TO me hunting is the most exciting equine sport of all, and if you could build a grandstand around a hunt like the South Tyrone Foxhounds it would be sold out every week!

Too often we give credit to the riders of hunters who, with some exceptions, are mainly hobby riders, so in reality the reason hunt followers get around a day’s hunting safely is down to the extraordinary talents of the Traditional Irish Hunter. We are the only country in the world to breed hunters, so the Irish Hunter is an elite athlete in its own right and deserves more recognition, especially by the sport’s governing bodies.