It takes pressure to make diamonds as the saying goes, and maybe the hard time equestrianism has been having of late gave us all even more reason to celebrate the magnificent horses and the talented riders, breeders and producers at the show this year.

Highlights for me began with the Side Saddle class on Thursday, made all the more dramatic with the wind and rain. The elegant stoicism of both horses and riders made for a wonderful watch.

The Aga Khan was brilliant sport to watch.

Seeing the USA and Ireland battle it out for the top spot had the crowd cheering - even when the golden trophy was narrowly missed and is headed across the Atlantic until the rematch next year.

The newly sponsored €500,000 Rolex Grand Prix was everything we love about show jumping.

Co Louth’s Mark McAuley and Irish Sport Horse GRS Lady Amaro was runner-up to Swiss superstar Martin Fuchs on Conner Jei.

Jumping a brilliant clear in what felt like an unbeatable 38.74 seconds in the seven-horse jump off, it was just five hundredths of a second that saw Fuchs steal the title.

The warm Irish crowds were generous in defeat as the appreciation for Fuchs and Conner Jai rang out.

McAuley was happy even in second place and revelled in the fact that his fantastic mare was bred by his uncle Denis Hickey in Co Wexford, and that his cousin Patrick produced her until she was eight.

Eternal respect

I’m not usually moved to tears but I admit the eyes became soggy three times this year.

Something about the sight of Ben Atkinson’s Amazing Action Horses cantering at liberty across the Main Arena caused me to well up a bit. A sweeping metaphor for the power of trust, it was hard not to be moved.

The second time was during the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Racehorse to Riding Horse class, where an emotional Stephanie McGlynn and the Kildaragh Stud-bred Mickah Wallace looked an absolute picture to take the win in what to my mind was a ring full of winners.

The third lump in the throat came at the retirement of Mikey Pender’s wonder gelding Hearton du Bois Halleux who I first met in 2019 when Mikey was the youngest rider in history to win the Hickstead Derby.

I’ve had a bit of a crush on them both since then and to see a rider bid an emotional farewell to his horse at just the right time, to see him off to retirement fit and healthy to enjoy the field as reward for all he has given, well that for me was a special moment to share.