IRELAND(by Jean Llewellyn/press release) A group of ten investors from Ireland and Northern Ireland have established the Irish Warmblood National Stud (IWNS) to advance the Irish Warmblood breed and to drive progress in Ireland's sport horse breeding industry. It will be guided by the principles “Owned by Breeders. Controlled by Breeders. Serving Breeders.”
IWNS seeks to provide shareholders with a competitive return on their investments while embracing a social mission: To return Irish showjumping breed- ing to international competitiveness. The assistant secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine and several of his colleagues recently received a confidential briefing on IWNS and how it will contribute to changes the Department seeks to make through the upcoming IN- DECON Report and the Reaching New Heights strategy document.
The ten founders subscribed to forty-nine shares at €1,000 per share and plan to grow to 149 shareholders, the maximum allowed by Irish law. The founding shareholders are the Sligo international eventing rider, breeder, and solicitor Donnacha Anhold (Director); Down breeder Diane Harron Eakin; the Monaghan veterinary surgeon and breeder John Peter Finlay; Waterford breeder and stallion station owner Richie Fitzgerald; Clare breeder Martin Howard; the Cork retired business executive and breeder Paschal McCarthy (Director and Chairman); the Kilkenny international showjumping rider and breeder Ger O’Neill (Direc- tor); Roscommon breeder Tony Whyte; an individual who wishes to remain anonymous; and the Irish Warmblood Foundation.
The Irish Warmblood Foundation is represented on the IWNS Board by Bill Maguire, the breeder, young horse producer, and accredited coach and trainer from Tralee. Maguire also serves as the IWNS Director of Operations. He is the point of contact for breeders purchasing services from IWNS or donating to the Foundation. An interesting fact is that thirty percent of the founding shareholders and twenty-five percent of the directors are experienced stallion owners, which illustrates the inclusive vision that motivates IWNS...
