AMONG the many Irish who flew into Edinburgh Airport early last Friday morning to spend a day practically next door at the Royal Highland Show were Anna Holohan and Martin Moore who have been great friends since their days in the Ward Union Branch of the Irish Pony Club.

The main reason for their trip was to meet Anna’s brother Bernard, a former jockey turned equine dentist and chiropractor, and his 16-year-old show jumping son Fergal. The latter recently partnered the 12-year-old Je T’Aime Flamenco mare Killossery Kameo to victory in a 1.25cms accumulator class at Lamprechtshausen in Austria where he was a member of the British Junior Nations’ Cup squad with Kan Annie, a home-bred daughter of Kannan.

Fergal’s mother Fiona Holohan, who is a UKCC coach, runs a successful business dealing in sport horses at the family’s livery, pre-training and competition yard, Lochend Farm, in Ayrshire. Anna and Martin made full use of the Lochend Farm lorry to avoid the rain on Friday morning and drink copious amounts of coffee.

When they were leaving on Friday evening, Anna took with her two smashing fourth-placed rosettes Fergal had won at the Royal Highland on Thursday to show to her 91-year-old mother Pat who, many years ago, used to run a riding school in Finglas – more or less where Aldi is now.

After a day’s rest, Anna caught up with her daughter Ciara, grandson Lennon and their horses and ponies on Sunday while Martin, who is based at the Lakeside Stud in Cavan, travelled back down the road to the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association Dublin Branch show at the National Sport Horse Arena in Abbottstown where he showed four mares with their foals on behalf of James Heery.

“We won 10 rosettes but there wasn’t a whiff of a championship!” stated Martin who acknowledged that luck had smiled favourably on the team at Gorey show where Heery’s Derig Aingel, an eight-year-old grey by Inisfree The Holy Grail, won the Irish Draught championship.

Happy crew

Among others to have flown over to the Royal Highland Show on Friday were north Co Dublin pony breeder and producer Ann Grimes and Rita Dunne of the Kells Equestrian Centre.

While most exhibitors who had shown horses on the Thursday had already left for home, the foursome of Tim and Pat Martin plus Keith and Dorothy Walsh were still on site but about to go two separate – and much different – ways.

Tim and Pat were heading home in the lorry along with the quartet’s three-year-old lightweight in-hand hunter winner and reserve champion Imperator II (the champion three-year-old at Balmoral) while Keith and Dorothy were flying down to London to attend a black-tie birthday party.

As ever, one of the calling points for Irish visitors to the show was the Horse First stand where the friendly Paddy Hughes and his team were happy to do some business, chat and help people out.