I would call myself a small-time breeder with a handful of mares. I moved to northern Germany in 1992 and worked in the beef industry there. I spent about two years there. I was in Halldorf first, it wouldn’t be too far from Paul Schockmöhle’s yard in Steinfeld, then I got transferred to near Dusseldorf and then back up north to Bad Laer.

I got to know some German families in agricultural, tillage and equine areas and I suppose that was the start of it then. There were a lot of dressage horses where I lived near Bad Laer. I was very intrigued by these dressage horses and got into dressage myself a little and a small bit of show jumping.

21 years ago, I moved home to Crossmolina to set up AGS Scaffolding. I’m primarily a scaffolding contractor, involved in the food, gas, pharmaceutical industry and also construction. A farmer too, with about 120 acres and, as well as horses, I rear heifers up to 24 months.

I’m a great fan of the country shows and, to do my own bit for their future, I’m currently the chairman of the Crossmolina Agricultural Show committee. This year was the 66th anniversary of our local agricultural show, held each July.

We’ve a wonderful, brilliant committee of all ages and a wide range of skills and I think that combination is vital for the future of shows. They’re all eager to get involved and to get the work done, I’m so proud of all the committee members.

It was great to get the government grant [Department of Rural and Community Development] and it is paramount to the survival and future of shows.

There was no show for five years, and then the community council bought the field where the show was held years and years ago. We brought it back to the community field again last year. This is our second year running after five years off.

We had a great gate both years and Crossmolina is as much a community show, as well as an agricultural show. The aim is to provide a real community day out and we’re thankful for the great support the locals – both sponsors and the gate on the day – give to our show.

1. How many mares do you currently have?

I have five mares, including Future Girl. She’s by the Quick Star stallion OBOS Quality 004, he was bred by Paul Schöckemohle. Future Girl is out of a thoroughbred dam – Flynn’s Cliche – by Classic Cliché.

She finished fifth in The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship three years ago and has bred a couple of Dublin winners already, including Future Girl’s first foal Glen Future (Future Trend), who won her three-year-old class at the RDS in 2022.

Another of her progeny is this year’s Dublin yearling filly class winner, yearling champion and reserve filly champion: Glen Candy (Sligo Candy Boy).

I also have the German-bred mare Contandamina, bred at Schöckemohle’s Gestût Lewitz. She’s by the Contender stallion Conthargos and has a very smart two-year-old by Chacfly PS.

2. What’s your aim as a breeder?

My aim is to breed a Grand Prix horse. Aim high!

3. Proudest breeder moment?

I would say when you’re standing at Dublin Horse Show with your horse and the judge asks, ‘Are you the breeder?’ and you say, ‘Yes’.

4. Favourite stallions?

Contender, Conthargos, Future Trend, Vivant, Chacco-Blue, Chacfly PS, Sligo Candy Boy and Numero Cruise. These are stallions I’ve used in the last three years.

5. Describe your winter regime for keeping horses?

Mixed grazing is very important, as the heifers eat the grass horses won’t. The heifers are taken in on November 1st and brought into the sheds to be fed on, until they’re sold in December.

The horses are all left out together in a 14-acre field at the back of the farm, it’s a good high hill and sheltered. They don’t get any meal, they get round bales of haylage left in round feeders.

I don’t use rugs, because the last three or four winters have been relatively warm. Their teeth are checked before the winter, their feet are trimmed every couple of weeks and they’re worm dosed regularly.

6. At what age/stage do you sell your horses?

I normally keep them until they’re four-year-olds. At that stage, I get them broken and riding, popping a couple of fences and then I have my clients in the UK and Germany that come and look at them and buy them.

7. Glen is yours, what’s your view on prefixes?

Yes, I’d use Glen a lot, even our home is named Glenview House. About prefixes, my opinion is you’d always like to see your own name on your own horse and your own yard name, but if someone buys a horse off you and they want to change the name, it’s their beef.

No problem with that.

8. If you could have bred any famous horse, which one?

I guess you don’t have to look too far in the west of Ireland when you see James Kann Cruz, bred by Patrick Connolly at Connolly Stud Farm.

He has original Irish breeding in Cruising, he’s Kannan too and, to me, he’s just the perfect horse.

9. It takes a team, who’s on yours?

Number one is my wife Eilish, then my vet Fintan O’Donnell from Ballina Veterinary Clinic and my niece Laura and Emma Mulligan, a trainee vet, both help me. Then there’s Edmund Hennigan, a brilliant guy for plaiting horses too and Denise Hopkins, who rides the horses and is a fantastic young jockey.

Last but not least, there’s lots and lots of brilliant friends and neighbours, many of whom are also part of the Crossmolina show committee.

10. Best place to live in the world?

I think rural Ireland is one of the best places to live. We should all be so grateful for many reasons: the peace, freedom and democracy. All you have to do is step outside our door and see lakes, mountains and greenery, just like we have here in north Mayo.

And most importantly, to have brilliant agricultural communities all around us.