Attending Tattersalls International Horse Trials was like a visit to a haven of hope. Not just because of the ever growing attendance, which over five days has now touched the 60,000 mark. Not just due to a huge international participation that had 46 lorries bring 120 horses across the seas to Ireland.

No! The greatest sign of hope was in the massive voluntary effort that has made this a truly world class event. What it is doing for international horse trials is now on a par with what the Dublin Horse show is doing for show jumping. The dream of George Mernagh some 13 years ago now has in no uncertain terms come to fruit.

According to the catalogue it took close on 400 volunteers to make this year’s event happen. That is in the face of greater pressure on volunteerism in Ireland at the moment.

In Alice Taylor’s beautiful best-selling book To School Through The Fields she simply yet graphically describes the men with pitchforks on their shoulders coming across the fields to lend a hand at the threshing on her family’s farm. It is nice to see that the old Irish tradition of Meitheal is still alive and well.

These people came from all over Ireland to do their bit in creating a smooth and well run international that we can be proud of.

Breeding Diversity

There were other lessons to be learned from a visit to the Rathoath venue and among them is the huge diversity in the current breeding of event horses. A look at the 90 entries from 10 countries in the two main international classes and WEG qualifiers – The George Mernagh Memorial CIC3* and The Irish Field CCI3* emphasises just how diverse the breeding of event horses has become. The catalogue gives scant detail on the breeding of dams but the sires of participants are well noted.

The table accounts for over sixty of the 90. AES, British and Swedish had two each and there were eight with no breeding listed.

It was nice to note that three of the thoroughbred sired horses were by our own Master Imp. OBOS Quality (OLD) also had three, Puissance (ISH) and Courage II (HOLST) both had two. No other stallion appeared to have more than one to his credit.

What one could glean from the dam information showed that 26 of them were designated as ISH or Irish Sport Horse.

So it is clear that a large number of our Irish mares are now being put to continentals, not just to breed show jumpers but for eventers as well. This certainly should give our Irish Horse Board and the Traditional Irish Horse Breeders something to think about.

So for me a visit to Tattersalls 2018 was not only lesson in hope but also one in Sport Horse breeding.

Spancil Hill Fair

Connemaras, who have won the Pride of Spancil Hill sash in recent years, will again take centre stage at the up – coming Fair in the traditional 23rd of June. Other classes will include ones for coloured horses, cobs, ponies and donkeys. The night before the fair will also see a Donkey Derby worth €1,000. This year for the first time a field beside the Fair Grounds will be available for lorry and horse box parking.