LIMERICK trainers Eric McNamara and Eoin McCarthy have endured a very testing week due to heavy snowfall at their yards.

Sub-zero temperatures have affected the entire country since last weekend, but only the southern half of the country has seen significant snow. The mid-west and south have been particularly badly affected.

McNamara, who trains in Rathkeale, said: “This is the first time in my 40 years as a trainer that the gallops have been unusable. The horses have gone on the walker twice a day all week – we managed to ride them out one day.

“Generally, this part of the country gets away lightly when snow hits, but on this occasion we got the worst of it. We have had over a foot of snow in places. We were snowed in last Sunday. The taps and water bowls were frozen and we were hauling buckets of water around the yard.”

Thankfully, there have been no accidents with humans or equines. “The staff were able to come in every day and worked very hard. The horses have not been affected at all. They are well rugged-up and quite warm. They just missed a few days’ cantering and I imagine it will be a week or two before we have runners.”

Eoin McCarthy trains a further 25km to the west of Rathkeale in Athea and the situation there was even worse.

“We lost electricity for three days and no water either. We were lucky to be able to get the horses on to the walker, which is powered by a generator,” he said.

“A neighbour helped us to clear the snow in the yard with a teleporter. It is over six feet high where it is stacked up. I’ve neDver seen anything like it and neither has my uncle, who is 73.

“The whole week was a write-off. Luckily, we knew this weather was coming, so we had filled up every available container with water in advance. We also had supplies delivered before the snow arrived.

McCarthy’s staff could not come to work, so it was left to the trainer and his 18-year-old daughter Clodagh to exercise, feed and care for the 34 racehorses in the yard. “It was grand,” he said stoically. “With no electricity, there was nothing else to do anyway.”

He said there was no sign of a thaw on Thursday evening, but temperatures are expected to rise this weekend. “We have a new woodchip gallop and the drainage is unbelievable, so I am hopeful we will be back to normal soon.”