A new sponsor, Samsung, is bringing the Dublin Horse Show into its show-jumping superleague, writes Seán MacConnell
The Dublin Horse Show is an astonishing event. First, the show is 130 years of age this year, which makes it one of the oldest in the world. It is even more remarkable that it has nearly always been run at a loss and the tab is picked up by the Royal Dublin Society.
Last year, for instance, it cost almost €2 million, and despite heavy sponsorship and prize-money still lost €300,000. But the chief executive of the RDS, Shane Cleary, does not regard that as a loss, just a fulfilment of the society's commitment to promoting agriculture, industry, arts and crafts.
"We try to minimise the cost but it is not always easy. That is our commitment to the sport-horse industry in the country," he says. "The horse show is a world-class event and it is seen on television by over 200 million viewers and that is what attracts sponsors," he says. The society recently parted company with the Irish Dairy Board, sponsors for 17 years.
But the monies generated by Bord Báinne gave the impetus for a rebirth which saw international teams and riders return to Dublin after an absence of some years. "It was beneficial to both of us," says Cleary, who took over as chief executive in 1991. Since then he has supervised the €11 million-plus refurbishment of the showgrounds and the old buildings. The RDS has just over 6,000 members this year, the first time the number of members has increased in the past decade.
Now a new show sponsor has emerged - electronics giant Samsung, which has added the Dublin event to seven other events for its show- jumping superleague between nations.
"The idea of the superleague is like soccer. The superleague is premiership level and the nations taking part have to stay in it," explains one equestrian insider this week. "The Dublin Horse Show is now too important to be ignored and the professionals will have to stick in there."
The new recognition for the horse show is a timely boost for the Irish industry. Ireland's proud tradition of breeding the best sport horses in the world has been falling off in the last two decades. Continental riders who had traditionally sourced their horses in Ireland discovered they could find equal and better animals on the Continent, in France, Germany and the Netherlands. That, according to one well-known breeder, was because their governments were prepared to spend money on identifying the animals which should be bred.
"We fell behind, with a few notable exceptions over the last two decades but now the Government is putting some decent money into breeding and we are clawing our way back," she says.
For generations, the Irish sport horse came from the Irish farms when the Irish draught mare, which was used for farm work, was bred with a thoroughbred stallion. That produced an all-round animal capable of jumping with a good temperament. That was the heady era of Tommy Wade and his famous horse, Dundrum, when farmers still used horses for farm work and bred a sport horse every year to supplement their income. Now, according to the Agriculture Census of June, 2000, just over 7,000 farms in the State keep brood mares for breeding. The workhorse has been replaced by machinery and only those who can afford to can indulge.
That is reflected in the attendance at the horse show, which for the past 10 years has stood at around 100,000 people annually. Research carried out by the RDS shows the majority who attend are from the counties immediately around Dublin, with 20 per cent coming from the North.
"Owning a sport horse has become a very urban thing and a lot of professionals from Dublin and other cities dabble," says Cleary. "I suppose it is fair to say that most of the people who come here on Ladies' Day, Thursday, and on Friday for the Nations' Cup, will be urban. A lot of them are the same kind of folk you will find going to Lansdowne Road to cheer on the Irish soccer or rugby teams, looking for an Irish win.
"That has given a new impetus to the sport but there is still quite a large input from rural Ireland," he adds. "We know that a lot of people travel up to attend the show who have no horses at all but love the horse and showjumping."
Tim O'Regan from Mallow, Co Cork, is one of those people who still combines farming and horse owning.
"It has got very specialised and there are fewer people at it in rural Ireland. It takes up a lot of time," he says. O'Regan, who keeps top quality stallions, says help from the Irish Horse Board, which identifies problem-free mares suitable for breeding, has been a positive development.
According to show-watchers, there has been a marked decline in the social events, with fewer formal balls and parties. "There is still a touch of snobbery about the show but that is dying out too. Ordinary folk can now own as good a horse as some of the fur-coat-and-no-knickers brigade. There is far less nonsense now," says one suburban horse-owning lady. "You still get the odd spud-in-the-mouth type but they are as much part of Ireland as you and I are."
There is, however, one lasting old relic of decency which will be dusted off and go on show next week. Although it is optional, many of the judges and officials still wear the bowler hat, which makes them stand out among their peers.
"Some of the older people and, indeed, younger people still want to continue the tradition," says Cleary, "and some of the public like it."
The 130th Dublin Horse Show runs Wednesday to Sunday at the RDS