National Geographic: Ballad of the Irish Horse Page #4

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Often they lose the fox.

Sometimes, they lost their seat

and occasionally

they lose their way.

Are you hurt? Off you go.

Well, where do I go?

Go on, go on across there.

Go on and get on to it.

When the last fox

outruns the hounds

and the hour grows late,

Dempsey calls a halt

to the day's hunting.

Home now.

We go for the beer now

at Raftery's.

The hunters head for

a traditional last stop:

a pub called "The Blazers".

The Galway Blazers have

a reputation for recklessness.

It is said that a group

of hunters from Galway

once reveled so boisterously

in a certain hotel

that is burst into flames

thus giving the group its name.

Tonight, this pub is ablaze

with traditional Irish pleasures:

the pints,

the laughs, and the songs.

Every year

the town of mill street

hosts international show

jumping competitions.

Show jumping began

in Ireland a century ago.

Contests to see how high and wide

the horses could

jump over fences and walls,

they offered prizes to those

judged most suitable for hunting.

This competition is called

"Carroll's Boomerang Finder".

It was named

in honor of Boomerang,

the horse that this man,

Eddie Macken,

rode to fame and fortune

in the world of

international show jumping

the horse that made him

a national hero.

Macken's great successes with

Boomerang began in the mid 70s.

Soon horse and rider were labeled

"the most exciting partnership

show jumping has ever seen".

The Hickstead Derby,

English, 1977.

Winner in 1976,

now can he beat this time?

He'll have to do

fantastic turns to do it,

and there are few riders

more likely to do it

than Eddie Macken.

Come on, Boomerang...

Yes 27.3!

Boomerang was everything I am.

I just was very fortunate

to meet him

at the right stage in life.

He was probably fortunate

to meet me.

We came together and developed

a great partnership;

and he put me right at the top

of the world of show jumping

in a very short period of time.

All eyes are on the brilliant

Irishman Eddie Macken.

He just pauses.

He's in plenty of time.

He's absolutely right for it.

Go on, Eddie!

What a magnificent performance

by Eddie Macken.

Incredible to think

that he's now won

his fourth British jumping derby

in a row.

This trophy was commissioned

after Boomerang

had won his fourth consecutive

Hickstead Derby.

The Hickstead Derby is probably

one of the most

difficult competitions

in world showjumping to win.

For a horse to win it once

is an achievement,

be he actually won it four times.

In 1980 Boomerang broke a bone

in his foot

and Macken retired him.

But Hickstead brought them back

for an emotional farewell tribute.

It was a sad moment for Eddie

as they left the show grounds

for the last time.

Three years later,

Boomerang's condition

became so painful

he had to be put down.

He is buried on Macken's farm.

I never knew a horse that could

mean as much as Boomerang.

And the possibilities of

ever finding one

with as much talent

are very, very slim indeed.

The loss of Boomerang

still haunts Macken's life.

With his wife, Susanne,

he searches for a horse

with the unique talent and

temperament to replace Boomerang.

Okay?

All right.

All right.

Buying, feeding, training,

and caring for a stable of horses

is an expensive

and time-consuming responsibility.

But the Macken animals

get the best...

Including, for some,

a bit of Guinness Stout

three times a week

on the theory that

what Irish doctors prescribe

for old people and pregnant women

must be good for horses.

Youngest of five children,

Macken is the son

of a small-town butcher.

Is he ready to go?

Yeah. He's fine.

Yeah. You want to leave him

for me in the morning.

I'll ride him.

A superb, natural rider,

he has grown to be a trainer

with a special feel

and touch for a horse.

This animal seems to

have a muscular problem.

Macken examines him to see

if a veterinarian is required.

He's starting to

get a bit of a thing

about this now

that I'm fiddling around.

Yeah. He's just anticipating it.

Very tight there.

Will, Robin's coming this

afternoon again anyway, isn't he?

He is, eh?

Can you not work that other hand

on top of his hip

and save yourself?

There's definitely something

catching him there.

Yeah. It's just

a really worrying thing

for the horse anyway to have

somebody contracting

his muscles without...

Eddie himself has acknowledged

that a horse like Boomerang

comes along only once

in a lifetime.

But together, he and Susanne

continue their quest,

hoping to find to create his

next great show jumping partner,

and soften the loss of Boomerang,

a gallant champion

and noble friend.

You remember that chestnut foal

we bought at John V. Donna?

Oh, do you remember, yeah?

All over Ireland,

boys who would like to grow up

to be the next Eddie Macken

are practicing and competing

with the intense hope

and fervor of youth.

For them, young riders

like Philip and Trevor Dagg,

success demands more

than practice

it requires financial

and emotional support

from the entire family.

As they often do, their parents

devote the weekend

to the boy's competition.

The weather's going to

break now, too.

How many more do you...?

Ten more, ten more,

and he goes again.

Philip was once junior champion

in pony show jumping.

Now he trains

his 13 year old brother, Trevor,

who began competing

just last year.

You come down into it.

You're just going down the hill.

And the horse just tends to

go a little bit deeper

because you're coming

down the hill.

So you just want to sit him up

so he can...

Compensate for the downhill.

You're going too slow

and you're half asleep.

Now come on, waken up. Come on.

Philip has already committed

himself to a career with horses,

and coaches other

young competitors

as well as Trevor.

Just give him a little kick.

Come on.

That's good.

We'll just go up above

and give him a puff,

and then we'll go in.

Now let's have two awake people

to jump clear rounds.

All right.

You're going to win, okay?

You're going to win.

You're going to win, okay?

You're going to win.

And we will trot, trot.

Oh, crikey!

We're going to win today,

aren't we?

Yes, we are.

We're going to win.

Good boy.

Let's go see Philip. Okay?

Good lad.

Every competition

is an opportunity

to grow in skill and experience.

But in Ireland,

all competitions are prelude

to the most exciting challenge

of the year:

the Dublin Horse show.

Ireland's greatest horse show,

it has been attracting champions

for more than a century.

All of the riders

have qualified to participate

by winning at a number of

competitions throughout the year.

Held at the Royal Dublin

Society show grounds,

the Dublin Horse Show

has long been

considered the nation's

premiere social event.

Enthusiasts from farms,

villages and cities

across the country

join international visitors

as 1,000 horses

and riders and teams

from five nations stage five days

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