I’M from Ballinteen, Killala, in Co Mayo and work full-time in Fort Wayne Metals, Castlebar. I’ve always had an interest in horses. We’ve had them since we were children, when we used to ride around on a pony we had called Katie.

As a hobby, I’ve tried to build up a nice breeding programme for show jumpers and eventers over the years.

1. Congratulations, you topped the line-up at Athlone recently in the show jumping section final of The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship. Tell us more about the mare and foal you’ve qualified.

Thank you very much. My mare is CBI Ice Queen, a nine-year-old mare by Baltic VDL out of a Cassini II mare. She was bred by Aidan Carroll. Ice Queen (Betty) was never ridden, but is a sister to CBI Heartstopper, an eight-year-old currently jumping 1.30m with Tracey Gallagher.

Betty’s foal this year is a filly by Vancouver (Heartbreaker). I’m delighted with her, the foal has an amazing personality and attitude, with great balanced movement and athleticism. She definitely has the makings of a great horse for future sport or breeding.

2. What’s your aim as a breeder?

My aim is to breed top-class eventing and show jumping horses. In eventing, I bred a horse called Global Candy Boy (Sligo Candy Boy x Clover Echo) who placed seventh in the seven-year-old final of the WBFSH World Championships, first in a CCI3*-S at Bicton and second in a CCI3*-S at Ardingly.

I also bred Redfield Harris, who evented with Caroline Martin with good results, and Bridget Devanney’s Emme, the winning dam in last year’s show jumping final of The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship. She jumped to 1.40m Grand Prix level before becoming a broodmare and is by Voss out of my Quattro B mare, Zama.

I’ve bred a few other show jumpers that jumped to Grand Prix and international level and the young HSI Preliminary Approved-stallion SHS Quattro Cruise. He’s by Numero Cruise and is out of Zama as well, so a half-brother to Emme. Owned and produced by my nephew, Johnathon McDonnell, and his wife Sonja Ochadlik, SHS Quattro Cruise just jumped his first 1.35m in Cavan in great style.

3. Favourite bloodlines?

My favourite bloodlines are Diamant De Semilly, Baloubet Du Rouet, Voltaire, Voss and Numero Uno. They’ve had great success and are nice, athletic-type horses. I’ve had success with breeding from these lines and I think Voss is turning out to be a great damsire.

4. What’s your view on prefixes?

I think prefixes help identify the horses that you have bred, help keep a better track of the success rates of your breeding programme and are a way of advertising your progeny. I should get one as I have lost track of a few of my horses over the years.

John McDonnell with his Breeders' Championship qualified CBI Beauty Queen and her Vancouver foal, shown by nephew Johnathon at Athlone Show \ Susan Finnerty

5. How many mares/foals do you have?

I currently have three broodmares and three foals.

CBI Ice Queen (Baltic x Cassini II). She has the Vancouver filly and I covered her this year with Sligo Candy Boy.

Jess Mc (Diarado x Darco). She has a Billy Zeus filly and was also covered by Sligo Candy Boy.

Miss MJ (Loughehoe Guy x Standard Bearer). She has a striking Vancouver colt foal and I covered her this year with Sligo Candy Cavalier.

6. If you could have bred any horse?

It would have to be Rodrigo Pessoa’s Baloubet Du Rouet (Galoubet A x Starter). He obviously had an amazing sports career and has been very influential as a stallion as well.

7. Paris Olympics coming up - medal predictions?

It’s hard to say. There’s a lot of great teams with great riders and horses, but with Ireland having Michael Blake as chef d’equipe and Daniel Coyle, Cian O’Connor, Shane Sweetman and Bertram Allen as a team, I definitely think they have a shot at gold.

8. It takes a team - who’s on yours?

Of course my vet Jim Tempany for helping to get the mares in foal is a great help. The man leading foals is my nephew Johnathon McDonnell, he has been a great help along the way. He helps me with everything from getting them ready, backing youngsters, to travelling them to and from shows.

My niece Sophie helps out with the grooming; she plaits all the tails for me. She’s a hairdresser, so no harm to let her at it! Graham Grant, my nephew. and his father Conal Grant, have also helped me a great deal in past years.

The rest of my close family members work in the background, I would be here all day if I had to name them all, but I am blessed to have everyone’s help.

Never hurts to have a little help from the Man Upstairs as well!

9. Best advice you ever got?

Never bring a bed on a first date!

10. Your favourite week of the year?

It would have to be the week of the RDS Dublin Horse Show. It is great craic, you get to meet loads of people you know that you haven’t seen in a while and people that you don’t know, all sorts. I’m really looking forward to this year’s show with Betty and her foal.