The vibes were good before the November National Hunt Sale at Tattersalls Ireland and, following a successful yearling show on Sunday, the sale got underway last Monday week.

The demand for horses was extremely strong from start to finish and vendors and purchasers were extremely pleased. I didn’t hear many complaints which is testament to the strength of the sale.

Being in the service sector, it is hard to please everyone, especially when you are dealing with both vendors and buyers, but the National Hunt client is generally more than amenable.

The weather on the Thursday of the sale was horrendous with torrential downpours all day which proved quite challenging. It certainly did not dampen the frenetic trade and there was a great sense of joy for everyone involved at the conclusion of the sale on Saturday evening. It is extremely gratifying to see vendors rewarded in the ring, and to see a huge percentage of vendors sell their animals, and to sell them well, was very satisfying.

There were tough times for everyone when the economy collapsed at the end of 2008 and the intervening years saw the demand for horses fall coupled with huge overproduction which was a double negative.

SCRAPPAGE SCHEME

I remember in the boom years when horses were making fortunes and we were producing more foals in Ireland than the UK, France, Italy and Germany combined. Commentators asked what we were going to do with overproduction. “Should there be a scrappage scheme for mares?” I remember being asked.

A number of experts said the market would decide what’s wanted and what is not, and this of course is what happened.

Thousands of mares were culled and the number of thoroughbreds produced reverted to a more realistic number. Therefore when demand returned the numbers being produced are perfectly adequate and we are seeing fantastic prices in the sales rings across Ireland and the UK.

If the numbers remain the same then we are in for some outstanding years. However there is strong anecdotal evidence that mares who were sidelined during the downturn are being reintroduced to the breeding sheds.

If this is true it is worrying. Long may the market remain strong and certainly there is nothing but positivity associated with the business at the moment.

DECEMBER SALE

On Sunday I will drive via ferry to Tattersalls in Newmarket as the December Sale starts on Monday.

This is a fantastic sale to be involved in, with buyers coming from the four corners of the earth, particularly for the second week when broodmares are on offer.

No doubt there will be huge competition for the foals next week. It will be fun watching brothers and relations going toe-to-toe in the ring bidding against each other - a perennial pastime!

It’s always good to see the first season progeny of stallions who themselves only raced two years ago and to see if they stamp their stock with their own positive characteristics.

There is always a positive vibe at this sale, particularly towards the end of the second week when it brings to a close the sales season (further sales of course in Ireland and France to come) for a number of people and no doubt there will be an overindulgence on claret in the restaurant at some stage over the fortnight.