THE first public auction of horses and ponies in Ireland since the start of the coronavirus lockdown took place last Saturday at Mullingar Equestrian where buyers in situ faced opposition from potential purchasers online.

“While just five lots were knocked down to online buyers, around 300 people actually registered to bid,” reported Mullingar Equestrian Horse Sales’ office administrator, Declan Fagan. “This was a new way of conducting business for us all and we were very pleased with the way things went on the day.