THE organisers of last week’s Balmoral Show announced a record peak attendance of 115,000 as the event extended into Saturday for the first time in almost 30 years.

Operations director, Rhonda Geary said: “We are thrilled with how our 2017 show has gone. The weather was fantastic, the fourth day went brilliantly and the Balmoral buzz was certainly there. Plans are already well in place for our 150th Balmoral Show which will be held from May 16th to 19th next year.”

While there were some traffic problems en route to Balmoral Park on the first morning, the situation was much improved on previous years with Translink stating that a considerable amount of people travelled on public transport. Record numbers apparently used the free shuttle bus service between Lisburn Train Station and Balmoral Park.

Local council restrictions on the hours of opening and closing saw large crowds queuing to get in when competitions had already started each morning and it was a pity that there was just one late evening opening, especially on the first two days when the weather was so good. Often, those in the horse section are unaware of the huge numbers elsewhere in the ground.

As ever, there was a high quality catalogue with each section (horses, ponies, cattle, sheep, etc) clearly defined and a relatively small number of quality colour advertisements. Most of these were for section or arena sponsors but there was also one for Tattersalls International Horse Trials which caught the eye.

There were a number of incorrect owners in the horse section, but this had to do more with the online entry system than with wrong information being deliberately supplied.

It was great to see brow band numbers introduced this year, particularly for the ridden horses, while well-known steward Terence McKeag wasn’t in the least bit embarrassed to admit that the new results boards in the two horse rings were copied from Dublin.

They too were a welcome addition to the show as was the increased use of the big screen at the practice ring end of the Main Arena. When not showing live scores or rounds, advertisements for each class sponsor were displayed, the one I liked the most being that for the Irish Draught Horse Society of Northern Ireland.

TIMING ISSUE

Unfortunately, timing of classes was an issue, especially in the Main Arena. On Saturday, a knock-on effect saw the brilliant cattle parade start over an hour late which was most frustrating for the animals’ owners and handlers particularly as they had been held over a day longer than usual. The delay and change of day also meant that, disappointingly, few stayed around for the Wilsons Auctions team hunt chase.

The Lowe Refrigeration donkey displays went down well and owners are now seeking their own section of classes at the show.

British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Balmoral Park on the Friday, as did the show’s patron, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex who saw the final stages of the Knotts Bakery four-year-old young event horse class as he and his party made their way past the Main Arena.