It was all about wellies and wax jackets rather than heels and hats around Fairyhouse racetrack in Co Meath this weekend. Across the road from the racecourse, the Tattersalls International Horse Trials and Country Fair was attracting top-class riders, horses as well as equestrian fans and their dogs. Lots of dogs.
Saturday featured the main event of the five-day trials – the three-star international cross-country phase. This is the endurance element of the eventing competition that comes after horses and riders have shown their skill in dressage and before they tackle the show-jumping phase on Sunday.
For spectators, it is the phase that gets the most oohhs as ahhs as horses splash through the water jumps dodging floating swans and crocodiles, jump over moats and stone castle walls, and tackle skinny, tall corner jumps that involve big drops on the other side.
Horses and riders need to be brave to take on the technical course of 25 big solid fences, designed by international course-builder Ian Stark for 10th anniversary of the event.
“I don’t know how would you even try to jump that,” said Cormac Coughlan, from Co Cork standing alongside fence number 15, named “table in hedge”. “More chance of you going under that than over on Ben,” quipped his brother Sean, referring to their pony at home. The boys then switch their attention to looking for horsey celebrities. Already they have seen Wexford trainer Colm Murphy and local jockey Barry Geraghty.
Around the course there are more dogs than horses to be seen, as almost everyone seemed to bring their four-legged friend for the day out. And for the dog show of course.
A big yellow Labrador relaxes in the sun by the water jump sporting his red ribbon, while rescue dog Ginger and owners Rua (10) and Ayven O’Donoghue (6) celebrate after scooping the Best Fancy Dressed (dog and owner) award for their flower fairy costumes. I
n the water, a New Zealand duo are rolling their digital trundle wheel around the course to work out exactly how many strides their horse will be taking between each element.
Back on horseback, Aoife Clarke, who was Ireland’s highest placed rider in the London Olympics, got a great cheer as she and Arko BB made their way through the two keyhole jumps which see the pair jump through what looks like a keyhole with little headspace above the jockey, splash through water and doing it all again. Despite a thundering pace, she wasn’t quite quick enough finishing 12 seconds slower than the time allowed of 10 minutes and six seconds.
Off the course and beside the shopping village, a showcase of Irish-bred horses was on display – Connemara ponies, Irish draught horses and combinations of both, which feature strongly as event horses worldwide.
But the star attraction for the horsey crowd was a clone of famous Irish show-jumper Cruising. The aptly named three-year-old stallion Cruising Encore is one of two Cruising clones, both owned by Mary McCann. Cruising was bred in 1985 and won top many top international competitions. He died last year a month after being paraded at Dublin Horse Show.
“Hard to believe that horse walking around is a clone,” said farmer Martin O’Toole, from Co Louth. “I remember thinking ‘wow’ when we read about Dolly [in 1996 Dolly the Sheep became the first animal to be cloned]. But horses…I don’t know if this is good or bad for the sport,” he questioned before wandering off towards the old house where a St Bernard dog was having a face-off with a particularly small chihuahua.
Definitely a weekend for all creatures great and small.
