Hearing about thousands of competition horses having their shoes removed and hundreds of horseboxes returned to leasing companies further hammers home the profound impact Covid–19 is having on equestrianism worldwide.

I can only compare it with my memories of the onset of World War II and the myriad of changes that brought to Irish life. Included among them was the Dublin’s Horse Show’s cancellation – trivial perhaps by comparison yet symbolic of evil’s effects.

However, more vividly I remember the joys of revival when the curse of war was coming to its end – like the excitement of the Irish Army tattoo exhibition at the RDS in September 1945 and Ireland’s winning of the first post–war Aga Khan in August 1946.

While all of that gives me hope that despite Covid-19’s tyrannical grip, good things will happen again, I also know that it will be hard.

Thus also coming to mind is memory of a snow filled day when I heard President John F. Kennedy’s ringing voice declare: “We choose to go to the moon and do the other things not because they are easy but because they are hard.”

The restoration of our equestrian world, as we knew it, will indeed be hard. So, right from the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) down to our own Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) and Irish shows Association (ISA), every bit of help they can give to the individual events and people involved in the equestrian world will have to be forthcoming in the months and years ahead.

It has to be said that the FEI has been less than impressive in its response to the Covid-19 crisis so far.

It was slow to halt international shows, too premature to talk of restoration of shows in July/August and not at all forthcoming in finding ways to help ease the impact of funding shortfalls in its affiliated national federations.

Every equestrian organisation, show or participant is going to take a terrible hit during these weeks of lockdown. And every governing body within the equestrian community has to now be conscious of its increased responsibility to give leadership and financial help if needed wherever possible. Hoarding of unused funds is not an option right now.

At a very local level one has to admire shows that are using this time of reflection writing to all their volunteers and sponsors thanking them for their previous contribution and expressing the hope that they can restore that vital support when a new day dawns. That is the kind of spirit needed in every phase of equestrianism as we attempt to look beyond the hiatus created by the sudden impact of an insidious enemy.