AS the new year commenced, John Alexander, of Church View Farm Stud, lost his bravely fought battle against motor neurone disease at his family home near Ballymena.

John and Sharyn would have celebrated 44 years of marriage this year. Following their honeymoon spent at the Dublin Horse Show, they got their first horse in 1972, a 15.3hh show jumping mare Hunters Melody, which he covered with a stallion called Brilliant Pill, standing with the late Marshall Wilson of Cullycapple Stud.

Hunters Melody turned out to be extremely lucky for John and Sharyn and was their foundation Irish Draught broodmare, winning the RUAS broodmare class in 1980 and her foal by Ideal Water also wining – an amazing start to an extremely successful showing career for the Alexanders. Shortly after that, another filly arrived into their yard and life was never the same again after their much-loved daughter Melanie arrived in time for Saintfield show.

Next up came Seafin Lady and her showing career probably needs no introduction – 1985 Broodmare Champion at Balmoral, 1987 RDS Broodmare Champion, Supreme Champion at the Irish Draught National Show, Kerrygold Champion Broodmare to name just a few of her achievements.

Not only that, one of her foals by John’s own stallion Blue Rajah went on to be Touch of the Blues who went on to sire five RID stallions across the world.

Another of her progeny was The Blue Lady. She also did John and Sharyn proud and it was the same story again with Blue who repeated and enhanced the achievements of Lady - champion at RUAS, RDS and the National Show. At the RDS, she was a consistent qualifier in the Breeders Championship, winning it in 1996.

John and Sharyn won a total of 14 major championships with their mares at Royal Ulster, Royal Dublin and the National Irish Draught National Show not to mention the other county shows around Ireland over the years.

1987 was an exceptional year. Hunters Flight was crowned Champion Young Horse at Balmoral and went on to Dublin to take the two-year-old Championship and the extremely coveted Pembroke Cup. Seafin Lady won the Broodmare Champion that year as well – a real achievement taking two major Championships in Dublin and Balmoral in the same year.

John was also a great stallion master standing Lacken Prince, his first stallion, then joined by Hunters Delight, Valville and Blue Rajah and latterly Crosstown Pride. One of John’s passions were Irish Draughts and Blue Rajah certainly filled this bill, bred in Suma Stud, John bought him in 1984 as a yearling.

RESPECTED JUDGE

John was also a highly respected judge, judging sport horses and Irish Draughts all over the Ireland. The two most prestigious judging invitations John received were to the Great Yorkshire and Royal Dublin in 2004 with Ronnie Mills, chairman of IDHS UK at the time.

John always wondered if he would be invited to judge another Royal Show and indeed he was. In October last, he was invited to judge at the Royal Ulster in 2015 – alas it was not to be.

John had many other farming interests as well as horses, for a period he kept some Limousin beef cattle and he also broke a couple of other barriers, he would have been one of the first in Northern Ireland to have Saler cross beef heifers. Latterly his focus had moved to sheep and he was very proud of his sheep – Lleyns – a Welsh cross for easy lambing.

John’s funeral was held at Cunningham Memorial Presbyterian Church, Cullybackey, on January 6th last. The Rev. David Murphy included a paragraph from the bible quoting the strengths of the horse, a fitting inclusion for John’s Service of Thanksgiving.

A horse drawn hearse lead the funeral procession through the village of Cullybackey and John was laid to rest as Paddy Traynor sounded the “Going Home” horn.