The horses’ bedding at the RDS is now supplied by a British firm, much to one man’s chagrin
IT WAS a certainty Ireland would not win the Nations Cup yesterday, according to the man sitting outside Crowe’s pub shortly after 2pm as the national anthems of the competing countries were being belted out on TV.
He was a bitter man, a man who had built up a thriving business servicing the needs of the 1,400 horses that are stabled in the RDS for most of the week but had lost it after 14 years.
“We supplied the hay, the straw and the bedding and we also threw in a complimentary bag of carrots for the horses each year . . . Now they are getting their bedding from a British firm and we are out, and without the carrots Ireland cannot win,” he said.
How right he was.
Ireland had a major advantage yesterday but according to my friend, devastated by the loss of business, the lack of carrots would mean tossed jumps, double points and a Wicklow curse which would lead to downfall.
“But,” I asked “did you not give carrots to all the teams and did that not render them equal?”
“I did of course but I also supplied the bedding so Irish horses felt at home and were able to deliver of their best. They will not win,” he predicted, a few hours before the Irish came in joint-second, behind the Netherlands, on a total of 20 faults along with the US.
My friend, who claimed sponsorship and lack of national pride would mean no Aga Khan victories until his carrots were back on site again, said he was predicting a British win and had put his money where his mouth was. His money went down the drain with his business contract, however, as the British came in sixth behind France on a total of 28 points.
The RDS later confirmed that bedding at the RDS was being supplied by a British company but it said it was sourced in Ireland and was being delivered for free to the RDS.
As for overall business at the show, attendances are up by 4-6 per cent, according to Matthew Dempsey, chairman of the RDS management committee, who confessed to being worn out by all the action on the site.
President Mary McAleese was there to present the coveted trophy to the Netherlands team in front of an enthusiastic crowd that had followed each jump of the Nations Cup competition with partisan intensity.
Celebrities were thin on the ground yesterday but Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith paid a visit to the grounds where his predecessor, Joe Walsh, resplendent in top had and tails, was hosting many of the guests.
Mr Smith praised the professionalism of the organisers of the show, and emphasised the importance of the equine sector to the Irish economy.
He welcomed the 3 per cent increase in entries and said that while most people saw the show as an event for international horses and riders, it was often not recognised that the vast majority of competitors were from Ireland and took part in the 30 national jumping competitions and 95 showing classes.
“It is the people who own, train and prepare the horses for these events who are the backbone of the sports horse industry in Ireland,” he said.