A TIPPERARY woman through and through, I live near Nenagh, an area steeped in horse history. George, my husband and son David are dairy farming. David has a degree in Agriculture and is in his first year in the Arrabawn Co Op graduate programme. Denis, our other son and ‘football’s lost legend!’ as he describes himself, is an engineer with Irving Oil in Cork. George and I both work for Irish Rail.
I’ve always loved horses, but a bad fall in my late 20s stopped me doing anything with horses for over 15 years. But, as anyone involved with horses knows, the longing never really goes away, so George and I went to the 2008 IDHBA show we saw advertised in the Irish Farmers Journal.
As luck would have it, we met Timmy Sullivan and Tommy McEntee, two great mentors in our introduction to the Draught world. With Timmy’s encouragement, I joined the Irish Draught Horse Breeders’ Association (IDHBA), later serving as its chairperson and bought my first foal that turned out to be bred by Eiline Brennan.
I’m currently involved with the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA), an organisation I got involved in after chatting with Liam Lynskey. It’s a great group and I’m looking forward to its AGM in Portlaoise next Sunday (February 9th).
1. Proudest breeder moment?
Breeding Meadowlands Barbossa (Harlequin du Carel), the Futurity loose jumping champion in Millstreet and young horse champion at Midleton Show was one. He was sold as a foal to Brian Kennedy through a Irish Farmers Journal advert.
Also, Silver Bard (Tiger Hill) being placed in the Irish Draught mare class at the RDS for her owner Pat Wafer, felt wonderful.
Timmy Sullivan used to say I had the “devil’s luck” when it came to horses!
2. Breeding Irish Draught/Traditional – why?
Their temperament is so endearing. For starters, I can handle them on my own. A banner at the IDHBA stand in the RDS used to read ‘A Horse for all Seasons’ and to me, the Irish Draught or traditional-cross is also a horse for all generations.
I can think of families across all age categories enjoying traditional Irish horses. I have a Traditional Irish Horse (TIH) myself now named Iceford Diamond and love him to bits. He’s by Gentle Diamond out of a TIH mare.
I sold a TIH filly, by Rebel Mountain and bred by Una O’Gorman, to the USA a few years ago and the man I sold her to messaged me to say that I had produced a really special horse.
But that’s true of all the traditionally-bred horses I have had go through our farm and I say farm, because we’re very small equine breeders and producers.
3. Favourite broodmare?
Timmy Sullivan and I travelled the country to agricultural shows all over Ireland. He taught me so much about conformation and explained the importance of pedigree, or, as he put it, ‘the background’.
With Timmy’s guidance, my husband George bought my first mare. By The Bard out of an Uibh Fhaili ’81 mare, Meadowland Heather was found at the Wilson family’s Village Stud in Kilkenny. Buying Heather was the start of a good friendship with the Wilsons, such a nice family and so friendly.
4. It’s been a stormy winter. Do you plan any changes to your winter regime for keeping mares/youngstock?
Our biggest concern would be trees and also, this ash dieback is a big concern now. Our stables are quite big, having been built originally to make sure mares and foals had plenty of room. They were structured into a shed that was constructed through the DAFM grants programme a few years ago. Structurally, its very well put together, thank God.
5. Favourite bloodlines?
Has to be the Master Imp or Cloverhill bloodlines. Quality with bone and performance.
Jennifer Haverty at Midleton Show in 2014 when Brian Kennedy’s Meadowland Barbossa was Fintan Flannelly and the late Frances Cash’s young horse champion \ Susan Finnerty
6. Any famous horse you would like to have bred?
Cruising! Look at what that horse has done for the Irish Sport Horse industry.
7. Best advice you ever got?
From my dad, who said to me one day when I was very young, “Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe in, even if you are on your own.” I’ve never forgotten him saying that to me and it’s hard at times, but I try to stick to what my heart is telling me, even if it’s not the popular choice.
8. It takes a team, who’s on yours?
Definitely the support George gives me, he’s never said no, even when I bought a foal in Cavan with the credit card, because I couldn’t find the chequebook on the morning I was heading to the sales. I’ve always wondered why I couldn’t find it, actually!
We’ve always stayed local with our support too, farrier, dentist, feed etc. I am a big believer in using local people, if at all possible.
9. Favourite app/website?
Wendy Conlon’s Teagasc podcasts are one and I love watching dressage on YouTube. I do a bit of low-level dressage myself and watching Judy Reynolds is one of my guilty pleasures.
10. Why do you volunteer with the TIHA?
I really personally believe in the Irish Horse and that’s why I get involved in the native or traditional breed organisations that try to promote, protect and preserve them.
Those horses have given me so much contentment and I want to help in some way to make sure they survive.
"Our TIH bloodlines are getting smaller every year and, if I have to drive from one end of Ireland to the other to shout about the success of the Irish horse worldwide, then I’m prepared to do that.
Yes, it’s costly driving to meetings and shows and demoralising begging for money from local organisations, so much so that you put your hand into your own pocket to support TIH classes countrywide. All the committee members of the TIHA do the same, as the TIHA’s only income is our annual membership fee, which is €25.
Horse Sport Ireland, through their breeding grant, help support our show in September, but none of that (breeding grant) goes into the TIHA bank account.
Everything the TIHA do is on half a shoestring, which is hard to swallow sometimes when, in my opinion, you consider that it was traditionally-bred Irish horses that made Ireland famous for breeding horses with quality, soundness and stamina, along with a kindness that’s hard to find.