Madam,

THE Cork Kerry Branch of the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association held its third annual Irish Draught and mixed horse and pony sale at Ballybrack Equestrian Centre on Sunday, October 22nd.

We wish to thank all of those who supported our sale; the vendors, buyers and our many helpers who made the event possible.

We would especially like to thank the O’Donoghue family for the use of Ballybrack Equestrian Centre.

This excellent venue is very centrally located, being just off the main Cork/Dublin motorway, which makes it easy to access for people from many areas.

The sale has been growing from year to year and we saw an increase in entries of almost 25%, with some excellent quality stock going under the hammer. The foal entries were particularly good. The increased entry attracted a much bigger crowd than in previous years, with plenty people coming to buy. The clearance rate through the ring was 43%, with some lots selling privately later.

Both buyers and sellers were happy and prices were fair. No lot left the ring without a bid. The top-priced foal of the day was an Irish Draught colt by Coolcronan Wood, making €1,600.

The day started with showing classes for the foals, giving potential buyers a great opportunity to have a good look at the lots. The pony foal class was won by Sean Scannell’s Connemara colt by Gurteen Lad. A well-filled Irish Draught class went to Mr. E. Kennedy’s Ludden Silver Chieftan by Cloncastle Silver Squire. The sport horse foal class was won by Mr. P. Cronin’s colt foal by Diamond Discovery.

We hope that this sale will grow from year to year. Its convenient location provides a cost-effective outlet for Munster breeders and producers.

We feel that there is an opening for a sale in the Munster region and hope that it will continue to be supported.

Yours etc,

Kitty Cotter

Branch secretary

The Cork Kerry IDHBA Branch

Enniskeane