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With the sun beating down, miniature bottles of prosecco in full flow, and a faintly agricultural smell wafting through the air, the conditions couldn't have been more ideal for Ladies' Day at the Dublin Horse Show on Thursday afternoon.
Now in its 146th year, the horse show is the country’s largest such event, attracting both those steeped in equestrian culture and those who enjoy the social side.
As thousands of punters ambled around the RDS, one attendee wryly observed that there were likely some people milling about who had never seen a horse before.
For those who fell into that camp, the horse show represented a unique opportunity to get acquainted with all things equestrian. Not only was there a strong equestrian programme to enjoy, but there was entertainment from equestrian artist Santi Serra. The Italian’s performance included everything from horses dancing on their hind legs to dramatic cameos from birds of prey, all while suitably epic music was piped through the grandstand.
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Those seeking shelter from the sun were able to wander around the shopping area. The cavernous halls were filled with vendors flogging everything from novelty socks bearing captions like “Silly Mare!” to horse-grooming products like mane and tail conditioner spray. If you thought people loved their dogs, then you haven’t met horse owners.
One hundred years of women
This year’s festival marks one hundred years since women first competed at the show on horseback. The first winner of the Ladies’ Jumping Competition was Florence Garth whose performance prompted The Irish Times to remark, “Truly, so far as jumping is concerned, the ladies have made good, and heartily merited the applause bestowed upon them last evening for their courage, coolness, and skill.”
To mark the centenary, the RDS is hosting an exhibition titled From The Field To The Arena. Inside the library, punters can read about the history of women at the Dublin Horse Show and cast their eyes upon riding gear once owned by legendary horsewoman Dorothy Bell.
Elsewhere, there was a Battle of the Sexes competition, which saw four top male riders compete against four top female riders.
RDS chief executive Michael Duffy said it’s a testament to the sport of showjumping that the horse show is celebrating such a significant milestone in 2019.
“Showjumping is one of the true gender equal sports because males and females compete on a truly level playing field,” said Duffy.
He said the decision to allow women to compete in 1919 was a progressive decision and one that reflected the great social change taking place at the time. It also reflected the RDS’ forward thinking.
“The RDS is actually quite pioneering,” he said. “When you look at its history and all the things it has done over the years, it very quickly moves with the times.”
Among the women competing at this year's horse show was Emma Byrne from Clonroche, Co Wexford, who was recently selected as this year's Wexford Rose.
The 19-year-old is the seventh generation of her family to compete at the Dublin Horse Show. She has been coming to the festival since she was ten years old, not long after she used her confirmation money to buy her first pony.
Byrne finished fourth in her event yesterday and described the centenary celebrations as “fabulous”.
“It’s the only sport where women and men are seen at the same level,” she said. “Women do it justice. I think the fact that it’s 100 years since women have been allowed to ride is something the RDS should be very proud of.”
After her event, she opted not to change into a Ladies’ Day get-up and instead threw her Wexford Rose sash on over her tweed riding outfit.
“It’s very weird being in the public eye with the sash on, but I love it,” she said. “I love the amount of people that want to come up and talk to you and have a chit chat.”
Her next competition? The Rose of Tralee in mid-August. “Keep yourself busy and out of trouble, as my Mam says,” she laughed.
Ladies’ Day
One of the day’s big draws was the Ladies’ Day competition, which saw ladies and gentlemen alike don their Sunday finest in a bid to win one of five prizes on offer for the day.
From midday on, Xposé presenter Nadine Reid gamely interviewed hundreds of well-heeled competitors on stage while judges Bairbre Power and Darren Kennedy assessed their looks. Spectators were treated to a diverse array of outfits from all different price points. For every designer gúna, there was an accessory procured from Penney's or a dress purchased from a charity shop.
Others opted to wear their own designs. Ann Lawson from Termonfeckin, Co Louth, sported a burnt orange dress handmade for her daughter’s wedding, which garnered applause from the crowd.
“Anne is wearing her own creation, designed and built by herself,” noted her proud husband Stewart Lawson.
“This is its second outing,” said Anne who has been attending the Dublin Horse Show for 35 years.
Sharon Margey from Muff, Co Donegal, also made her own outfit. The owner of a curtain shop, she fashioned a dress out of curtain fabric covered in a horse print. Keeping to the theme, she also wore a hat featuring a handmade horseshoe.
“Everybody’s looking at it,” she said of her outfit.
Margey wasn’t the only one wearing an elaborate headpiece. Ladies’ Day is nothing if not a showcase for the country’s milliners with women wearing hats, fascinators, head bands, and crowns bedecked with feathers, jewels, pearls, and everything in between. One competitor stated that her floral crown meant she was under attack by bees for the day.
By late afternoon, the ground was littered with lipstick-stained champagne flutes and heels belonging to weary women. Around 4pm, punters gathered to see who would reign supreme and walk away with the day’s top prize. Judge Bairbre Power said it was a “privilege” to judge the competition and commended participants for their “originality and personality”.
In the end, Anne Marie Dunning from Newbridge, Co Kildare was named Best Dressed Lady for her elegant monochrome ensemble. For her troubles, she won a €10,000 voucher for Dundrum Town Centre. Asked how she would spend the proceeds, Dunning said it would likely be divvied up between two places: the travel agents and Brown Thomas.