THE date of the 2024 Royal Ulster Agricultural Society show paid dividends last week, when large crowds descended on Balmoral Park for the four days.

On the horse showing front, the date increased the pool of British judges available to travel, as Balmoral didn’t clash with Royal Windsor, while, more locally, it also avoided a clash with the North West 200.

A noticeable alteration when arriving at the showgrounds was the increase in size of Horse Ring 1 and the resultant decrease in size of the P&O Arena. All were happy on day one, but the reduction in size of the P&O Arena made it very tight when ridden horse classes took place there.

One person delighted with the enlarged Horse Arena 1 was working hunter course builder Adrienne Stuart, who said: “The size of the arena for the horses was an improvement, although it changes the course planning and orientation. It will take a year or two to get used to.” Brian Murphy, producer of the Creightons supreme hunter champion, said the Horse Arena 1 changes were “a massive improvement, but the P&O Arena was fairly tight for the cobs.”

Improved

Commenting on the performance classes in the Main Arena, Stuart continued: “The standard of riding and presentation of the horses had improved again from the dip over the last couple of years. In the Performance Irish Draught classes, the horses were well-prepared and the riders were more competent than in previous years. It was clear that the scores from all three phases come into play, as some of the horses whose technique over the course was not as good as others, scored higher. To a spectator, I think the rules of the competition must be made very clear.

“It’s hard to prepare for the main ring and the working hunter classes. There are very few strong working hunter tracks around the country before Balmoral, and I think, none on grass any more. Getting horses out to cross-country courses to train over a variety of fences is helpful and a few days hunting would be beneficial, but probably not achievable, for many competitors. Attending the qualifiers for the performance horse days would be helpful, even if the rider didn’t expect to qualify, but it is a chance to school over a suitable track.”

A qualifying system for other classes should prevent the upsetting situation which arose last week, with one young rider being denied entry to the Main Arena for a performance class, when the chip number in the horse and on passport did not correspond. The online entry system may need a review, as some owners’ and riders’ names were transposed, while the lack of breeding details for some horses was very disappointing.

Those unable to attend Balmoral are much appreciative of Ulster Bank sponsoring online coverage from various parts of the showgrounds, but a glitch with technology resulted in curtailed sound for the first two days. This was remedied for Friday and Saturday.