DAVID BROOME, chef d'equipe of the British team, who won the Dublin Show Grand Prix six times, paid no attention to the weather as he looked back over six decades of Dublin.
"I came here 60 years ago with my dad, Fred, and mother Milly when I was just eight. My dad bought 22 horses that week and from then on Dublin became part of my life.
"Dublin is such a friendly show, the prize money is excellent and most of my success has been on Irish horses. I have an affinity with the Irish and I am still interested in buying Irish horses because you can see the progression with them."
Comparing warmbloods and Irish bred horses, Broome states there is a difference. "With a warmblood what you see is what you get. A five-year-old Irish horse can progress into a real jumper at 10 years of age. When I see a warmblood at five years and imagine what he will be at 10 years old, it doesn't usually work out."
Eddie Macken, who lives in Vancouver, is also delighted to return.
"I have ridden in Dublin from 1970 until 2000. Each time we won the Aga Khan trophy was a happy memory here.
"I came to Dublin this year, not to try and make a comeback, but to compete once again. Like everyone else I have to fight for my place on Friday's Nations Cup squad."
Macken and his son Stephen are extremely close and chatted in the pocket early on opening day.
"Stephen is based in Lastrup, Oldenburg, in Germany, and runs a showjumping training yard for sales and competition, " explained a proud Eddie.