SUSAN Lanigan-O’Keeffe and I met shortly after I landed in Ireland in 1970. Our family had sold our home in Buckinghamshire and moved here when my father retired and I had been in Australia. I soon got involved in the equine side of things and the Lanigan-O’Keeffes were good enough to lend me experienced hunters, but I was anxious to see the horse of the country; the Irish Draught.

Susie had virtually given up competitive jumping but she had represented Ireland both in showjumping and eventing. We both wanted to see if we could breed and produce sounder performers and to perpetuate the native breeds. So we decided to buy a couple of colt foals to subsidise the purchase of a young Draught mare.

Thus Suma (SUsan MArily) was born. We travelled the country to see mares in every county and saved many from early death, as people had decided that working horses were unnecessary so a lot were factoried.

Over the next few years we wound up with a lovely herd and a fantastic stallion, Pride of Shaunlara (Milestone x Prefairy).

1. The ‘Millionaire Mare’ Suma’s Zorro is back in action on the Global Champions Tour – would you regard her as the ‘best’ of all the Suma-breds?

Suma’s Zorro is undoubtedly the most successful competitor we bred and probably the best known, but we are comparing chalk and cheese to say she was the best! There are, I’m glad to say, many people around the globe who think they have the best Suma-bred and we may never have heard of them.

2. Irish show jumping breeding is on the rise?

Yes, but we are on the verge of losing our individuality.

3. Proudest moment as a breeder?

Two standouts. One was the legend Zorro winning the huge $1,000,000 class in Canada.

Zorro’s breeding may interest people as we publicly said from her first success that she goes back to a pony but that was not just any pony. Royal Penny was a hugely successful jumper with Susie as a child and was about 13.2 but on retirement, she was carefully bred to Arabian and small thoroughbreds, before producing a full-size horse, Foxes Frolic, who jumped internationally for Susie.

Penny then visited a small thoroughbred named Persian, the resulting mare making a virtual clean sweep at the national pony show one year. She, Royal Persia, came to live with us and she had a filly by Pride, a dinger of a hunter and ultimately, she (Presently) was put to Horos to produce Vixens Frolic.

Sadly she broke a bone in her foot and although it came right, she was never asked to compete. She was Zorro’s dam and Zorro was her final foal. I still have Zorro’s half-sister Suma’s Maybe (VDL Arkansas) and a two-year-old Vixens’s Frolic granddaughter by Douglas. She is due to foal to Tyson (Numero Uno) very late!

Sameh El Dahan and Suma's Zorro winning the CP International at the CSIO at Spruce Meadows in September 2018 \ Spruce Meadows Masters

The second standout moment was a long time ago, when we had the champion and reserve winning mares in the Irish Draught mare championship at Millstreet with both mares and both foals at foot being home-bred and the foals by a home-bred stallion. That was unbelievable and very emotional.

The winner was The Thatcherite (Pride of Shaunlara - Mrs Thatcher, by Blue Peter) with her filly foal Suma’s Poll Tax (Glenagyle Rebel) and the reserve was Sumas Folklore (Pride of Shaunlara – Miss Gethins, by Ballylaughton) and her unnamed colt.

4. How have the Irish Draught and sport breeding scenes changed since Suma Stud began?

It has become more of an end in its own right and the importance of the mare’s pedigree and her ability to function as a useful horse herself has increased. Also that stallions particularly are now enjoying a fuller life as hunters, jumpers, dressage and eventing to prove their relevance to modern requirements as riding horses.

5. ‘Never a prophet in his own land’ – which do you think was the most under-used stallion you stood?

Moving into continental breeding, we built up an excellent relationship with the VDL Stud in Holland who leased us stallions that they thought would suit the Irish mares and the first that came was Arkansas (Acobat II), who was an extremely successful novice jumper with Clem McMahon.

Arkansas was not big but an extreme athlete from an excellent female line and we always said he would make a good broodmare sire if he could add his canter and technique and this has been proved.

Nobody ever sent him mares that had been successful themselves so he was definitely underrated.

6. Irish Draughts, thoroughbreds, continental stallions all stood at Suma Stud – what did each bring to Irish breeders?

We tried to provide a choice of bloodlines by outcross breeding from two stallions who had no sons to date and Blue Peter (Kylemore) and Glenside (Sunset Lad) did that. Horos xx (Head of the River) was a beautiful horse, a fantastic mover with a superb temperament and excellent limbs. He was tailor-made for deep-bodied Irish mares and has had a big influence on eventing and showing.

Every horse we had we used ourselves.

7. Favourite mare(s)?

Favourite mare tops would have to be Softee (Skylark). A gentle, big mare who was Susie’s favourite hunter and dam of two of the most influential Draught mares we bred: Tara Sky, dam of Crosstown Dancer (Flagmount Diamond) and Whippy, dam of Huntingfield Rebel (Glenagyle Rebel). Another favourite was Distant Music (Horos xx), who was the dam of our first RDS jumping winner Suma’s Sound of Music (Indoctro).

It is no surprise that the two mares I still have are both daughters and granddaughters of Arkansas and Horos, one of which is a half-sister to Zorro, the other a half-sister to Sound of Music.

8. Favourite bloodlines?

See all of the above. Also Douglas (Darco) and Contender (Calypso II) lines.

9. Best advice you got?

Susie’s mother’s quote: “Better a week too early than a day too late”. Refers to many things but putting your horse, dog, cat to sleep, in particular.

10. Would you do it all over again?

In a heartbeat! I have been reliving it all during lockdown and hope to get a book out in a while.