OUR industry and sport has come to a near stop but life and time moves on as it does here at home in Malahide. We are busy with 12 horses in and are concentrating on getting the horses in good condition and ready for the start of the interrupted season.

We also repaired and renewed several areas that were put on the long finger for the last few years. The family time has been very welcome and has reminded me of its importance. However, there is only so much grass you can cut and stables you can paint before you get the overwhelming itch to trade, travel and compete again. If my family and close friends do not get sick in any way from this situation, I will see that as my main accomplishment for this part of the year regardless of how the place looks!

However, our return to work and productivity looks like it will come back slowly and in stages. The abrupt halt and with the way it was brought in has made something very obvious to me. Without the sport for the horse, the need falls away dramatically and everything that comes behind it suffers.

The cancellation of all equestrian events has affected, firstly, the riders and immediate staff, followed by event organisers and centre owners. The cessation of activity has also been felt by vets, blacksmiths, feed companies, tack shops, coaches etc.

Lessons learned

The lesson we must learn from this is that the sport comes first in its many forms and we are all connected through it. What is good for the sport is good for all attached to the sector. When we exit these few months, we all need to do our bit to help regain the momentum lost.

We could all start helping out locally first with supporting your local venues and participating in, or even helping to organise and run, local events. Bigger sector companies could try, if possible, to continue sponsorship and encourage a strong second half of the season in the number of the events they support. Professionals could offer deals to the riding clubs and pony clubs regarding group training rates and encourage them back to the sport when we get going again.

Once the calendar for all disciplines opens up, there will be a scramble to get events going and it will take diplomacy and leadership to organise. I would be confident that watching what our country has come through that this sentiment is there.

Productive

If the wheels of the industry are the events, then the fuel would be the sales and lots of owners, investors and breeders will be looking for a productive second half of the year. As I have said earlier, once the sport starts in Europe and North America, this will create a need for horses, however we would be naive to think that it will be as strong as before until the world rights itself economically.

There are things we can do to help and this would include having a good standard of competition at home through which it will help market and sell our horses. The foal and young horse sales will need more direct marketing and innovative thinking like trying to include contract rearing. There will be some trade this year in Europe and we have to position ourselves to be ready to get as much of it as possible.

I honestly believe that the sport and trade for horses will come back because it is worldwide and growing in participation every year. Our industry will also return to productivity again as Irish horse people are the toughest tribe I have ever met in my life and don’t surrender too easily. This quality is what gives me the most confidence that together we can overcome this challenge.