IT’S quite a coincidence how the COP 28 climate change conference had just ended as the last details were added to this review.

Looking back over The Irish Field show reports, the weather was a prominent theme.

The wettest July on record caused the most disruption, with several fixtures making the sensible decision to cancel. Less affected were shows hosted at equestrian centres and, over the years, there’s been a swing towards such venues with all-weather and indoor arenas, plus on-site amenities.

Cavan played host to both the Botanica International Show of the East over the Easter weekend and two-day Northern Ireland Festival, which attracted 2,000 entries; the IPS Spring Show was held at Necarne and the Red Mills Champion of Champions final at Barnadown.

Storm Betty made an unwelcome appearance at the first day of the IPS championships, where Ruth and Elliot Logan’s Spring Water Sadler’s Wells was the supreme champion.

Like the IPS summer championships, the Showing Show of the Year and TIHA performance championships also took place at Mullingar Equestrian Centre.

Every committee, not just in the equestrian world, faces dwindling numbers of volunteers. One welcome sight was the Midlands Youth Group, a mobile squad of social media-savvy 20-somethings, who helped out with numerous tasks from stewarding to face painting.

Price hikes also meant most exhibitors were weighing up how much prize money was on offer before deciding how many shows to enter. For others, it’s an all-consuming passion, business or hobby, that justifies the expense.

Sheelagh Barry with her Banner Broodmare champion Mythical Darwin, judge Eyleen Nugent and Eileen Slattery, the 1968 Rose of Tralee \Susan Finnerty

Another sign of changing times was the contrast at West Clare from the 2006 West Clare Grand Prix, then won by Tholm Keane with Ronan Tynan’s Krafty Jack, to last July’s pony show jumping classes cancelled with no entries. They came back though with a ‘Plan B’: a well-supported cattle section and family pony class.

Clarecastle’s decision to drop a traditional schedule for its unique championship format continues to pay off, with an over-subscribed Banner Broodmare and quality, well-filled young horse classes. Crossmolina was another show to undergo an overhaul. Classes that attract the most support are the key.

Champions

The agricultural show season started on the May Bank Holiday Sunday at Newmarket-on-Fergus and the first sighting of two future Dublin champions in Tiernan Gill’s Flogas Penelope and John Burchill’s ABC Bobby Jean.

That same month, the new Shannon Connemara pony championship at Clarecastle was launched and a host of new Balmoral champions were decided.

Spiralling insurance quotations brought the news in June that the new North Tipperary Horse Show had to be cancelled.

On a brighter note, 122 agricultural shows were set to benefit from the annual €1 million package, an increase of 40%, announced that same month by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys.

Mullingar Equestrian Centre was the setting for the third Showing Show of the Year and the Hanna family, from Ballymoney, won the Clydesdale championship at the Royal Highland Show with Macfin Delta Dawn.

Margaret Jeffares’ Ballykelly Notalot, the former RDS Laidlaw Cup winner and sole filly to win Bannow and Rathangan’s All-Ireland three-year-old final and, later in the summer, John and Julia Crosbie’s dual Coote Cup champion Hankalaine, dam of several All-Ireland champions, were two sad losses.

Athlone and Charleville were lucky qualifiers for this year’s The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship winning owners: Bridget Devaney and Richard Drohan. The progressive midlands show was also the start of the Bohan family’s good summer, with their Irish Draught mare Gortfadda Ruby Kingdom.

Carrowgar Henry’s name was the first to be inscribed on the Dick Johnson Trophy, when Susie Roche’s four-year-old won the new supreme horse championship at the always-superb Charleville.

Anne Nixon’s Its Miller Time and Gemma Whyte’s Shane’s Delight benefitted from the Kilkenny family’s sponsorship of Longford’s working hunter championships.

Anthony Gordon won the Ballina young horse championship with Heartbreaker Boy, while another veteran showman, Dessie Gibson, followed up from his yearling Spot Light’s Balmoral young horse championship when Sort Code added the Bannow and Rathangan final to his owner’s lengthy list of All-Ireland titles.

All Smiles; Jane Bradbury with Bloomfield Watergate, the back-to-back Dublin young horse and ridden hunter champion \ Susan Finnerty

Last year’s Bannow champion, Brendan Furlong’s Bloomfield Watergate, won the Adamstown and Tattersalls July Show ridden hunter championships with Jane Bradbury en-route to Dublin, where he made history by winning back-to-back young horse and supreme hunter titles.

Deirdre Kane’s Mighty Power (hunter), Nicola Perrin’s Ballarin Rosebud (ridden horse) and Katie Byrne’s Queens Master (amateur) were the champions at the fifth Red Mills Champion of Champions final, held this year at Barnadown.

“Another Triumph At Clarecastle” read its report headline. Sheelagh Barry’s Mythical Darwin, Jason Dunphy’s Viva’s Star and Eleanor and Patrick Curran’s Glencarrig Laurina were the Banner broodmare, Brian Boru young horse and Shannon Connemara champions. The Dooner family won back-to-back All-Ireland colt foal finals at Clarecastle, this year with Mary’s Sligo Candy Boy colt.

Grass Is Always Greener In The Irish Field: William McMahon with Edenagor Star, the Irish Draught stallion champion at Dublin \ Susan Finnerty

A dozen pages in the August 19th issue covered Dublin Horse Show’s 25 showing championships and numerous classes, including Jessica Murphy’s show hunter and working hunter titles double with Darcy De Chanteloube and the three youngest prize winners: Fionn Redmond (Holthall Gladiator), Myia Emily Latto (Chaseford Camelia) and Max Laird (Milford Fair Bronze) in the mini pony classes.

The three-year-old Flogas Penelope was the big winner in the young horse classes, recording the Gill family’s third Laidlaw Cup championship after Flogas Marbella and Flogas River Moy.

Des McDonnell admiring Emme’s Hardrock Z colt foal, owned by Bridget Devaney, this year’s show jumping section winners of The Irish Field Breeders' Championship \ Susan Finnerty

Saturday proved a marathon day in Ring 1, from the first champion: John Roche’s Coote Cup winner Assagart Fairytale to the final one under floodlights that night: Suzanne and Laura O’Brien’s Sportsman champion: Munther’s Ranger.

Jamie Smyth and Richard Ames ended Horse Show Week with the leading rider and exhibitor awards.

Autumn

Post-Dublin entries tapered off significantly. Moate defied the weather gods and odds to run the All-Ireland filly foal final, won for a fourth time by the Newell family, this year with Kilcahill Ruby.

On the traditional breeding front, the All-Ireland traditional foal finals at Mountbellew were an absentee and Margaret Jeffares’ Ballykelly Jasmine and Donnie McGale’s Parkroe Milly were the latest Limerick Matron and Limerick Lady champions. Ann Lambert’s three-year-old Sky was the overall supreme champion at the TIHA performance championships.

In native breed results, Dawn Thomas’ Brenig Melltigedig and Charlotte Goor’s Underhill Bobcat were the overall pure and part-bred champions at the Welsh Pony and Cob Society (Ireland) annual championship show at Kilbride.

The McLoughlin family’s Ashbrook Venus was the supreme champion at the Midland Connemara Pony Breeders’ Show. In its centenary year, the two supreme champions at the Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society show were Terence Sweeney’s Dunloughan Troy (in-hand) and Zoe Price’s Lough Derg Star (ridden), who took pride of place in the traditional parade through Clifden’s streets.

More doubles were recorded throughout this year’s Connemara and Irish Draught results. Grace Maxwell Murphy and William McMahon won both the Irish Draught mare and stallion championships at Dublin with Gleann Rua For Love and Edenagor Star.

Dublin’s champion and reserve Irish Draught foals - Dominic Cassidy and Jimmy Noone’s filly and colt winners, both by Inisfree The Holy Grail - were later crowned All-Ireland champions at Ballinasloe in September.

Gortfadda Ruby Kingdom and Tom Ormond’s Whiteside Bella were the respective supreme champions at the IDHBA and IDHS national shows at Punchestown and Ballinasloe Showgrounds.

Cross-channel, the Henry O’Toole-bred Connemara ridden champion Castle Kestrel completed a 2022 London International and Horse of the Year Show double. More Irish-bred HOYS champions included working hunter Bellevue Tomboy (Breeder: Ruth Loney), supreme hunter MHS Morning Master (Sinead Brennan), small hunter Shanbally Legacy (Joseph Egan), maxi cob Chantilly Sandman (Martin Cosgrove) and intermediate SCT Master of the Hounds (Tom Burke).

At the IPS Foal of the Year Show, the supreme champion was P.A. Hard and Mary Carter’s Welsh Section A, Araglen Sunshine. Daphne Tierney and George Chapman won the 2023 and lifetime achievement awards at the Showing Ireland awards.

Racehorse to riding horse classes were again well-supported. The popular Treo Eile final was held at the Royal Meath Show in Trim, where last year’s novice champion - Philippa Scott’s Milliner - upgraded to open champion and Charlotte Walsh’s Kinsau was this year’s novice champion .

Kate Harrington’s Dublin’s Racehorse to Riding Horse winner Sizing John had qualified at the Flavours of Fingal Show in July and was still full of running by the Treo Eile Christmas Show at the Emerald Equestrian Centre in December.

Looking back through its reports to compile this review is a reminder of what a valuable resource the Irish Horse World section is. Same for the results pages, where all showing results received appeared in print and/or online.

On Duty: Mairtin Nee, who first helped out at Clifden Pony Show as a 12-year-old, at this year’s show \ Susan Finnerty

2023 highlights

A SAMPLE of the best memories from the summer start with the welcome sight of the ‘Limerick Lady’ herself, Margaret Gleeson, at her usual task of selling ISA yearbooks at Newmarket-on-Fergus show. Then how the tiny Louisburgh community and neighbouring shows, such as Crossmolina and Ballina, rallied to raise over €36,000 to help replace Louisburgh Show chairman Tommy Bennett’s house after a house fire; Julie Radden’s own ‘happy dance’ in Ring 1 after her Galileo Dance’s Croker Cup win and Pat Finn’s yelps of delight after his HC Chelis Z foal won at Dublin; Moate’s Dunkirk-like spirit at ensuring the show must go on after overnight torrential downpours; the stream of friends dropping by Michael Hughes’ car at Bannow and Rathangan to say hello and the equally evergreen Blackwood Fernando still winning, from Balmoral to the TIHA championships.

Hope lay in watching the next generation, from the infectious enthusiasm of the Midlands Youth Group to a young secretary Melissa Glynn taking on the role in her stride and young exhibitors such as Paul Bohan, Alex Gill, Evan Henry, Jessie Murphy and Matthew Newell coming through the ranks.

Do we honour our stalwarts enough? West Clare had a presentation for Jenny Glynn and Bridgette Coghlan, inspired by the waterlogged pair’s photo at a torrential Badminton, where they went to watch Capels Hollow Drift, bred by Jenny.

Bannow’s president Walter Kent, who celebrated his 90th birthday in December, received a copy of Ben Hardaway’s hunting book from Wexford-born Brendan Furlong, back to judge the All- Ireland final.

This year’s Clarecastle Medals went to Slyguff Stud’s Frances Hatton, the ISA’s first lady president, Dorothea Lazenby, and a posthumous award to the late Ivan McDonagh. A surprise fourth medal was presented to the chairman himself by his grandson Dylan.

Last but not least, a huge thank you to the IHW team of Isabel, Judith, Lesley, Bree and Domhnall. There is still nothing like the ‘picture in the paper’ and their exemplary page layout skills brought the showing images and words of 2023 to the Irish horse world.

Little Miss Sunshine: Annabelle Flanagan presents Bryan O’Halloran with the supreme champion pony cup at Athlone \ Susan Finnerty

What they said

“It’s great to see such numbers and quality in the horse and pony sections in the heart of the Golden Vale. I noted also the next generation of exhibitors, which is especially encouraging after the recent announcement of €1m from Department of Rural and Community Development under Minister Heather Humphries, backing up what our shows are providing to the wider community. I’ve had a great day and the Charleville Show members have been incredibly friendly and courteous.”

- Ray Brady, ISA president.

“I’m still floating on air. I’ve been a long time trying to win this one. I thought it was a great headline in the Field last Saturday about Mayo and Deise winning, because those two counties don’t win a lot otherwise in Croke Park! I said to Des [McDonnell] that after my own county Waterford, I’d always be hoping that Mayo will win the football final.”

- Richard Drohan had his Golden Moment in The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship.

“And on the day of Ballina Show too!”

- Padraic Egan, breeder of Harry Allen’s European bronze medallist horse Over Lux, gets word while on steward duty at his local show about new grandson Liam, born in Sydney.

“Sitting here at my office desk at 6.30am on Monday morning with a box full of red rosettes and sashes in front of me, lets me know what a fantastic week we have just had. I get all the glory of showing these beautiful animals, but these ribbons would not be here only for the help of the team behind me.”

- Tiernan Gill reflects on a “little bit of heaven” Dublin Horse Show Week.

“Yes, I would!”

- Melissa Glynn, Athlone Show’s new equine section secretary about another term in office.

“For me, it’s all about remembering where you came from and to be humble. Longford was one of my first shows, so sponsoring this [working hunter championship] is about giving back and recognition of where it started.”

- U.S.-based show jumper Jordan Kilkenny remembering his roots.

“It’s been amazing, that’s the only word you could use to describe it. When we came home on Sunday night, there was a bonfire outside the house where family and friends had gathered.”

- Des McDonnell lights up after winning The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship with Bridget Devaney’s Emme and Hardrock foal.

“Tim is already making calls of course!” - Lyndsey O’Brien’s father is on the hunt for his grandchildren’s lead rein ponies.

“It’s an honour to be the first person to win the Dick Johnson supreme, as he has given such outstanding service to the show over many, many years.”

- Susie Roche, the first winner of the new trophy.

“I don’t think we’ve seen a broodmare class like this all year. It just goes to show, if there’s good prize money on offer, people will bring out their horses.” - Philip Scott on the win-win format of Clarecastle’s Banner Broodmare championship.

“Wonderful show, I can see why there was so much buzz about Clarecastle.” - Conor Sheridan, Horse Sport Ireland.

“The time has come to turn the tables and have him be the recipient of an award from his many admirers for his vast contribution to our community, to human welfare and to the world of voluntary and creative effort on behalf of rural events, both national and local. Clarecastle Show is but one example of his dedicated approach to the Irish showing world.”

- Michael Slavin’s tribute to its show chairman Michael Slattery.

“My father John won with his grandfather’s pony at the first show ever in Roundstone 100 years ago, I won my first rosette at Clifden with a foal 50 years ago and we’ve had the same line of pony all the way down through, so to be up on 150 years with three [winners] in the same line is special.”

- Terence Sweeney, after home-bred stallion Dunloughan Troy won the Clifden in-hand supreme championship.

“Still celebrating! The amount of calls and texts from all over since is just amazing,” Terence, several days later.