I LIVE in Goodwins Gardens, Kells, Co Kilkenny (hence the Goodwins prefix). I’m a full-time farmer for 44 years; mainly dairy and horse breeding now.

I’m married to Kathryn and we have five children: Mick is a vet; Eleanor, a teacher in Abu Dhabi; Victor, a farmer, is on a career break in Australia; Gillian, a trainee teacher, and Pierce, a student in St. Kieran’s College.

We’re very involved in our local show Dunamaggin Gymkhana, held on our farm for the last number of years. It’s a great community gathering with a great local committee and help. Some people involved have nothing to do with horses but they like to give a hand too because it’s run for charity over the last 50 years.

There was show jumping from 9.30am to 7.30pm this year, with top-class jumping throughout.

1. Breeder of the Goodwins line horses, you’re from a family steeped in horses for generations.

We always had horses on the farm. My father Mick was a very keen horseman on the hunting field and breeder, with most sold at the RDS every year. He died a young man at the age of 65, leaving a wife and 13 children. All my brothers and sisters had a great interest in horses growing up.

Older brother John produced the famous Boomerang in his first year of competition at all the local shows. John was also the Master of the Kilmoganny Harriers for 10 years in the 1970s and 1980s. Another brother, Pat, is very involved in the thoroughbred industry in Kentucky, being the owner of Paramount Sales.

Sister Ann is chairperson of Ballyfoyle Show, which is getting bigger every year. She also hunts and breeds horses. My son Mick and partner Rosie (Alcorn) are in partnership at Coastal Equine Vets in Northern Ireland. All my kids did Pony Club and competed in show jumping to a high level. Being from Kilkenny, they also hurl!

2. Proudest moment as a breeder?

I’m proud to have a world champion in the breed now, well done BP Goodfellas (Stakkato Gold - Goodwins Loyalty), Cheryl and Greg Broderick and Kevin Babington.

There were lots of proud moments; Goodwins Loyalty being placed in the RDS four-year-old final and winning at Spruce Meadows with Kevin Babington; Goodwins 007 winning three Grand Prix classes in-a-row under Eddie Moloney; Goodwins Chiko (Sekio), ridden by son Mick, coming second in the four-year-olds at the Horse of the Year Show, held in Kill, and he also was second in the RDS six-year-old final, ridden by Ger O’Neill.

But the proudest moment was when we brought Goodwins Chiko to Lummen in Belgium to compete over two weekends in the seven-year-old competitions with a final on Sunday and Grand Final on the second Sunday. He won the finals on both days with Ger, beating all the top European horses. Myself and Mick were there for the Grand Final when the national anthem and Irish flag were in full flight.

3. Tell us about Goodwins Loyalty (O.B.O.S Quality - Goodwins Belle, by Candle King) and this family.

Goodwins Loyalty always looked a bit special, even as a foal, with lovely, big, loose movement and lots of blood. This was to be expected as there is a lot of thoroughbred in her back breeding, i.e., Hildenley, Wilton House and Sandyman, crossed with Candle King and OBOS Quality. My father believed in this family and bred many a good horse from them.

Goodwins Loyalty was broke as a three-year-old, sent to Ger O’Neill as a four-year-old and it didn’t take long before she showed off her talent over a pole.

Max Hauri bought her soon after she was fifth in the RDS six-year-old final with Gabrielle Beijer. David Simpson took over ownership and competed her up to Grand Prix Level in England.

Kevin Babington then acquired her and jumped her at top level in the USA until her retirement to stud at Ballypatrick.

Her full-brothers Goodwins 007 and Goodwins Quality jumped to 1.65m and 1.40m level, her half-sister Goodwins Twain (Mark Twain) at 1.35m in England and another half-sibling; the four-star eventer Goodwins Reef (Ghareeb) was first reserve on the Belgian Olympic team.

Also, in the same family, you have the three- and four-star event horses Goodwins Master and Westwood Joker, both by Master Imp, and the puissance winner Rockmount Larry (Indoctro).

4. How many broodmares do you have?

We have four broodmares and one maiden mare at the moment.

Three are from the same line as Goodwins Loyalty. We have her half-sister Goodwins Babe (Master Imp) who is breeding very good stock, i.e., Goodwins Queen (O.B.O.S Quality) on the Irish Children on Horses European team with Emily Moloney and jumping up to 1.40m level.

Two more Goodwins Babe progeny - Goodwins Royalty (Royal Concorde) and Goodwins Whoopi (O.B.O.S Quality) - are eventing at FEI level with my son Mick’s partner Rosie.

We have a two-year-old O.B.O.S Quality gelding and Rock And Roll filly out of her as well and she is back in foal to Livello.

Three of our mares are by O.B.O.S Quality, one by Master Imp and the maiden mare is by Castlefield Dubai. Four of them back in-foal to Livello, Castlefield Kingston and Carrabis Z.

5. You’ve a very traditional set-up, keeping broodmares and youngstock on your dairy farm. Why do you breed sport horses?

I love it. I’m always trying to improve the breed and they take me away from the dairy cows!

6. Describe your regime for keeping horses.

We have 10 paddocks, between two and four acres in size, all with proper horse fencing. There is a laneway going down through them that leads into a yard so I can take in any bunch of horses on my own anytime.

Horses are grouped in their own age group all the time. Cattle graze these paddocks as well, they keep the paddocks clean and help with the worm burden.

7. If you could have bred any horse in history, which one would it be?

Boomerang. We used to have to go to our neighbours to watch him jump in Hickstead or the Horse of the Year Show as they had BBC! Everyone knew Boomerang and Eddie Macken back then, they were national heroes.

8. It takes a team, who’s on yours?

My team is made up of wife Kathryn and children. They like to help with the mares and foals and have broken and produced some horses over the years.

I’d like to see Victor keep up the horse breeding when he comes home from Australia and Mick has a great interest in producing and keeping on the breed.

9. Best advice you ever got?

With horses, you need time, patience and money. If you run out of any of these, you’re in trouble.

10. Improvements you’d like to see?

I’d like to see the Irish Horse Register performance database being updated more. There are a lot of Irish horses jumping to a good level in the UK and Europe with their performance not being updated.

It would be a good boost to the breeders if they knew how their horses were doing.