The five-day Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show got off to a sedate start in Ballsbridge yesterday.
The crowds, thin but steady, began arriving at the Royal Dublin Society from around 9.30am, just in time to see the end of judging for the Connemara ponies.
Dress at the event, for humans, was casual and casual-country with a generous smattering of quilted jackets. The horses were more formally attired, many in handmade Irish leather saddles from Berney Bros.
Leaden cloud and occasional spitting rain did not deter the children from enjoying Billy Bubbles' Punch and Judy Show on an outdoor stage next to Serpentine Hall, while their parents browsed the stands in the Main Hall.
There's not a lot a person can't buy at the horse show, equine or otherwise.
Some 300 trade stands fill the space and spill over into adjoining areas. A person could come to the show and never get around to actually seeing a horse.
Among the vast array of goods on sale yesterday were jewellery, books, antiques, "design-inspired" sunglasses, teeth-whitening equipment and gourmet breads.
Bernard Flynn, the director of Irish company Caralynn, assured me, while massaging my shoulders with his patented massage hammer, that the hand-held machine could be used on any animal, man or beast. It was his first time at the show and he had already sold quite a few of his gadgets, to "quality customers", which he had been assured the show attracts.
Marie Curran, of Curran Silver and Collectables, was more laid-back about the profit potential. Attending the show for the 11th time, every year since the antiques section was opened, she said that she didn't expect to turn over a huge amount of money but would make a few bob.
"It's not as busy as the antiques fair but the atmosphere is great and the social mixture is terrific," she said.
Outside, behind the main arena, while Capt Shane Carey put Hands Free through his paces for Ireland, Emma and Alex McGlynn, both eight years old, were enjoying the delights of the miniature horses at Airfield Urban Farm's animal display.
But their mother, Violet McGlynn, was unimpressed by the cost of coming to the horse show. She had paid €48 for the family ticket and thought it was a mistake when she was told she would have to pay a further €11 per person if they wanted to sit in a stand.
"There's two different stands and you have to pay for them both separately. It's proving to be quite expensive," she said.
The arrival of Lord Mayor Cllr Vincent Jackson went over the head of Rebecca Lynch (7) from Meath, but she was highly impressed when she was allowed to take a turn sitting in his coach. Dublin City Council handlers traditionally allow "commoners" a go in the mayor's transport once he's been safely delivered to the official opening of the event. "Can you buy me one of those?" Rebecca asked her father.
