THE first public auction of horses and ponies in Ireland since the start of the coronavirus lockdown took place last Saturday at Mullingar Equestrian where buyers in situ faced opposition from potential purchasers online.

“While just five lots were knocked down to online buyers, around 300 people actually registered to bid,” reported Mullingar Equestrian Horse Sales’ office administrator, Declan Fagan. “This was a new way of conducting business for us all and we were very pleased with the way things went on the day.

“The whole process of an online sale is a collaboration between the vendors and the auction house. The team here bought into it from the start and I’d had to say most of the vendors were enthusiastic about it as well, loading up photographs and videos of their lots. I have to single out Hans Kuehnle for particular mention as not only had he his three horses (Lots 61, 71 and 81 who all sold) well turned-out on the day but they were also beautifully presented for the videos.

“Having the livestream of the auction on Saturday was the icing on the cake and much credit is due to Wilson Porter from Kells who organised this. While it has been noted that the video froze for a short time on a couple of occasions, this did not affect the online bidding which was fully functional all the time, while those watching could still see the catalogue.

“Getting this auction off the ground resulted from collaboration between the team here and those at Cavan and Goresbridge. We worked on and agreed common protocols and then, thanks to Ronan Murphy in Horse Sport Ireland and James O’Keeffe in the Department of Agriculture, who opened doors for us, we got the go-ahead to resume sales.”

Fagan had plenty of praise for the rostrum party of local auctioneers Noel Corcoran and Michael Farrelly plus clerks Irene O’Sullivan and Adam McGoldrick, all of whom had practised their roles for the dual on-site/online bidding process.

“Irene, who is a schoolteacher and has plenty of technical knowledge, has volunteered to clerk at the sales here since they started and she was the one keeping an eye on the online bidders and then alerting Michael who called out what price they were offering. Saturday was a learning curve for us all but we’ve heard nothing negative about the sale. We had a clearance rate of 75% (53 lots sold of 70 offered), which exceeded our expectations, so one can see that there was strong demand for the type of sport horse and pony catalogued.”

One of the auctioneers’ functions during the day was to remind those present to maintain social distancing, but this comment hardly applied to Jim Derwin who was busy bidding and buying with 17 lots being knocked down to the Athlone-based dealer. He gave his top price of €6,100 for Michael Healy’s Connemara mare Carmelia’s Girl (Lot 37), a five-year-old by Ross Fear Bui, and just €100 less for Theresa Maguire’s Connemara colt Corner House Prince (Lot 26), a four-year-old by Glencarrig Knight.

Asked how he thought this new style of sale went, Derwin answered: “It was a hard one to judge. You would be bidding away and then the auctioneer could just shout out ‘we have a bid online’ and then it was a little bit confusing. Buying online wouldn’t be for me, as I like to see what I’m bidding on, but it was great to get back to a sale and get things moving. I suppose everyone is just going to have to get used to this new way of doing business.”

An online ‘cash’ bidder from Sweden gave the day’s top price of €8,500 for Lot 40, Laura Bohan’s Ballyfore Damzel who amassed 18 Show Jumping Ireland points last season at Mullingar and Cavan. The six-year-old black Connemara mare, who was bred by Gerry O’Donoghue, is by Poetic Kelly out of Errislannon Damozel, by Loobeen Larry.

Lee Johnston from Colerane signed the €7,300 chit for Lot 85, Samuel Hollinger’s Camiro de Haar Z mare Creevagh Bliss (ex Creevagh Freda, by Creevagh Ferro). The Ronnie Hollinger-bred five-year-old chesnut had a quiet introduction to show jumping in 2019 and recorded a double clear on her only start at one of the few shows held early this year.

While most lots offered were older stock, one of the few three-year-olds in the catalogue, Michael Bailey’s Fuerty Reigning Lady (Lot 55), was purchased by Nigel Crowe for €4,850. Bred in Co Meath by the vendor’s daughter Maeve, the just-broken grey filly is by Cougar out of the performance Irish Draught mare Fuerty Failte, by Welcome Flagmount.

Another father and daughter duo, Co Longford’s George and Susan McDonald, received €6,700 for Bengi (Lot 67), a five-year-old 16.1hh gelding who gets his dun colouring from his sire, Peters Brook.