I’M from a small parish called Ardagh, between Ballina and Crossmolina, Co Mayo. I’m only a hobby breeder but I try and make it pay, because at times you would wonder is it a hobby with all the work and expense that goes into it. I’m a carpenter by trade and employed by the Health Service.

I’m very much a hands-on man with all my stock and a member of the North Mayo Harriers and Nephin Riding Club. I bought my first horse, by Rhett Butler, off my uncle Michael and sold him in 1990 for £1,000. I was an apprentice carpenter in Dublin at the time and it didn’t suit me to hold onto him. There was always a Draught mare in my grandfather’s place and there is still one there to this day, which I breed in partnership with my uncle Paddy.

1. Tell us how you started breeding the Deelside-prefix horses.

I worked in Dublin and New York for many years before eventually moving back to Mayo in the early 2000s. I bought my first broodmare, PH Cruise Hill (Cruising x Clover Hill), in 2005 and she was in foal to a stallion called Maltstriker. She had a filly foal and that’s when the prefix Deelside was born.

I live in a townland called Deelcastle and I’m only a few hundred metres from the River Deel, so that’s where the name came from. PH Cruise Hill was a lucky mare for me, she left me a few euros and performers.

2. Proudest moment as a breeder?

I suppose the proudest moment as a breeder for me has to be the horse I bred called Deelside Incognito (Womanizer - PH Cruise Hill). He was the five-year-old Scandinavian champion in 2015 and also represented Sweden at the World Breeding Championships in Lanaken in 2015 when myself and my wife Leona went to Lanaken to see him. He was also the Swedish National Champion in 2020.

3. From grassroots at Ballina Show to the Global Champions Tour in New York, you’ve seen much to add to your approach breeding horses.

I’m involved with Ballina Agricultural Show for the last 20 years and brought loose jumping for three-year-olds to the show 10 years ago, a major success since. It was great to see the Ballina Show back bigger and better this year post-Covid.

I remember browsing stallions on the internet about 10 years ago; VDL Douglas popped up on an American website promoting his semen. I clicked on his name and there was a video of Douglas jumping in the Grand Prix at Ballina Show in 2006. It was lovely to see the show advertised on the world stage and I actually had the champion colt foal that day and he was by Douglas.

Back in 2006, the Irish Horse Board ran a survey/competition for two tickets to the eventing World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. I was lucky to win it and myself and Leona travelled over. It was a real eye-opener from my local show and an education towards my breeding programme.

Chris Ryan, John Butler (owner of Old Road) and Michael Ryan’s parents were staying at the same hotel as us. I got a bit of education off them also in the Residents Bar!

I’ve been to numerous Grands Prix all over Europe and I had the pleasure of walking the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix course in New York in 2019. I enjoy going to these shows as a hobby and also picking up education along the way. I went to the Global Champions Tour in New York again in September this year and it was great to see all the Irish competitors.

4. How many broodmares do you have?

I currently have three broodmares:

ISHD Ebony (Quickstar x Furisto x Bahrain). Ebony has a filly foal at foot by a nice young VDL stallion called Landino.

Creevyquinn Sapphire (Chacco Blue x Cavalier Royale x Cloverhill). Sapphire has a colt foal at foot this year by Phenomene Blue VDM.

Queen of the Bronx (Cornet Obolensky x OBOS Quality x Templebready Fear Buí). No foal this year. There are not too many Cornet Obolensky mares around with a Connemara stallion third cross in their breeding!

Unfortunately, Ebony and Sapphire are not in foal for next year, as they had very late foals.

5. Describe your regime for keeping broodmares and youngstock.

My broodmares are out all year. I have a woodchip wintering area and they go on it from December until the end of March. My youngstock are housed from December to the end of March. All youngstock are well handled, a thing I find very important.

6. Do breeders get enough recognition?

In fairness, I think so. It’s only a few weeks ago I got a breeders’ prize from Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) for a horse I bred called Deelside Louie. He came sixth in the Breeders Classic.

The internet and social media has transformed the horse world, mostly for the good. HSI have a very informative website and credit also has to be given to the SJI for setting up the SJI Live App. It’s a useful tool for any breeder to keep up with their breeding stock jumping nationally.

7. If you could have bred any horse?

I’ve always liked the stallion Verdi TN. He would have been a lovely horse to have bred.

8. It takes a team - who’s on yours?

We have three children: Niamh, Sean and Tom. Niamh and Sean are away working, Tom is doing his Leaving Certificate and is a good help at the moment.

Tom had his own three-year-old home-bred pony called Deelside Jess, which he sold this year, so hopefully it’s the first of many for him. I also have friends and neighbours who are involved in horses and they’re always at hand, to give a dig out, when needed. I’m a firm believer in the saying; ‘You’re only as good as the team around you!’

9. Best advice you ever got?

“Everyone is a genius in their own way. But be careful what genius you take your advice from.”

10. You have a very special hunter?

I had the pleasure of hunting and competing on a mare I have here called Victoria Rose (Limmerick x Edmund Burke). Not many people get to hunt an international mare. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in getting an embryo off her this spring, but Victoria has two Vivant foals on the ground this year by embryo transfer.