WE are based in Bishopslough, Bennettsbridge which is roughly 10 minutes outside Kilkenny city. I had great exposure to the show jumping industry from a very young age through my father Jim, who put some top-class ponies through his hands and which I was very fortunate to ride.

Thankfully, with a lot of hard work and help from everyone around us, this progressed into competing at Nations Cup-winning level. We’ve gradually built up a very good reputation at also producing horses up to five-star and championship level.

The breeding aspect of show jumping has always been an interest of our family and Dad has bred and produced stock that have competed right up to 1.60m level.

1. Tell us about the Castlefield Breeding Farm enterprise.

I am quite good friends with Paul O’Shea and through him, I was introduced to Matteo Delmiglio. From day one, it was very evident that both me and Matteo had similar ambitions, opinions and plans on breeding.

Fortunately for me, Matteo had already gained excellent knowledge of sport horse breeding over the past decade. In this time, Matteo bred the newly-approved Castlefield Kingston (Cinsey), who really complements our current roster of stallions, which also consists of Castlefield Cornet (Cornet Obolensky), Calvador Z (Comilfo Plus Z) and SVS Je T’aime Castlefield (Zirocco Blue VDL).

We believe there is a stallion in this roster to suit the needs of all breeders and all are available by fresh semen.

2. How many broodmares do you currently have?

Our broodmare band is made up of 10 or 12 meticulously selected broodmares and as a result of a successful breeding season in 2020, we are expecting 35 foals this year.

3. Embryo transfer, Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), etc – what are your thoughts on modern breeding techniques in the sport horse industry?

Embryo transfer is the driving force of our breeding program and allows us to compete and produce our top mares, coinciding with producing our next bloodline. We also have some top frozen ICSI embryos which will be hopefully planted this spring.

4. With the recent form of horses such as Castlefield Vegas, Java’s Miss Jordan, Kilkenny, Pacino Amiro, etc., and the general consensus that the standard at the HSI stallion inspections improves each year, is Irish show jumping breeding on the rise?

I think the Irish sport horse breeding industry is currently breaking new ground with the world’s top bloodlines now so readily available to Irish breeders. This has clearly come to fruition as we have seen Irish-bred horses win four international Grands Prix worldwide.

5. Proudest moment as a breeder?

Breeding top horses is not easy and my proudest moments in breeding would have to be being involved in the breeding of two consecutive world champions. The first was Columcille Gypsy (Toulon), who I also rode to win a gold medal in the six-year-old final at the 2017 World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) championships in Lanaken. I co-bred her with the late Eamonn Murphy.

In 2018, Uppercourt Cappuccino (Pacino) won the five-year-old gold medal at Lanaken under Richard Howley and was bred by both the late Paul O’Byrne and I.

6. Your broodmare(s) – which one stands out?

We have numerous mares in our broodmare band that have produced numerous top level horses but one mare that really excites us is U-Sprit (Baloubet du Rouet).

She herself is a sister to Tinka’s Boy and also to the dam of Carrera VDL. She has already produced three approved stallions, so she could be very prolific in the foundation of our bloodlines to come.

7. What is the plan for Castlefield-breds in future years? Competition horses, potential stallions?

Our aim is to produce world-class horses with our current selective approach. This is all made possible with the great connections and partnerships we have put together along the way.

8. It takes a team – who’s on yours?

We are very fortunate that, from the age of a day-old foal right up to top level, Castlefield horses are surrounded daily by hard-working and dedicated horse people, all of which would not be possible without them.

9. Best advice you ever got?

Focus on the positives.

10. Would you do it all over again?

I feel I’m in a very fortunate position to have had such exposure to competing and breeding from a young age and would most definitely do it all again.