/partial pedigree must have been born before 1982.
This report was commissioned to assess the genetic diversity of TIH horses in Ireland and to map TIH trends over time. This report outlines the genetic diversity of the TIH, including overall population statistics, inbreeding trends, pedigree completeness, and Thoroughbred percentage. All TIH stallions that have produced at least one TIH foal since 2017 have been assessed for these attributes to enable breeders to implement this information in their future breeding decision...

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