It was a clear case of women against the weather yesterday at the Dublin Horse Show in the RDS and the weather won hands down.
The women came in their droves dressed not to defeat the elements but to catch the eye of the judges and possibly win a SEAT car in the Ladies' Day best dressed ladies competition.
But the rain battered their best efforts as easily as if it has been flattening the corn and the ladies had to lurk in the driest places possible to defeat it.
The sea of hats and chiffon and silk were no match at all for the relentless rain, turning the normally elegant scene into something which could have passed for an IFA handout on crop damage on a west of Ireland farm.
Peacock feathers, plastic fruit, ribbons and bows all bowed to the elements and a cold breeze brought out the goosepimples on the bravest of the women who dared bare flesh.
However, at the end of the day there was a winner out of the hundreds who had queued to take part in the event and be viewed by a panel of judges which included Celia Larkin. She was Linda Martin, no, not the singer, but a mother of two small girls, Lucy (11) and Sophie (6), from Dalkey in Dublin. Linda had to explain that when she said she was wearing a pair of "Ruined" shoes, she was not referring to a new brand of footwear but a perfectly good pair of shoes which had been destroyed in the rain.
She was delighted that her children had persuaded her to take part in the competition which saw her drive home with an €18,000 car to replace her old one. There was another step forward for Irish women at the show when Lieut Danielle Quinlivan (23), became the first woman Army officer to compete for her country in the Kerrygold Speed Derby. Lieut Quinlivan, from Kanturk, Co Cork, is an officer in the Army Equitation School and comes from a well known family, all of who are involved in equestrian sport.
A huge crowd is expected today for the Kerrygold Nations Cup competition where the Irish team is favoured to win the cup from the holders, Belgium.
Even better is the news from the Meteorological Office which has been predicting an improvement in the weather.