A few years ago I noticed an advert in Horse and Hound for the Dublin Horse Show. That sounds like fun, I thought, and cajoled a friend into joining me for a hop across the Irish Sea.

Dublin was indeed fun. It was Royal Ascot meets Father Ted, a society event packed with elegantly dressed ladies, farmers from counties I’d never heard of, and a never ending procession of grey ponies. It was an enormous, heaving party and we loved it. In no time at all we were leaning against the white rails every morning consulting our 352-page catalogues as if we knew what we were doing – because this is a serious, knowledgeable crowd of people. When you take your seat for the Irish Draughts stallion parade you can be sure you will find yourself sitting next to somebody who has just put their mare to the winner.

Hunter…