The weather was fine and trade was brisk at the opening day of Ballinasloe Horse Fair yesterday. Brisk, that is, for people who were dealing in anything except horses.
The most innovative traders were young children selling ash-plants to farmers for £2 a go, but more conventional items such as jackets and wellies were going well too.
While there was controversy this year about the decision by Ballinasloe Urban District Council - for insurance reasons - to move traders off the fair green on to the streets, business at the stalls was good. On the fair green however, where the horses were being sold, it was a different story. There was no shortage of sellers but buyers were more scarce.
The animals were generally well-behaved although passing near the row of hind legs was a high-risk business. One young girl was taken from the field in distress after she was kicked by a frisky mare. The matron of Portiuncula Hospital, Sister Quinlan, said there had been several such incidents although all the injuries were minor. Horse traders poked and prodded the animals which interested them. Anyone wanting a lesson in equine anatomy had come to the right place.
While the street stalls sold everything from reading glasses to country and western tapes, inside the fair's enclosure area it was possible to buy all kinds of luxury goods for the horse in your life, including mane and tail lotions and hoof conditioners.
Entrance to this enclosure cost £3, money well spent if only to witness one of Ireland's fastest-growing sports, dog agility trials. Agility was not in doubt; obedience proved a little more elusive, lending the event great entertainment value.
The fair, which was officially opened by racing commentator Tracy Piggott, proved to be a great day out for the public. For those selling it was a different matter.
Tony Halpin from Co Clare stood for five hours with his threeyear-old horse and by 6 p.m. had had enough. "I think I'll come back tomorrow, it can't be any worse than today," he said. The overall winner of the horse of the fair award was gelding By Tildi, owned by Michael Pender. Ballinasloe Horse Fair continues daily until Sunday.