Austerity fails to rein in unbridled spending at show

What recession? The country might be saddled with debt but there are no obvious signs of austerity putting the reins on spending at the Dublin Horse Show this week.

Instead, it really was “show time” as large crowds again flocked to the RDS yesterday for the equestrian world’s equivalent of a busman’s holiday.

The show rings attracted spectators with the added carrot that members of the public can this year test their own judging skills with a daily prize of €1,000 if their decisions match the choice of the judges.

The Galway Races might be suffering without the excess associated with the boom years but the corporate tents at Ballsbridge have been packed, while steady queues are the norm at the food stalls and bars.

Getting a table at one of the champagne bars, where a bottle of sparkling wine sets diners back €35, can prove as challenging for visitors as getting over a puissance wall is for a horse and rider.

Elsewhere, the exhibition halls, featuring more than 300 stands, were doing a brisk trade amid a heaving mass of happy shoppers.

Thousands of visitors, from avowed horse-lovers to the merely curious, turned out to make yesterday’s attendance the biggest of the five-day Horse Show so far.

The main attraction was the Nations Cup for the coveted Aga Khan trophy, with large crowds cramming into the grandstands at the RDS Main Arena.

Ireland was defending its victory in last year’s competition but had to settle for joint third with the US.

A somewhat unfancied British team, which was 6/1 at the start of the competition, came from behind at the halfway stage to narrowly pip the Netherlands quartet, aided by a superb double clear round by Scott Brash.

Enjoying the proceedings was guest of honour, President Michael D Higgins, dressed in a smart, green Donegal tweed suit and accompanied by his wife Sabina. Also spotted savouring the show jumping were Sports Minister Leo Varadkar, and former Miss World Rosanna Davison.

Other celebrities taking a less passive role were RTÉ show jumping commentator Brendan McArdle and comedian and impersonator Oliver Callan.

The two Monaghan natives took part in a celebrity version of the fast-paced scurry racing, where a pair of ponies pull lightweight carriages around an obstacle course. Both were happy to be back-seat drivers as they hurtled around the course at break-neck speed.

“It was awesome. Thank God we beat Brendan.

“That was bigger than the Aga Khan,” Callan joked later.

Younger horse fans also showed great interest in a display by internationally- renowned “horse whisperer” Honza Bláha from the Czech Republic, who delighted audiences with his ability to get animals to perform a variety of tricks.

Visitors also checked out a special exhibition on the legendary Dublin-born show jumper Iris Kellett, who died in 2011 after a 30-year career that saw her crowned European Ladies Champion in 1969.