A FLEDGLING business with the backing of years of experience is how you could describe 18-year-old Stephen Gibbons’ Mayfield Stables in Co Mayo.

Having finished school last June, Stephen decided that a career in horses was for him. He was very fortunate that the foundation for his business was already in place at his family’s yard and he set about adding to his string and establishing himself as a rider/producer.

“Both my parents, Tommy and Jane, grew up on farms and always had horses about the place,” Stephen told The Irish Field. “Dad began working for the Hanleys, whose equestrian centre was only two minutes down the road, when he was 14 or 15. He began driving the truck for them and rode a small bit but never really got into competing himself.

“Later he began training Cameron and Carl Hanley when they were young. They achieved a lot and won a good bit together; ponies, youth, young riders and juniors medals. He brought them up all the way from ponies to when they moved away really. He also trained Shane and Cian Goggins who also live very close to us.

“When Mum and Dad got married, they moved out here to Mayfield and built a house and a few stables. They bred a few ponies and began to do a bit of showing with them. My cousin, Jane Hannigan, used to ride the show ponies for them and they had a good bit of success. She won Dublin with a horse of ours when she was just 13.

“I began with the show ponies myself. I didn’t go straight into jumping. From when I was four or five, I was showing. I began with the lead rein and went on from there. When I was eight or nine, I moved over to the jumping.”

Stephen Gibbons and Cassius Z, winners TRM Spring Tour in Cavan lasy month \ Laurence Dunne Jumpinaction.net

Nod of approval

Stephen is lucky to have the support and expertise of his parents to guide him as he begins in business. “I think the showing gave me a good start. Just being able to ride nice and ride correctly helped with my position. My mom is the one that is mostly into the showing. She has a great eye for a horse and is very knowledgeable. Even these days anything that’s bought has to get the nod of approval from her.

“Dad is also a course builder, which is very useful for training the horses over the proper distances [and] means they are well-prepared when they go to shows. He also does a small bit of the HSI training clinics.

“We would have produced a few young ponies in each category and a few home-bred ponies. There was no pressure on me to go into the horses. I knew I wanted to finish school but I also knew in the last few years that it was always going to be the horses for me.

“The next thing I had to decide was whether I was going to go away or try to set up here in Ireland. I have chosen to stay at home. I’m very lucky that both my parents are so into it, and I have a nice place here to work out of.

“I was lucky to win a bursary at the young rider championships a couple of years ago and I went to train for a couple of weeks with Jessica Burke in her base in the UK.

“Jessica was great. I keep in touch with her and she is someone I would look to for a bit of help if needed. I send her videos of the horses and she is always happy to discuss their plans which I appreciate.”

Stephen Gibbons and Ceide Candy Heart won the six/seven-year-old Hankook Final at Cavan Indoor Championships \ laurence dunne jumpinaction.net

Facilities

“I have 11 stables here,” Stephen continued. “We are full at the moment. It’s a nice number, it’s not too much but you are kept busy. If you can do 11 properly you aren’t going too bad.

“At the minute we have a few living out in the field so I’m doing some work with them too. We have one home-bred 148cm pony who has just gone four. He is by Castlelawn Captain Junior out of a pony mare we have always bred from. He’s been away to a few shows and he does look like he could be a very good pony so it’s nice to have him.

“We have my good horse Cassius Z (Canabis Z x Up to Date M), who I won the recent Spring Tour Grand Prix in Cavan with. We got him in Belgium from Damien Doyle.

“We also have the seven-year-old Ceide Candy Heart (Garryduff Jar of Hearts x Sligo Candy Boy). He came from James Joyce in Garryduff; James has his sire and he had Ceide Candy Heart ready to go to the three-year-old loose jumping qualifier.

“Dad happened to be out there and saw him and said don’t bring him to the qualifier we’ll take a look at him and so we bought him from Elaine Walsh.

“Then we have a four-year-old we bought as a foal called Mayfield Mister Dorado. He is by Eldorado out of a Glasgow/Cardento mother so he’s nicely bred. His mother is in America jumping 1.35m. He is a big horse, 17.1hh or 17.2hh but he rides really well and is compact. I really like him. He is scopey and has a good brain. He is careful and is really smart which I think you need these days. We bought him from just half an hour down the road in Tuam from John Lowery.

“Pony rider Ronan Gilvarry trains with us and I own a four-year-old with his family. We bought him as a three-year-old after seeing him at the Dublin qualifiers in Kernans last year; he is by Air Jordan Z out of an Aganix mare. It is quite a trek from here to Kernans but we chanced it and it turned out to be worth it when we bought him. He’s nice. He is really blood and is a very flashy type.

“He just did his first show two weeks ago. As with all of them it’s hard to tell when they just start out but he seems good so far. He’s called CDI Takeoff and was bred by the Carroll brothers.

“We have a nice Diamant gelding owned by Kevin Satchell from Castlerea. He’s a beautiful type and has the kind of power you get from Diamant.

“We have one other owned by Ted Donohoe from Goresbridge, a mare by a son of Luidam. She has a good bit done so she’ll be ready. She has taken a bit of time to come but she seems to have it now. Sometimes the ones that are nice take a little bit more time.

“The plan is to do the Dublin four-year-old qualifiers with them. It’s a good class if the judges like your horse. We had a nice grey horse last year who qualified for Dublin and we sold him to America.

“But it can be tricky. It’s based on people’s opinion and what they like so you can be lucky, but there can also be some disagreement. I think if you have a horse that is ready it is a good class because it prepares them for the five and six-year-old classes to come.”

Reputation

Stephen is now planning on hinging his season around the Dublin Horse Show qualifiers, commenting: “The qualifiers aren’t the be all and end all. The nice horses, at the end of the day, always come out, some of them just take longer and each is different. It’s a nice class to do with the big audience and the venue and it’s rewarding to show off the horses you’ve produced.

“We have a bit of a break in age. We have the older two and then several four-year-olds but we are always on the lookout for new ones and are always open to people who want to come on board and invest in horses with us.

“If I had people interested, I know we can find some good horses that can go on to do well and eventually make money. I’m just trying to put myself out there. I think if you can ride well enough and prove yourself, they will come; that’s what I’m hoping anyway.

“I have decided to stay in Ireland and would, in the future, like to have horses for the big classes and travel to the bigger shows but I feel that you have to build your reputation, and that’s what I hope I am doing now.”