BLACKSTAIRS in Co Wexford is undoubtedly among the most exciting new event venues in the country, so it was unfortunate that the effects of the long spell of dry weather were to prove so problematic for the organisers.

Despite efforts to aggrovate and water the tracks prior to running, the ground was considered unacceptable to a large swathe of riders, and as a result, Saturday’s schedule was decimated by withdrawals.

Massive efforts to improve the terrain on Saturday night and Sunday morning delivered a noticeable improvement, and while Sunday’s runners were light, most who attended opted to run.

Those who travelled on day one however, were justifiably unhappy, especially riders with a large number of horses and others who had journeyed long distances. That said, they were all also unanimous in praising the huge potential of the O’Connor family’s venue, which is not only one of the most scenic in the country but has endless scope to upgrade.

“This is a fantastic venue,” confirmed senior rider Paul Donovan. “But a representative of Eventing Ireland should really have been ahead of the game and taken action earlier. It was a real shame we had to pull our horses, but the way it is today, the potential for jarring is too great. We wanted to run – it costs a lot of money to come and the courses looked wonderful.”

Agreeing with Donovan, Marion Donegan, chairperson of the Munster region, added: “The organisers need to be guided and supported by their committee. We look forward to coming back to this beautiful venue – but the ground must be right. If you have two events in close proximity, the window for getting the ground back is less, and therefore the work needs to be intensified.”

Support from EI

Unquestionably, Blackstairs is a huge addition to the calendar and as hosts, the O’Connor family are enthusiastic and extremely welcoming.

Perhaps as new organisers they would have benefitted from added support from Eventing Ireland, and this may be something for the board to consider in the future.

In her role as the Eventing Ireland technical advisor, Gervaise Maher, stated: “The ground at Blackstairs was harrowed and rolled after the event in March and was spiked, rolled and watered up to the start of the cross-country on Saturday - this work was continued through Saturday night and Sunday morning, yet despite all the efforts and the lack of rain, it remained hard.”

Once the gravity of the situation emerged, and as soon as Saturday’s action ended, the organisers and connections walked the tracks to decide whether or not to proceed the following day. Opting to be positive, they worked on the ground late into the night, recommencing early on Sunday morning.