Mr. Greg Broderick:

We have five international events in the season altogether over the 52 weeks. Millstreet has a two-star international. The number of stars of the show indicate the prize money on offer, with five-star being the biggest, for example, the Dublin Horse Show, and one-star being the smallest. We have two-star shows in Mullingar and Balmoral. We have a two-star show in Millstreet, a five-star show in Dublin and a one-star show in Cavan in November. Basically, there are five shows in the year where people can ride at international level.

World ranking is relevant. A competitor can only win world ranking points in competitions that are 1.45 m or above and the classes have to be worth €25,000 plus. Basically, it is difficult to win world ranking points in Ireland at a horse show. There is only one ranking class in Millstreet, one in Mullingar, one in Balmoral and none in Cavan, because it is a one-star event. There are some classes in Dublin because it is five-star event. It is particularly difficult for a competitor to base himself in Ireland and stay in the world rankings.

This is something we need to look at if we are to have better show centres with better services. The price of horses nowadays that are in competition at that high standard is relevant. The last thing a competitor wants to do is jump his horse on a poor surface. If people are investing in a competitor and his horse to ride at that level, the last thing the competitor wants to do is jeopardise the investment and jump on facilities or surfaces that are not up to scratch or without the basics. Unfortunately, as silly as it sounds, the facilities and surfaces are far behind in 95% of the show centres throughout the country.

Earlier in the year, in January, I went to the sunshine tour in Spain to produce some of my older horses as well as some of my younger horses. I brought 37 horses to the show in Spain. It was a major operation to move there. I would gladly have left 20 of my horses at home to compete with some of my staff and riders in Ireland if there were better facilities and surfaces here. I am recently home from Vilamoura in Portugal. We had 22 horses at the show in Portugal. We were gone for six weeks altogether. Again, I would gladly have left more than half, perhaps 14 or 15, of the horses at home to do some of the shows in Ireland. Obviously, it costs me. It is far more expensive to put them in trucks and bring them that far. Unfortunately, the shows and good surfaces needed to produce the standard of horses I am trying to keep in Ireland are simply not up to scratch, so I am being forced to go to Europe with the horses.

These events in Europe have people who are at the shows because of the nice facilities. They include agents who are trying to find horses or dealers who have clients looking for horses. They will go to the nice show centres to find horses. Unfortunately, there are not enough of those shows in Ireland for people to bring such clients here. They opt more for Europe and the sunshine tours like those in Portugal and Spain.