AN Irish Draught and sport horse breeder, I’m from Stonepark, Ballyneety in Co Limerick. As a child, at my grandparents’ house, I saw my first Irish Draught horse. I was smitten from that very moment and bought my first Irish Draught after I returned home from England.

1. Proudest moment as a breeder?

I have a number of proud moments which make the bad days worthwhile; one example was when my mare, The Kings Sister (Island King - Carrickfad Princess, by The Conqueror. Breeder; Seamus O’Brien) won the supreme championship at the 2007 Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association (IDHBA) national show in Mullingar with Thelma and Louise, her twin foals at foot.

They were by the thoroughbred Shaandar.

I showed them at the Dublin Horse Show that same year and I believe they are the only twin foals to have been shown in the show’s history.

Also, just when I thought my day at the National Show couldn’t get any better, my other mare, Frenchfort Tana (Castana - Princess Royale, by Uibh Fhaili ’81. Breeder: Francis Lafferty) won the Mare of the Future final.

She was a full-sister to the three-time Dublin Irish Draught champion stallion Gortfree Hero and Frenchfort Tana continued to hold that title the following year, being the only mare to do this two years in a row.

2. Favourite broodmare, past or present?

It would have to be between those two mares - The Kings Sister and Frenchfort Tana - and also Diamond Clover Girl (Clover Hill - Dimond Lady, by Pride of Shaunlara. Breeder: Thomas Buckley), who, as a 23-year-old, had the reserve champion Irish Draught foal at Dublin in 2017. That colt foal Stonepark Clover (Castlegar Fin Grove) was another who went to the Royal Stables.

3. “The Irish horse breeding scene is as much about its people as horses.” Thoughts?

Since I began breeding and showing Irish Draughts, it has taken me the length and breadth of the country, making many a friendship along the way. To name a few, Pat Gleeson and his wife Margaret were very influential for me with their advice and the late Pat will always be fondly remembered in my memory.

Lorraine and Robert Riordan with their two stallions; Marion and Steven Costello and the McMahon family in Co Galway; Micheal Murphy in Co Wexford; Tony Purcell, another Limerick man and not to forget the ‘Three Amigos’ from Co Mayo: Tommy Bennett, Micheal O’Grady and Jim Cooke. Many an evening was spent with the above after shows, discussing the judges’ selections, and as that mentor Pat Gleeson said many years ago: “The only man happy after my judging is the man leaving the ring with the red rosette.”

Then there’s our neighbour Tommy Doherty, who supplies a lot of Windsor greys and black horses to the Household Cavalry. He pulled up at the house after the King’s Coronation and said, ‘Did you see your horse in the procession!’ I’d bred him from a Huntingfield Heathcliff stallion off the Castana mare.

We went to Cavan for a look at the stallion inspections in March and it was great to see Tommy McMahon getting one more Irish Draught stallion - Ludden Skywalker - bred by another Limer-ickman Eamonn Kennedy, approved for his Parkroe Stud. It’s been really interesting to read about all the breeders from the Cavan inspections since in The Irish Field.

4. Apart from another All Ireland for the Limerick hurling team, what’s the one horse world title you’d like to breed the winner of?

The title that I would most like to breed a winner of would be in the RDS, either in the Breeders’ Championship or on ‘Draught Day’. In the past I’ve managed to come close in the Draughts, but haven’t just got there yet.

Last year was the first time I qualified for the Breeders’ Championship with the home-bred Stonepark Imp (Master Imp - Friarstown Princess, by Glidawn Diamond) and her Lagans OBOS Quality colt foal, Stonepark Sarsfield.

We qualified for the eventing section of the Breeders’ Championship at the West Clare Show, great excitement that day and Matthew O’Meara stepped in to show the mare for me. That’s another example of the friendships you make and the obliging characters you meet around the country.

Dermot O'Brien qualified for The Irish Field Breeders' Championship in 2022 at the West Clare Show with his Stonepark Imp, led by Matthew O’Meara, and Stonepark Sarsfield \Susan Finnerty

5. Describe your winter regime for mares/youngstock.

As we know, winter can be a hard time for keeping horses. I always keep my broodmares inside at home for the winter and the youngstock are outside and rugged up. Both have ad-lib access to haylage and two hard feeds a day.

I foal my mares inside under camera to monitor them, which would give easier access for a vet in case of any complications.

6. It takes a team. Who’s on yours?

I’m surrounded by great people who I can always call at any time. The team has changed throughout the years but mainly consists of family and close friends, with there just being too many to name them all.

7. If you could have bred any horse in history, which one?

The one horse that I would have loved to have bred is J.P. McManus’ Istabraq, another Limerick champion, who is enjoying a well-deserved retirement in Martinstown, Co Limerick.

8. Do breeders get enough recognition?

In my opinion, breeders don’t get enough recognition for the work they do and poor prize money is often exceeded by the cost put into the preparation for the day. I know many businesses have had it tough in recent years and it is hard for shows to gather sponsorship but if the prize money is low, it won’t encourage most people to enter.

9. Best advice you ever got?

The best advice I ever got was from the aforementioned mentor Pat Gleeson: “No legs, no horse”.

10. Is there any incentive you’d like to see introduced for horse breeders?

Should the Horse Board have a grant in place to help breeders gain access to frozen semen from rare bloodline stallions, to help produce outcross stock?