The Dublin Horse Show has been cancelled due to #Covid-19

The event was due to take place in July.

The Dublin Horse Show has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The annual show was set to take place in the RDS from July 15 - 19 and has since been cancelled for the health and safety of visitors and staff. The Royal Dublin Society announced the cancellation this afternoon, stating that they had taken the advice from the government and the Health Service Executive. "The scale of the Show necessitates preparations beginning months in advance, with horses in training around Ireland for the many national competitions held as part of the Show," they said. "Qualifiers scheduled to begin this month are unable to proceed this year in the current circumstances. In addition, the RDS begins its on-site preparations many months in advance of the five-day Show which attracts over 100,000 visitors." The Horse Show was cancelled only a handful of times before. There was no Show between 1914 - 1918 and also in 1940 due to World War 2, but show jumping competitions did continue between 1941 - 1945. Swamp fever also cancelled the competition for the Aga Khan trophy in 1966. Chief Executive of the RDS, Michael Duffy, added that although people will be disappointed by the cancellation, "we believe it is the most responsible decision we can make in the best interests of public health and safety." "We understand that this will disappoint many members of the public and that it will have implications for many horse breeders and producers around the country. "However, we trust that everyone will understand and support a decision made in the national interest. It is incumbent on all of us to do everything we can to support the measures introduced by the Government. “The Horse Show is a very important part of the sport horse industry and we understand the effects this decision will have on the industry and the community." Any tickets bought for this year's Horse Show will be automatically refunded via Ticketmaster. A date for Horse Show 2021 will be announced in due course.