IRELAND’s vibrant hunting sector packs a real economic punch, worth almost €34m to the country’s economy, while the county shows contribute another €30m.

That’s according to the data in the updated UCD Report The Contribution of the Sport Horse Industry to the Irish Economy 2017.

Compiled by UCD’s Dr Alan Fahey and HSI’s director of breeding, Alison Corbally, the report details that the total annual hunting with hounds participant and visitor expenditure amounted to €32,705,051 in 2016.

The mean (average) number of members per fox hunt was 103 members (84 adults and 19 children) with the largest fox hunts having up to 60 child members and 200 adult members.

Almost every mounted hunt organised a point-to-point event during 2016.

Conservatively, it was estimated that some 400 overseas visitors travel to Ireland to take part in hunting activities each year, spending over €1m. Of these visitors, 40% came from the USA, 40% from the UK and the remaining 20% from other EU countries, mainly Germany. The mean stay for visitors was five nights and they attended on average, 3.5 hunts during their stay.

With an estimated 76 people employed full-time, hunt wages calculated on the mean agricultural wage of €9.15 per hour contributed an additional total of €1,251,720.

That brings the total expenditure for mounted hunts in 2016 to €33,956,771.

SHOWING & COUNTY SHOWS

Approximately 144 county shows take place in Ireland annually, 140 of them are affiliated to the Irish Shows Association (ISA).

In 2016, some 286,500 spectators attended shows and 5% were from overseas.

On average there were 81 equestrian classes per show, approximately 11,644 equestrian classes take place at county shows each year with show jumping (28%) and showing ridden (27%) being the most popular. Showing mare/foals accounted for 15% while young horse showing was 17%.

Overseas visitors stayed on average seven nights and came from USA, UK, France, Germany, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

The UCD Report estimated that 2,400 individuals exhibit equines at county shows with the average family of three people showing at 8.7 shows per year, entering on average 13.11 classes per year.

The aggregate contribution of the sport horse industry from county shows to the economy was €30,392,266.