WHILE coverage of dressage and show jumping continued throughout the year, the outdoor equestrian seasons were reflected in the Irish Horse World with hunting reports by Noel Mullins and Dickie Power running from the issue of January 6th through to March 9th and then again from November 2nd and continuing into the New Year.

Power’s wife Catherine was one of the many who supplied hunting photographs during the season, along with a former editor of these pages, Siobhan English, who is a particularly renowned photographer of hounds. It takes time to read the Irish Horse World (never mind The Irish Field in its entirety) each week, as there are so many sports and breeding matters covered by a dedicated team of writers.

As someone who writes the odd sales preview and report, I’m always in awe of Sally Parkyn’s knowledge not just of the horses and ponies being sold, but of their consignors and purchasers as well. Unfortunately, the sales companies’ practice of listing buyers down to ‘cash’ is frustrating for any reporter, particularly if it’s of top-priced lots.