THE fifth Kildare Performance Hunter Show takes place at Punchestown Racecourse, Co Kildare, next Sunday, March 27th. Organised by the Kildare Hunt Club, the show’s purpose is to find Ireland’s finest hunting horse, with horses travelling from the four corners of Ireland to participate.

This year sees the introduction of a Young Hunter Class for four- and five-year-old horses. Committee member and course designer Hazel Valentine stated: “It’s been a long two years for young horses and we wanted to give them a chance to shine with their peers.”

The show will have four classes. The morning phase sees Young Hunters, Seasoned Hunters (6yos and upwards) and Side Saddle, all guiding 100cm jumping efforts. These classes are kindly sponsored by Dublin Products, Westwood trailers, Cleary Racing & Equine and farrier Graham Dempsey. The afternoon phase of the show will host the challenging Huntsman’s course guiding 130cm for exceptional hunters five years and upwards, sponsored by the Irish Equine Centre. With producers making their presence felt, so far 25 horses have been listed for private sale.

The course consists of the type of obstacles encountered on the Irish hunting field, such as natural hedges, double banks, drains, also man-made ones such as stud rails, wire and gates. With a nod to the Curragh, even a sheep pen is added. The horses and riders will be evaluated individually by a panel of judges who ride their final choices over the course.

With riders entering and paying on-line, the riders are issued specific start times, enabling a smoother running of the show.

Located 30 miles west of Dublin, Punchestown racecourse is considered the home of Irish steeplechasing. In his book Memoirs of a Foxhunting Gentleman, World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon describes an army friend’s “visionary contemplations of being stationed at the Curragh and riding at Punchestown Races”.

Unique course

The racecourse itself was founded in 1854 by the hunt club and still remains within the members’ ownership. The performance hunter course is located adjacent to the only racing cross-country course in Ireland; the La Touche. On this ground was found the natural drain, banks and hedges required to run the show.

(For more details, visit https://performancehunter.wixsite.com/website)