DEDICATION TO preserving the Irish Draught Horse – that is what drives Jimmy and Edel Quinn at their Ballinasloe based Cappa Stud in Co Galway.

An architect by trade, Jimmy was born and raised in Ballinasloe before heading to New York to further his education. After college, he went on to have a successful career in the building trade.

By 2005, he and his wife Edel had begun to think about making the move home to Ireland. Jimmy knew what he wanted to do when he got there, and answering a small ad in The Irish Field was what officially got the ball rolling.

Jimmy and Edel Quinn \ Susan Finnerty

“I was in my office in New York one day, looking at The Irish Field online and spotting an ad for a colt for sale. I planned to fly home for the weekend to view him, but I got held up in the US and couldn’t make it.

“I called the vendor and said, ‘if the horse is what you say he is would you bring him up to a guy I know in Tipperary, Noel Ryan, and if he is correct and exactly what you say he is, we’ll do the deal now, and if he’s not I’ll pay you for your day to bring him.

“That was a then two-year-old Cappa Cochise, who went on to win Reserve Champion RID stallion in the RDS in 2008 and 2010, as well as placing third in 2011 and 2014.

Jimmy and Edel Quinn with the second of their Dublin champions - Cappa Aristocrat in 2017 - shown by Seamus O'Neill \ Susan Finnerty

Champion stallion

“Cappa Cochise was Champion Stallion at Central Performance Testing 2006 at just three years of age. He is by Fast Silver, whose Dam, Fast Woman was the only mare to win the prestigious Kerrygold Championship a record four times. She also won the Avonmore Slieve Bloom Irish Draught Championship twice, and was 1991 National Draught Show Supreme Champion. His dam, Kealanine Mist (a premium broodmare) is the great granddaughter of Lahinch, sired by Laughton. Lahinch is the sire of 10 registered stallions.

Pictured left to right, Pat Corbet, Michael Hughes, Jimmy Quinn, Owner, Judges Fintan Fennelly and John Butler, handler Seamus Leahy along with Cappa Cassanova All Ireland Irish Draught Stallion Championship Winner at the Clonalee Show 2015 \ Denis Byrne

Cappa Cassanova

“The second stallion I got was when we were home, Cappa Casanova. Luckily we still have him. He has been unbelievably successful. He was named Champion Irish Draught stallion at the RDS three times, in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and was reserve in 2011 and 2014.

“He was a Double Gold Merit Stallion for Show Jumping and In Hand Showing. He is by the Grade A Grand Prix Show jumping stallion Welcome Flagmount, who represented Ireland at the World Breeding Championship in Lanaken, Belgium in 2003. His grandsire, Flagmount King, was also an international show jumper.

“His dam Headford Beauty, is by Kildalton Gold, said to be the most outstanding Irish Draught Stallion of his day in terms of conformation and quality. Kildalton Gold is a son of Kildalton Countess by Ben Purple, who bred the dam of David O’Connor’s Olympic Eventing Gold Medal mount Custom Made.

“He was the only stallion to be approved under Central Performance Testing in 2009 at just three years of age.

Cappa Cassanova's owner Jimmy Quinn embraces wife Edel after their stallion wins at Dublin for a third time \ Susan Finnerty

“In 2013 and 2015, he was named HSI (Horse Sport Ireland) All Ireland Champion Stallion.

“His progeny have also done well, Noble Class (Cappa Cassanova x Aristocracy) owned by Kathy Charlton won the three-year-old potential event horse in 2015. He was sold to Italy in the Go for Gold sale.

“One of our stallions Ballineen It’s William (Bealagh Blue x Ballineen Glen Abbess) was fully approved in 2011 at just three years of age. He placed second in the Ladies Side Saddle Working Hunter Class and placed third in the Novice Working Hunter Class at the Ardrahan Show 2015. As a two-year-old, he won the colt class at the National Show 2010.

“Two years earlier, he was Champion colt foal in the Hunter class at the Great Yorkshire Show and also Champion foal at the Snowford Breeding Championship. He is the only Irish Draught foal to be shown at HOYS with his dam, Ballineen Glen Abbess. He was the Supreme Champion foal at the Great Britain Annual Breed Show.

“He has recently been exported to Australia to a vet there called Naoise Reynolds. We imported him from England. He wasn’t used as much as I thought he should be. We still have frozen semen from him with Hartwell Stud.

Millhollow Stroller

“We have a son of Cochise called Millhollow Stroller. At grading, he received a distinguished bronze merit for his score of 80 for conformation, 75 for type, 82.5 for movement and 78.75 for athleticism.

“His dam Roma Silver Pearl, and his granddam Roma Blue Wind were both RDS Champion Broodmares and he sired the highest priced colt foal sold at the Cavan sales in 2015.

“I have a son of his going for the inspections next week, so I have three generations now. The dam is a Mountain Diamond mare.

“I always tried to research Irish Draught bloodlines to implement a plan of breeding the ones which were rare, and explore the genetic resources available to preserve the broadest possible genetic base.

“One stallion which has proved very popular recently is our palomino, Cappa Chino. He is just four years old, was bred by John Deegan and was produced by Joe Burke.

“He is colour tested carrying the Cream gene. He is 17hh and is measuring 10 inches of bone. He was awarded class 2 at the GB inspections.

“We’ve had many offers to buy him from the US and Ireland, but I think it’s good to have one like him here in Ireland. We are awaiting his first crop of foals this year. Two from my own mares and about 23 others, so that’s exciting.

Cappa Amadeus

“Our Cappa Amadeus by Cooloo Crest (Sir Rivie) out of a Donovan mare is a complete outcross, with no line breeding in five generations. He was fully approved in 2016 at the Stallion Inspections in Great Britain and is a great grandson of Sea Crest (sire of Cruising). He was named Reserve Champion Stallion in the RDS in 2016.

“Then we also have The Don. He was bred by the late Donald Mills from Co Carlow. Donal wanted to use William on one of his mares and she didn’t go in foal, he needed to cross her again two days later.

“At the time, I was in Athlone delivering semen from Cassanova, He called me and said she needs to be inseminated in the next couple of hours and I said, I can meet you on the road, but all I have is Cassanova.

“If she goes in foal and you’re not happy with it, I’ll buy the foal from you, so he took the semen and the mare did go in foal.

“Donald, he loved the foal and wouldn’t sell it. Poor Donald died that year and he left me the stallion in his will. He is called The Don in honour of Donald.

“He is seven now and is just a classic Irish Draught. He is just starting out on his performance career. He hunted this year and we may try to take him to Dublin this year. We’ll have to wait and see.

Face Off: Three-time winner Cappa Cassanova stares down the young pretender and last year's reserve, Cappa Aristocrat. Both stallions are owned by Jimmy Quinn (centre) with Seamus Sloyan (nearest camera) and John Keane \ Susan Finnerty

Cappa Copone

“Cappa Capone is a six-year-old by Cappa Cassanova, out of Cappa Jewel by Coolcronan Wood. He was approved in 2020 and was classified as Class 1 following selection by Horse Sport Ireland. I have to give the RDS credit, they created a whole new market with the Irish Draught performance class. For me, that’s the way forward.

“People are looking for animals that can jump, have good temperaments and are safe to ride. There is a great market out there for three-year-old geldings.

Maeve Carty on a five-year-old heavyweight hunter by the Irish Draught stallion Cappa Cassanova that she produced herself at the Galway Blazers closing meet at Cawleys in February 2018 \ Noel Mullins

“Our aim at Cappa Stud is to preserve and promote Ireland’s only Native Bred Horse. I’ve always had an affinity with the Irish Draught horse, it was a dream of mine, while I was living in the States, to come home and breed them, and it’s a dream which has come true.”