The day covered a range of topics, giving practical advice to the horse owners and producers present. From basic farriery care to information on driving regulations, there’s no doubt that everyone in attendance took something away from the seminar.

Most of the afternoon was dedicated to an open discussion led by panellists Billy Twomey, David Broome and Gerry Mullins. Their initial presentations were followed by an engaging discussion with the group of nearly 200.

The seminar is reported on in full later in the paper, but some of the key points for owners and riders are their business, presentation and communication skills and generally being more professional.

Improved communication between riders and owners was emphasised by the three speakers, all of whom have successfully worked with long-term owners during their careers. They advised to involve the owners in the business and create a plan to get them a return.

Rideability was possibly the most repeated word of the afternoon. Although it was agreed that Ireland has incredibly talented riders at present, it was noted that they are perhaps compensating too much for poorly produced horses. The international amateur markets are where producers of horses who aren’t quite top-class should be aiming for, but these markets demand horses who are easy to ride.

For this reason, riders were advised to work on early production and not to rush their young horses. The valuable young horse classes were criticised as putting too much pressure on horses at an early age, with the panel preferring to purchase horses who had been educated through the classes without necessarily winning.

One aspect that disappointed the organisers was the small number of riders who attended the seminar. For the sport to improve and prosper, everyone needs to work together and it was somewhat disappointing not to see more of those who are earning their living from the sport in attendance.

Gerry Mullins spoke about how he has been attending these types of seminars for years and has been hearing the same questions. It was a very informative day, but where does the industry go from here? What is going to come out of this seminar?

Certainly individuals can work on some of the points advised by the speakers, but how can the sport benefit? What can ShowjumpingIreland learn from the seminar and will they implement any changes as a result?

THIS WEEK

After a week off, Aoife Clark returns this week with her regular column and discusses her early season plans. It’s a time for her to work on the basics that will hopefully lay the foundations for a successful year.