222 



each of his horses was good, they were not matches in any way. 

 From England was sent several very perfect exhibits by Mr. John 

 Wilson, whose stables I have just alluded to. They were driven by 

 his head man, Hodgson. I don't think so perfect a tandem was ever 

 before seen in Ireland as his, and the style in which it was handled 

 was equally unknown to us. Hodgson's figure-driving in the jumping- 

 ground fairly astonished everybody. Trap, horses, and man appeared 

 part and parcel of one machinery working in most perfect harmony. 

 The horses were sold for 750gs. to go to America. 



Of course nearly all the prizes that year went to England. 



There was a great improvement all round in our driving exhibits 

 in 1887, but we were again beaten. 



In 1888 we made most meritorious display, and were it not for the 

 extraordinary animals which were sent from England, the Irish would 

 have been decorated ; but Wilson that year regularly swept the board. 

 His three horses, Eclipse, Water Lily, and Surprise, sold for l,050gs., 

 consequent upon their performance at Ball's Bridge. 



To make a long story short, we have made such improvement we 

 can now hold our own and beat the English in all classes. This speaks 

 volumes, for nothing is sent by them but the best of their best. We 

 seem still to do badly in single-horse driving, but we do very well 

 with pairs, while our tandems in 1891 and 1892 would take prizes in 

 any show. In 1891 we won the two first prizes and one second. 



Notwithstanding this improvement we are still a long way behind, 

 as is seen by the following table which I compiled from the catalogues 

 of the Dublin Horse Show from 1888 to 1892 inclusive : — 



Total Driving Prizes for Five Years ending 1892. 



English. 

 Irish .... 



Single 

 Harness. 



1st. 2n(l. 3ra, 



Double 

 Harness. 



22 12* 

 7 10 



I ! 



1st. 2nd. 3rd. 



! 



i r. 



12 6 



7 11 



Tandem. 



1st. '2nd. 



3rd. 





 



Total. 



I I 

 1st. 2n(l. 3rd. 



I 

 44 33 j 12 

 13 ! 22 I 10 



Credit to where credit is due. Were it not for these object lessons 

 which we have had from the English since 1886, the chances are that 

 our turns-out and our driving at Ball's Bridge — particularly in the 

 tandem class — would be as bad now as ever they were. 



It is therefore manifest that nothing exists to prevent us Irishmen 

 turning out our traps smartly and driving them properly. We have 

 just as good taste as Englishmen, we can get as good harness and 

 vehicles in Ireland as can be got in England, while the world knows 

 we are not wanting in the horse line. Let us therefore pull ourselves 



