SPORT beats at the heart of the Byrne family, and more specifically the spheres of the GAA and equestrianism.

At the helm, Paddy senior, affectionately described ‘as the main man’ was a four-star event rider in his day, as well as a formidable and highly respected football player. He represented Wexford from the age 15 to 25, turning out to play at juvenile, minor, under 21 and at senior level.

Having inherited his passion, his three children - Patrick, Maria and Thomas - are close to having equalling his feats on the field, while Maria holds the added distinction of scoring a goal at Croke Park.

The trio are also notable event riders, with Patrick and Maria competing internationally. As an added significance, they all compete on home-bred horses, many of which are sired by home-bred stallions.

The family grew up at Ballygrangans, within a stone’s throw of the beach in Kilmore Quay and yards from Paddy senior’s original childhood home. An avid sportsman from a tender age, Paddy was involved in both GAA disciplines, and as a tough mid-fielder, he played under Liam Griffin when the All-Ireland winning coach trained both the county squads.

Interestingly, the connection with the locally-based Griffin continued through to the horses when, turning the tables, Paddy senior trained Griffin’s son Niall on the run up to his appearance in the junior European championships.

Paddy’s sporting ambition encompassed eventing. His horses Blazing Fire and YP Sauce were just two notables from that era when, long listed for the Olympic Games, he travelled to the international fixtures at Boekelo and Aschelswang.

Follow the leader

These days however, and having hung up his competition boots some seven years ago, Paddy senior is the lynchpin of the yard and cited as the family coach. He has successfully mentored all three children, headed by Patrick who is the eldest of the trio by eight years.

Now a full-time event rider, breeder and dealer, Patrick lives in nearby Kilmore with his partner Ciara and children Fionn (5), Cathal (4) and 18-month-old Caoimhe. Like his siblings, his equestrian life began at the Killinick Pony Club, although accompanying his father on the jumping circuit was another memorable feature.

Patrick Byrne with his children Fionn, Cathal and Caoimhe

“When I started, my father was big into the competing,” he recalls. “Back then there were many more local gymkhanas and shows, and as soon as I was able to, I used to ride the horses alongside him.”

One highlights of those days was a trip to Hickstead where, as a member of the Bridgetown Vocational School’s jumping squad, Patrick took part in the prestigious championships. “I was on the All-Ireland winning team with Adrian Burrell, Ciaran Moran and Michael Nagle. We all travelled over to England together in the lorry which was great craic.”

A naturally talented sportsman, it was unsurprising to see Patrick following in his father’s footsteps in the GAA. Moving through the ranks, he joined the Wexford senior county football team at the age of 19, playing his last game three years ago.

Giving up was a tough decision, but ultimately the required level of dedication to two contrasting sports logistically became too much.

Meanwhile, a spell at the University of Limerick studying business and equine science complimented a growing equestrian business at home. Show jumping was the main discipline at the time, and Patrick enjoyed notable success with the likes of Power Warrior, and the home-bred half-brothers BGS Courage and BGS Ocean View.

The highly rated Power Warrior was later sold to British international Robert Bevis, and under the name of Wexford was a big winner. In later years he was passed to Jemma Kirk, with whom he was crowned European junior champion in 2009.

Changing direction

As the breeding and selling were on the upward trajectory at home, the demand for event horses began to outweigh that of the show jumpers. “I have sold a couple of good jumpers, but it’s hard to have a real good one,” admits Patrick.

BGS Ocean View and Patrick Byrne in 2017 \ Laurence Dunne Jumpinaction.net

“The bulk of people coming into the yard were asking for event types, so we gradually moved in that direction. I enjoy the eventing a lot. To get the consistency with the horses in all three phases is a challenge, and at the top level especially, the cross-country is great.”

It was not long before Byrne began to make an impression in international company. His debut appearance at three-star level (now four-star) took place at Tattersalls in 2016 where, teaming up with BGS Urlanmore Prince, he blistered around a testing CIC3* track that had been nominated as an Olympic trial.

The duo worked their way through the leaderboard to complete in 10th spot. “It was a tough course, as was the show jumping which had been held the previous evening in front of a big crowd. The whole experience gave me a real buzz,” Patrick recalled.

A fourth placing in a similar class at Camphire followed, before the pair made their final appearance at Blenheim in September. At the British showcase, they were one of just four combinations to make the time across the country, and, as a result, score a top-10 finish.

On the back of that performance, Urlanmore Prince was sold to Italian rider Giulio Guigliemi, but having tasted the big time, Patrick wasted no time rebuilding up his string.

He received his first Nations Cup call up at Millstreet two years later, and has a promising group of horses to campaign when this season eventually gets underway. Most are home-bred, but he also has a loyal band of owners.

Among them is long term supporter Henry Phipps who has the promising Rehy Royal Occasion. Galway-based Olga Scully, who owns the exciting three-star performer Castlearkan, is another owner, as is Michael Buckley whose smart filly Frisky Ruby was placed fourth in the Millstreet eventing discovery finals last year.

Finally, Noel Egan who, aside from being an owner of several horses, plays an important role in helping at shows and at events.

A natural

Eight years Patrick’s junior, but following a similar sporting path, Maria is a natural competitor. Never a camogie player, her career kicked off in football, where she progressed through the ranks to play at senior county level at the age of 18.

The squad netted the junior Leinster and All-Ireland titles in 2014 following an appearance at Croke Park. Described by pundits as a key factor in the Wexford victory against New York, Maria scored a goal in the first half, running the ball from one end of the field to the other.

“The game was very tight, and we ended up winning by just two points,” she remembered. “The crowds were small but there was a great atmosphere. It was a good experience and we had a huge homecoming.”

Another memorable home celebration was staged last year when, as part of a county treble for the senior hurlers, and the minors, Maria’s team won the intermediate Leinster title.

Running parallel and incredibly during the same period, Maria was representing Ireland on the event circuit. Teaming up with Ballygrangans Dolly, she turned heads when winning a competitive CCIJ* at Tattersalls in 2013, and again when gaining a European junior championship squad call up the same year.

The following season, she was listed for the young rider selection with another home-bred, this time BGS Juicy Fruits. Only a seven-year-old, the mare also had the option of competing in Le Lion d’Angers – and it was this route Maria preferred to take.

Maria Byrne and BGS Willpower winning the EI100 Open class at Kilguilkey in 2019 \ Equus Pix Photography

“We couldn’t do both long formats because of the time span, so we went to France where she completed on her dressage score,” she remarked.

For the speedy Byrne family, cross-country time faults are a rarity, as Maria explains: “Most of our horses have a lot of blood, so it’s easy to get the time – but that aside, we would get in to trouble with dad if we came back having added any!”

Three years ago, Maria took a heavy fall at Ballinamona which temporarily halted not only her eventing but her GAA commitments as well. She was lucky not to break her leg, but the fall did leave her with a particularly stubborn and painful seroma, which took months to disperse.

“It was drained twice under general anaesthetic but returned almost straight away,” she remarked. “Eventually it was aspirated and afterwards I wore a compression bandage 24/7. It went away in time, although when I began to compete again, I had to wear the bandage.”

Reflecting on the aftereffects of the fall itself, she added: “It didn’t make a difference to how I rode, although I was a bit wary of big tables. However, once you get going and into your rhythm you forget about it.”

Classy affair

Horse sales are by necessity an important part of life at Ballygrangans. Mares aside, most of horses go abroad, sold both through private clients and through agents. Within the past few years, BGS Star Attraction, BGS Aurora and BGS Lux Electric and BGS Firecracker have all been exported to international riders, but probably the most famous is the Zara Tindall (nee Phillips) ridden five-star campaigner BGS Class Affair.

Bred by Maurice O’Brien in Co Kilkenny, the son of OBOS Quality was originally sourced by Katherine Charlton at Goresbridge. A talented, if somewhat tricky, individual in his early days, Charlton produced him herself before asking Patrick to take over the ride.

Zara Tindall and the Byrne family's home-bred BGS Class Affair at Tattersalls International Horse Trials \ Lorraine O'Sullivan

“He was placed in few events for me then I bought him from her,” said Patrick. “He was only a four-year-old, and a bit sharp to get on and off. He would look back at the rider a bit as well, but when you got to know him, he was fine. I got on with him well from the start and we just kicked on.”

The chesnut was a prolific winner throughout. As a five-year-old he won at Ballindenisk and was third in the Stepping Stones league. He was also a very talented jumper, so mixing the disciplines, Patrick qualified for the five-year-old show jumping finals at the RDS. He was, however, not a big horse, so the following year, and when he started moving through the eventing grades, Patrick offered Maria the ride.

It was a good match, and that first year, the pair upgraded very quickly. After a brilliant season, which included a two-star run at Camphire and a second spot in the national championships, the pair were chosen to compete in the six-year-olds at Le Lion d’Angers. On track for a prominent top-10 placing, the gelding uncharacteristically and expensively lowered a coloured rail, which dropped him just out of the placings.

As one of the top young horses in the country, the chesnut was really catching the eye and even more so after his precocious performance in the three-star at Millstreet. It was there he caught the attention of Dan Foley, who in turn contacted former world champion Zara Tindall.

“She had seen the videos, so she came over in a helicopter a few days later,” said Maria. “We took him to the Wexford Equestrian Centre, where she tried him, jumped him and liked him.”

The rest as they say is history. Still on the upward trajectory, BGS Class Affair tackled his first five-star event at the formidable Burghley Horse Trials last autumn. Disappointingly, a miscommunication led to a fall in the country, but they completed the season with a top-10 finish at Boekelo.

“Burghley was such a shame, because that tough track would have really suited him,” said Patrick. “He’s only a small horse, but he’s very scopey and very capable.”

Displaying every bit of her family’s renowned work ethic, Maria is currently in her final year at Carlow IT. Her course in sports rehabilitation and athletic therapy is, Covid 19 permitted, due to be completed this summer, and follows an earlier degree in science education at the University of Limerick.

As part of her course, Maria has just returned from Australia, where she has been working in a physio clinic in Victoria. Keen to use her qualifications, she hopes to embark on a similar equine related therapy route in order to treat both people and horses.

The youngest of the siblings, Thomas also events, but has always favoured the thoroughbreds. Until recently he has been involved in racing but is now based at home. “He’s a very good horseman, and breaks a lot of horses,” explains Patrick. “Last year he had a winner, and two placed horses from his three point-to-point runners and this season plans to have more.”

It is unsurprising to learn that Thomas is also a talented footballer, who plays for the senior county team under Paul Galvin.

Power Blade

Creditably, and unusually, it will not have escaped readers that not only are the majority of the Byrne’s event horses are home-bred, but so are their sires.

One of the first stallions to stand at Ballygrangans was the thoroughbred Power Blade, who became a notable sire of show and event horses, and sired 20 individual international performers.

“I bought his dam (by Fine Blade) locally from Phyllis Power,” recalled Paddy senior. “In those days it was all about thoroughbred stallions.”

Power Blade, shown by Paddy Byrne, was the Champion Thoroughbred Stallion at the RDS in 2005 \ Camilla Walter/EPS

Power Blade is also the maternal sire of the current charge BGS Ocean View, who Patrick rode to 1.50m level in the show jumping arena. A traditionally-bred son of Grange Bouncer, he is out of Cruise Power who has also bred the international event horse BGS Star Attraction and the jumper BGS Courage (1.50m).

“We’re planning to keep Ocean View,” said Patrick. “He didn’t get many mares when he was competing, but we’ve been very excited by the youngsters we have so far. As a jumper, he qualified for the RDS in the six-year-olds and finished seventh in the final – in the same year as [MHS] Going Global.”

His progeny are starting to make a name for themselves. The Danielle O’Toole-owned Crystal Meth (ridden by Paddy O’Donnell) has enjoyed a good young horse campaign, while the event horse Kilcandra Bonnie Reward is also highly rated.

The latter, who was bought by Michael Jung at the 2018 Goresbridge Go For Gold sale is pictured on Jung’s website, and another export is the American-based BGS Island View. Keeping the flag flying at home, Maria Byrne has the two-star mare BGS Ocean Mist.

The broodmare herd is equally impressive and, headed by the international mare BGS Juicy Fruits, includes numerous well-related mares with pedigrees going back several generations.

Both Patrick and Maria, feel that the thoroughbred input is important when breeding event horses. “All the mares we breed from have a lot of blood and are very good movers,” said Patrick. “Generally everything we breed has a high percentage.

“Those with the blood are easier on themselves going across country, and once you have them well trained, they know what they have to do. That allows you to sit there and not interrupt them too much, and make the round flow. A forward-thinking horse allows that to happen, and they need the engine to keep going.”

Agreeing, Maria added: “Each horse is its own individual, and while some may not have a high percentage, if they look blood and as long as the blood they have comes through, they will still have a good engine.”

While the pair are obviously keen to get competing, Patrick and Maria are pragmatic about the current situation. Both are excited about their current strings, but unlike most riders however, they also have the demands of the stud. They are looking forward to welcoming a new generation of BGS prospects and making plans for those for next year.