By Ruth Loney

Riders, owners and show organisers have voted Belfast Horse Show as the best global indoor venue - with probably the same electric atmosphere as depicted in the heady days of showjumping at Madison Square Garden, the White City and Horse of the Year Show at Wembley Stadium.

Despite Las Vegas being the final for the world cup this year - Belfast show has been tipped as even better than indoor sites such as Liepzig, Paris, Bordeaux and even Olympia.

The 2004 show was a showjumping and entertainment bonanza, with a prize fund in excess of £250,000 and even the top pony rider David Simpson from Londonderry walking off with a first prize of £3,000.

Theresa McKenna, event director has praised her show director Alan Beaumont and the huge team of volunteers and overseas judges, course builders and commentators together with the full team who made Belfast Show possible.

"It has been an unbelievable effort from a show run by 90 per cent volunteers who have worked from dawn until dusk. We moved into the site last Monday and with 200 stables erected and two warm up marquees, not to mention the mammoth task of bringing in 980 tonnes of waxed sand - it has been amazing."

Already Belfast show dates are booked for December 1-4 next year and sponsors have already committed with more clamouring to jump on board.

"I cannot get over the support this year from so many quarters," added Theresa. "We spent last year firefighting so many problems - this year we have television coverage on Sky Sports, Eurosport, and cable in Europe and Japan."

After Christmas Extreme Productions will produce five half hour specials from the show produced by Kate Southwell with Karen Patterson presenting.

"My show director Alan Beamont has put his all into this event. He has so many ideas and knows how to combine theatre with showjumping. That is what this is about - he and I talked non stop on the phone, and Alan would ring me at 2am in the morning if he had a fresh thought," explained Theresa.

"Communication has been to the fore - and Alan has left nothing to chance. His organising skills are very slick and the whole team effort has rallied under his direction."

The inclusion of national classes this year including a hunt chase which was won by the Ballymacnabbs was a huge success. Theresa sees the national section as a great introduction for young people and young horses to the international arena.

"We must encourage the upandcoming stars and give them a chance to compete in the main arena. National classes are the grass roots and we intend to retain this section which has also good prize money."

Even young Ellie McColville has had her wish come true. The young lady made a wish at the show and now she gets to spend two days working at Pippa Funnell's yard in England.

"We are taking a host of new ideas on board and already are planning for next year, " said an exhausted Theresa McKenna after Sunday's show dimmed the final lights.

"We have survived on three hours sleep a night, but it has been worth it all. To see all the schoolchildren cheering to the rafters at the matinee performance was fantastic."

Show director Alan Beaumont lost his voice on Sunday after hours of work. "It has been worth it all. To see so many volunteers now become professional show organisers after a few days - I have left them all to get on with their individual jobs was unbelievable. To watch the whole show eventually unveil before my eyes and see everyone do their jobs as a team is amazing. What the workers at Belfast Show have achieved is amazing.

"I am very proud of everyone here who has made this possible. We have exceeded all expectations with 120 volunteers who arrived here last Monday. I must admit when I arrived on Monday I had butterflies in my stomach. I am a strong person and I knew we had to get this right - It was a big task but we have 40,000 people who have enjoyed the show. It took 80 walkie talkies, 200 Odyssey staff and 150 show staff to make this possible. I am delighted with the achievement - a big thank you to everyone. "

No-one was more delighted with Belfast Show than Robert Smith who equalled last year's success by walking off with a new Chrysler worth £28,000 as leading rider. Last year Robert won three classes and took home a new Mercedes Benz for his wife Leeanne.

This year he won two classes with Kalusha and one with Marius Claudius.

Young Swiss ace Daniel Etter who won the Grand Prix with Hermine D'Auzay for a first prize of £27,000 was over the moon.

The 30 year old son of Europe's well known dealer Gerhard Etter has 160 horses in his yard and 150 in Offaly at his sister Andrea's stud farm.

Of his winning mare he said: "She has won in Copenhagan, Gijon and Zagreb and on three Nations Cup squads. I was third in the Grand Prix last year and I am delighted to have won this year. She is very fast and I must admit I have never had a standing ovation before. We will now compete in next week's Geneva world cup show."

Runner up was Markus Fuchs with Royal-Charmer by Cavalier with third place going to Jean Claude Van Geenberghe and fourth to Billy Twomey on Anastasia. The highest placed Irish riders were Shane Carey in seventh and Ballyclare's Harry Marshall in ninth with the talented All Shook Up owned by Shirley Kernan.

Harry Marshall and All Shook Up performed extremely well this week, and All Shook Up showed his true potential and liking of five star show venues.

Belfast International Grand Prix 1 Daniel Etter SUI Hermine D'Auzay 0 35.10 2 Markus Fuchs SUI Royal Charmer 0- 35.79 3 Jean Claude Van Geenberghe BEL Andiamo 4 Billy Twomey IRE Anastasia 5 Richard Davenport GB Laguina 6 Michel Hecart FRA Itot de Chateau 7 Capt Shane Carey IRE Lismakin 8 Gerfried Puck AUT Bleeker 9 Harry Marshall IRE All Shook Up 10 Tim Stockdale GB Cloudy Night 11 Bruno Broucsault FRA Hooligan 12 Dermott Lennon IRE I Caesar Oh Jasper, James Acheson's stallion which took three excellent placings with Dermott Lennon at the recent Stockholm show is aiming for the Sires of the World final in s'Hertogonbosch, Netherlands next year. Dow Jones Courcel, also owned by James was second in the Sires of the World two years ago with Lennon on board.