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UPWARDS of 3,000 people are expected to take part in the ITM Irish Stallion Trail next Friday and Saturday.
This is the 11th year of the event and, free to attend, it includes over 30 stallion farms all over the country.
Charles O’Neill, chief executive of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, said: “The Stallion Trail is very much about breeders and bringing business to the stallion farms, but it is also a great opportunity for the industry to engage with the local community.
“Its biggest achievement is bringing the world of breeding and stallion farms to a wider audience. A lot of young people enjoy it and it suits some smaller breeders who want to see the stallions but are reluctant to make a private appointment.
“The Stallion Trail creates a lot of positive stories across all media at what is a quiet time of the year. It shows the industry in a good light, that we are open. We engage with local politicians and encourage them to visit their local stallion farms. It’s very important that they understand the importance of the sector.”
O’Neill says he and his team receive a lot of positive feedback every year. “The hospitality shown by stud farms, big and small, is always remarked upon. People who would never call in otherwise take the opportunity to go inside the gates. They need an event like the Stallion Trail to make that happen.
“We encourage the studs to promote the event themselves, both to their clients and their neighbours. We put a lot of work in too. We start telling clients about it at the breeding stock sales and it gives us a reason to get in touch with them again now. We have a group of 73 coming from Eastern Europe next week. These are people who bought yearlings here last autumn.
“We’ve also been promoting it in racecards, with race sponsorships and across social media.”
To participate members of the public are asked to register with the ITM website.
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