Horse Project will re-open after insurance issue resolved at facility

HORSE riders can look forward to getting back in the saddle at Fettercairn Youth Horse Project as it is set to re-open its doors to the public imminently after resolving its insurance issues.

Since the beginning of 2022, Fettercairn Youth Horse Project (FYHP) struggled to secure a quote for public liability insurance and remained closed while it attempted to resolve the issue.

Now, it has been announced that the FYHP has secured a new insurance provider and it stated that it “is delighted to announce its imminent re-opening”.

“We are looking forward to welcoming back all our customers and the many groups that we work with, and will be making contact with all our customers in the coming weeks,” reads a statement on the FYHP website.

A social enterprise, FYHP, which opened in 2000, is run for the community on a site provided by South Dublin County Council.

It plays an important role not only in Fettercairn but the wider Tallaght area, providing an accessible and inclusive activity for children, alongside accredited equine training and local employment and volunteering opportunities.

This latest development is set to be a massive boost for the surrounding areas, with the project excited to welcome everyone back.

“I think this will have a massive impact on the children and young people in the community,” Lynn Byrne, voluntary FYHP board member, tells The Echo.

“The children get to go back to the centre to gain their therapeutic weekly lessons and the young people who volunteer in the centre can continue with their equine education.

“We all just clung on, it simply couldn’t close. So, it is with great delight that we can announce that we will be reopening the Fettercairn Youth Horse Project.

“All issues surrounding the insurance have been resolved, and it is with great pleasure that we can thank South Dublin County Council, Roadstone, AWS and South Dublin County Partnership for their continued support.

“We look forward to opening our doors here again and seeing you all back in the saddle on Monday, July 25.”

When its last insurance liability policy ended in March, the doors of the first community horse project in Ireland had to temporarily close.

In May, in an update posted on its website, the FYHP stated that it feared that the horse project may have to close permanently and that the loss to the community would be significant.

“If we have to close our doors permanently, we believe the loss to the community will be immense: thousands of young people and adults (many of whom have complex and additional needs) will no longer have access to our wonderful project,” stated the project.

“Funding for the employment of six staff members from the Community Services Programme will be lost to the community, our 20 young volunteers will no longer be able to demonstrate their commitment to horse welfare, develop their skills, and contribute to their community.”

This is not a recent issue. It was reported in The Echo in 2019 that the FYHP was under threat, after its public liability insurance increased by almost 500 percent.

According to information provided by the horse project at that time, the facility’s insurance jumped from €8,500 in 2018 to €42,000 in February of that year.

The genesis of the FYHP began in 1995, when a group of adults and young people in Fettercairn decided to address the lack of equine amenities and infrastructure in their community.

In 2000, the project’s facilities grew with the construction of a 20-unit stable facility and an Olympic-sized outdoor arena, which has been the site of their popular activities over the years.

With the issue resolved, the doors of FYHP will be open once again on July 25.