Dr. Peadar Ó Scanaill:

Senator O'Brien asked about the training of horses. It is similar to training an event horse or a single horse. Trotting is akin to eventing and show jumping where the trainer has just one or two horses. It is not like being Willie Mullins or Tony Martin where a large space is required. Trotters use small tracks in their own fields and it is a summertime sport. It is a little like eventing where one will also go out onto the road to trot the horse, or when one gets a hunt horse ready one will use the road somewhat. But broadly it is in fields and in the same way they build a menagethey will also build a track. There are plenty of tracks around where neighbours share the facility.

Deputy Ó Cuív and Senator O'Brien made reference to the matter of welfare. When any child or any young person minds a horse it usually brings out the good in that person and anything that encourages that is good. When some people look at the road racing they say it is all bad but it is not. There are many very good children involved who have nothing else to do but they do have an interest in keeping horses. It is educating those children and bringing them in to a fold. This is a huge step forward.