It is absolutely fitting that at noon today (Thursday) in the Druid’s Glen, Ireland’s equestrian medal winners of 2018 are being honoured in a special Horse Sport Ireland ceremony. Regardless of how many individual international wins are recorded each year by our diaspora of riders, it is the number and importance of medals won that matter most to the general public.

Right now it is very difficult for equestrian sport to get coverage in the general media. However, medals at the highest level of the sport and Olympic qualification will surely do the trick.

Here is a case in point. When the eventing completion at this year’s World Equestrian Games in North Carolina was reaching its exciting climax, RTÉ Radio Sport picked up the story and presenter Greg Allen ran with it until the Irish team’s huge success of a silver medal and Olympic qualification was confirmed.

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When Irish teams or individuals reach a world pinnacle in any sport it matters a great deal to us. Beating the All Blacks for example. It grasps the general public’s imagination and boosts national pride in a way that is all but unique in world terms.

Perhaps it is due our history through which we got the underdog feeling into our DNA, but for whatever reason it is the way we are. So Aga Khan wins against the best; world, European or Olympic medals matter hugely and they resonate well beyond the confines of the sport itself.

Today's heroes

Today our great medal moments from pony level to World Championships will be recalled. First of all there was the silver gained by Max Wachman at what Gary Marshall calls the Olympics for ponies – the European Championships.

Then at the Young Rider Europeans in Fontainebleau we gloried in a haul of four medals. Jason Foley and Rhys Williams took individual golds in juniors and children on horses. Jason joined Kate Derwin, Jack Ryan and Harry Allen to take junior team bronze, while Rhys along with Sarah Fitzgerald, Lucy Morton and Ciaran Foley, won children on horses team silver.

September brought medals galore at the World Young Horse Championships in Lanaken and in the Eventing Championship at the World Equestrian Games.

In Lanaken came the unique treble of gold, silver and bronze in the five-year-old championship by Richard Howley, Darragh Ryan and Mickey Pender on three Irish breds.

Then came the medal moment of the year when Cathal Daniels, Sam Watson, Sarah Ennis and Padraig McCarthy won WEG silver. Padraig topped it all off when taking individual silver as well.

Yes. Medals matter and all of that is well worthy of today’s HSI celebration in the Druid’s Glen.