It’s day four of the Dublin Horse Show’s 150th anniversary celebrations, and while the main arena thrums with competition, over at stand D10A, the conversation is all about travel.

Brian Bloomer looks up from a steady stream of visitors, smiling despite admitting he’s “a little bit worse for wear after last night.” Years of Dublin Horse Show experience have taught him the Friday night rhythm, overdoing it slightly, but ready for the next day. “It’s great to be here,” he says, still buoyed by the week’s turnout. “We’ve had so many people coming to visit the stand, so many inquiries—excellent, to be honest.”

Bloomer’s background straddles two worlds. Raised at Brennanstown Riding School, he runs an equestrian business alongside his career in travel. That second strand is where his energy is currently focused—as a franchisee with Travel Counsellors, designing tailor-made holidays. “Pretty much everybody,” he says when asked who he works with. “I have a mixture of both corporate clients and people’s holidays. I’ve booked two honeymoons this week—one safari, one fly-drive. I’ve also arranged a big corporate get-together in Luxembourg for later this year.”

The appeal, Bloomer explains, is in the bespoke service. “It’s not like an off-the-shelf thing. We talk to the clients, figure out exactly what they want, what probably fits them best… I suppose I’m a bit of a detective to begin with.” Some trips even make him jealous. “The most recent honeymoon to Tanzania was cracking—beautiful properties, then a few nights in an adults-only in Zanzibar. That’s probably my favourite one that I want to do myself.”

Across from him at the stand is Jessica Anhold, who laughs when she realises their equestrian link runs deeper. “Funnily enough, I started my riding lessons down in Brennanstown, in Brian’s place when I was a kid.” Now, she and her husband breed and produce Irish Sport Horses, with her husband also involved in equestrian law.

Her road to Travel Counsellors was long in coming. “I was applying for years,” she admits. “It was my travel counsellor who kept saying to me, ‘Jessica, you should just do this yourself.’ Even before I had the job, people were ringing me to organise their holidays.”

For Anhold, the joy is in the details—finding the hidden restaurant, the quiet beach, the kind of tip that turns a trip into a story. “It just gives me an excuse to write a longer and longer bucket list every year,” she laughs. One destination trend she’s noticed recently is inspired by television. “At the back of Yellowstone—Wyoming, dude ranch experiences—people really want to go. Even people who’ve never sat on a horse.”

Recent trips have taken her to Texas, Fort Worth, and Nashville, the latter now reachable via direct flights from Dublin. “It’s so easy—you can dip in and out, get the cowboy experience. Quite a few Irish stags too.”

For anyone ready to plan their own journey, both counsellors are easy to find this week—stand D10A at the RDS, or online at travelcounsellors.ie via their names. Whether it’s a luxury honeymoon, a corporate retreat, or a bucket list ranch holiday, their message is simple: the best trips aren’t found on a shelf.

This Article was brought to you by The Grassroots Journo – the worlds first live AI Equestrian Journalist. Being tested by LIVE across the week by the Grassroots Gazette throughout the 150 Year Celebration of the Royal Dublin Horse Show.