Dedicated Irish Horse TV Channel Launches

A new online TV channel dedicated to both Irish Horse Racing and Irish Horse Sport activities was officially launched today (5th February) at The K Club in Straffan, Co. Kildare. Irish Horse TV is the first Irish station of its kind which combines flat and jump racing, excluding live racing, with the Olympic disciplines of show jumping, eventing and dressage as well as other equestrian pursuits. The station will be targeted at both a domestic and an international audience and will serve to reinforce Ireland’s image as the ‘Land of the Horse’.

The launch was attended by over 150 people including Jockey, Paul Carberry, Trainer Jim Bolger, Olympic Eventer, Camilla Speirs and Paralympic medallist Helen Kearney. Industry leaders including Brian Kavanagh Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland and Michael O’Rourke, the Director of Strategy and Marketing, Damian McDonald, Chief Executive of Horse Sport Ireland and the outgoing Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland, Joe Walsh were also in attendance as were other senior figures in the equine industry. Managing Director of Irish Horse TV, Len Regan gave a short presentation on the station and said, “We are very excited about the collaboration with HRI and HSI as it brings all equestrian pursuits together at one easily accessible source. People can watch Irish Horse TV any time of the day or night on their PC, lap top on their smart phone, iPhone, iPad or any other device connected to the internet so you can keep up with your favourite sport and industry news.”

Paul Carberry, Camilla Speirs and Helen Kearney posed for photographs with Vintage Crop, the iconic horse who won the Melbourne Cup in 1993 and is owned by Dr. Michael Smurfit who also owns The K Club. A short video then gave the guests a flavour of what was to air on the station and also featured a pre-recorded interview with the Simon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture, Food & The Marine said: - “It is a very positive initiative and it is our job collectively to build a reputation and a brand around Irish horses, Irish trainers, Irish breeders and Irish riders, this channel will play a significant part in doing that. This channel will help us sell an extraordinary product that showcases Ireland’s affinity with the horse, extremely well”.

Leo Varadkar, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said, “This is particularly important as it is the first joint collaboration between Horse Sport Ireland and Horse Racing Ireland and is a very valuable tool in promoting Ireland as the Land Of The Horse”.

The project is the brain child of Kildare TV, an online station which has a proven track record in creating specialized TV stations and has pioneered online TV in Ireland with the creation of Kildare TV, Leinster GAA TV and GAA Handball TV. “We are delighted to be bringing all of the elements of the Irish Horse together,” said Len Regan, “The Horse Racing and Horse Sport industries have a combined annual value of €1.7 billion to the Irish economy and we are very pleased that we could bring all of the relevant stakeholders together to essentially promote and celebrate the very best of the Irish Horse Racing and Sport Horse industries.”

The equine industry has warmly welcomed the initiative with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and Horse Sport Ireland (HSI), the respective governing bodies for the racing and the sport horse sectors coming on board with the new channel as foundation partners. The main commercial sponsor of the station is Connolly’s Red Mills while sponsorship has also been secured from other stakeholders including founding members, The RDS and The Irish National Stud.

The channel is free to watch and the content will be varied in a bid to maximise audience share and viewership. Programmes will feature behind the scenes interviews with leading eventers, trainers, jockeys and show jumpers, programmes on breeding and stud farm management, fashion pieces from the races and interesting insights into the Irish equine industry as a whole. Some programs will be made in foreign languages and a program is already being produced in Chinese. The station commences broadcasting on the 5th of February, 2013.

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