Century-old horse show in Ireland attracts record-high participation of horses

DUBLIN - Dublin Horse Show, a century-old annual event in Ireland, opened here on Wednesday with a participation of a record-high number of horses from home and abroad.

More than 1,600 horses aged from one year to eight years will take part in the competitions and shows of the five-day event which was opened by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Paul McAuliffe at Royal Dublin Society (RDS), a building complex in the Irish capital for holding major events.

"The number of horses participating in this year's Dublin Horse Show is the highest in its 155-year-old history as far as I know," said Diarmuid Hanifin, communications manager of RDS.

What also makes this year's edition different from the previous ones is an exhibition organized by RDS at its library to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the participation of Irish women in the horse competitions, he said.

A total of 39 riders from 13 countries and regions will compete in a number of events, of which the most important one is the Longines FEI (International Federation for Equestrian Sports) Jumping Nations Cup of Ireland which will be held at the Main Arena of RDS on the afternoon of Friday, August 9.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins will watch the competition together with local horse lovers, said organizers.

Apart from the horse competitions, visitors will have a rare opportunity to enjoy the horse performance to be staged daily by the famous Spanish horse trainer Santi Serra and listen to the lectures on horses to be offered by Laura Kraut, a US female show jumping competitor who won a gold medal for team jumping at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and Sir Mark Todd, a New Zealand horseman who was once named Rider of the 20th Century by FEI.

Over 300 trade stands have been set up at RDS, mainly selling staff related to horses such as horse feed, horse harness and saddles, and fancy horse rider's clothing and boots.

To attract the visitors, organizers have organized a number of music concerts, fashion shows, food fairs and other activities throughout the show in a bid to attract no less than 100,000 visitors as it did last year.