Ms Karen Reilly:

ParaEquestrian Ireland is a charity so we have to fundraise all our money. Clear outlines of forecasts for budgets are hugely important for us. We have only 47 members now of whom 32 are riding, one is driving and 16 are international para riders. We have a contribution of €10,000 a year that we have to pay to the high performance committee, our contribution to HSI. To give some figures, in 2021, our membership was €550. In 2022 it was only €655. This year it has increased again, because we are putting a lot into our grassroots riders, to €1,100. Therefore, as a charity, clarity on budgets is of huge importance to us to fundraise and plan our year ahead so that we can make a clear contribution to HSI. It is a lot to ask of our 47 members to come up with €10,000 a year. We are disabled member riders so many more carers are needed. Our riders cannot warm up horses so we need our trainers to travel. We need clear fundraising budgets and clear goals to look forward to and we are just not getting that from HSI now. Our riders are pulling medals. In the last ten years, we have won six medals for this country between European, world and Olympic medals with a very small membership. We may be small but we are mighty. Clarity on budgets is a massive problem that we have with HSI.