Anyone who believes that ploughing is a simple matter had better beware because for the fans, it is an art form.
Yesterday the "ins and outs" of ploughing were explained to the media by Anna Marie McHugh, the public relations officer of the event and expert ploughwoman.
Anna Marie, daughter of Anna May McHugh, the managing director of the National Ploughing Association, has been a winner of the Queen of The Plough.
"The main thing you have to know about ploughing is that the ins and outs have to be in line," she said, explaining that these were the points where the plough entered and exited the soil.
"You have the middle, the skim, the pack, the flesh, the appearance and the straightness and all those things matter," she said.
While ploughing in a straight line is important, the way the plough turns the earth is important especially in the middle of the plot," she said.
Anna Marie added that the way the soil was directed, delivered the pack and the flesh and this made up the main components of ploughing.
She also said that the ground at Ballacolla was now hard because of the lack of rain in recent weeks and some of the competitors would now welcome some rain for the competitions to soften the ground.
The NPA, might, she said, water some of the plots where horseploughing is due to take place tomorrow.