THE Mustard Seed Country House, with its distinctive yellow colour, can be spotted from Knockfierna Hill. From there, you can see breathtaking views of Ballingarry, Thomond Park, the new Eli Lilly pharmaceutical plant in Limerick city and even five Munster counties.

Knockfierna, with its walking trail and famine cottages, was the next stop on the way to Newcastle West, where the annual show takes place on its new date of Sunday, June 23rd.

As well as Liam Ruttle, more of the proactive show committee team are secretary Seamus Shanahan, his wife Margaret, and Claire Geary, “another amazing committee member who is also involved in everything that is good in Newcastle West,” said Liam.

IT expert Seamus is putting his experience to good use, not only at his local show but also nationwide.

“In February 2023, the Irish Shows Association (ISA) launched the Supershow platform being made available to all shows. Newcastle West had already selected this software, however, due to lockdown, we never got to use it on show day.

“As we had previously used the software, the ISA asked myself and several others with experience, if we would help support other shows to get set up on the system, which we duly did.”

IT system in place, the next essential is location. En route to the show’s former main show site at Terence Leonard’s farm, there’s time for a quick call to Robert Hartigan’s yard near Rathfredagh, where he stands the handsome grey Westphalian stallion Timone (Cristallo 1 x Holland).

Robert’s partner Maria Fraser is busy giving horses some individual turnout in the central sand arena, surrounded by the old cut-stone stable yard buildings. Watching the perlino stallion Janpete Iceman strut his stuff is David, one of their massive Caucasian Shepherd-cross watchdogs.

“I like to let them stretch their legs as much as possible,” she said, as she caught Iceman, a Welsh Section B and sire of Marian Judge’s 2022 IPS Foal Show champion, Waterglades Baileys On Ice.

Next, we catch Terence, partner Deirdre Connolly and their baby daughter Renae on their way to Sixmilebridge mart.

Coincidentally, the Defender Kentucky Three-Day-Event is in full swing this weekend and was the venue for Ballynoecastle RM’s retirement party seven years ago. Terence owned Ballynoecastle RM, or ‘Reggie’, as a youngster and fills in more pieces of his story.

Cecil Shorten at Stan The Man’s former stable which now houses Baltydaniel Purple Boy \Susan Finnerty

Past and future champions

For a horse that finished up his career as the United States Eventing Association’s top points earner, ‘Reggie’, bred by the late Sylvester Cullen, had a pretty inauspicious start.

As a three-year-old at Goresbridge sales, he didn’t even attract a bid.

He started off his early career in the showring, rated by Terence as a great “no pressure” education for youngsters and the Limerick Show working hunter championship title ranked amongst his early year wins.

Zara Tindall and the Army Equitation School tried him, but it was Patricia Nicholson who had the final say and sent ‘Reggie’ over, sight unseen, to Buck Davidson and new owners, Carl and Cassie Segal.

“He was named after the castle in the yard and RM stands for Resident Magistrate after the TV series, ‘The Irish RM’. We keep the prefix now mainly for horses that we think are going to be special. There’s a very nice Traditional Irish Horse in Alabama called Ballynoecastle TD that is coming along up the grades.”

At the moment, the couple have a home-bred mare Onceuponatime with Sarah Ennis. “She just won her first three-star last weekend and she’s been great fun so far, winning at the RDS with Alice Copithorne as a five-year-old and national champion with Sarah as a six-year-old.”

The couple now predominantly breed thoroughbreds. “We had a Grade 1 winner at Aintree, Apple Away and the Irish Grand National winner Shutthefrontdoor.

“We’ve only three sport horse mares now, two daughters of Clover Hill mares and one going back to Sky Boy and King of Diamonds,” Deirdre said.

‘Reggie’, the Segal’s Ramiro B gelding, is one of a lengthy list of world-class horses sourced from the Leonard family over the decades. Another that Terence exported stateside, when RM was in his prime, was Will Faudree’s thoroughbred five-star mare Andromaque (Anshan x Strong Gale).

Across the road from the yard and the old castle are the fields where the show was formerly held, before a switch closer to town in 2022.

An intrinsic part though of Newcastle West, a stronghold for potential event horses, is its three-year-old class, which takes place in the all-weather arena.

Nowadays, it’s always held a week in advance of the main show.

“The reason being we had show jumping in one field, showing in another, the other attractions going on and none of us had time to watch this class when we held them all together on the one day,” explained Liam.

“Our loose jumping was the brainchild of Michael Leonard and his son, Peter. They used to loose jump their young horses at home in Ringwood. As they were heavily involved in Newcastle West Show, they thought that it would make a good spectacle for the public.”

“The RDS picked up on it and contacted the Leonards to see if they didn’t mind if they copied Newcastle West. Peter requested an RDS qualifier to be held here too and the deal was done.”

Mentor and Role Model: Mia Leonard with her aunt Ann and Cullinagh Glory Be \Susan Finnerty

Leonard family tree

Last summer’s bad weather caused the cancellation of Newcastle West Show and a host of other shows from July onwards. Plans are already underway for 2024, starting with this year’s loose jumping competition, which again doubles as a Dublin qualifier and will be held on Friday, June 14th. “The start time is 3pm normally and finishes about 8pm.”

This gives some breathing space before the agricultural show takes place the following Sunday (June 23rd) in its new 22-acre site spread out over four fields.

On Newcastle West’s doorstep, the site is primed for more urban footfall from the town where show committee meetings are held in the Red Door Gallery, a cobblestone’s throw from the 13th-century Desmond Castle.

Once the former ACC bank, the gallery was bought by David and Claire Geary for community use. One of its recent roles was to host a coffee morning during Daffodil Day in the town, when Newcastle West raised over €21,000 for the Irish Cancer Society.

It’s the final day of photographer Rodney O’Callaghan’s Through the Lens: Ireland & Beyond photo exhibition, supervised by another of the town’s dynamos: Pittsburgh-born Vicky Nash. “Vicky is involved in several committees, including the Tidy Towns committee,” Liam explained, as we go in search of more Leonards.

Ringwood Stud was established in 1860 and currently, between the various family members’ prefixes, there are just under 100 horses on the FEI database with their Ringwood, Ballingowan, Ballynoecastle and Cullinagh ‘brand names’.

Olympic event horses, such as Master Crusoe, Ringwood Cockatoo and Ringwood Magister have all been sourced from the Leonards, as was the HOYS supreme horse champion, Ringwood Dunbeacon.

Although Peter isn’t home when we drop in, his niece Mia Leonard fills in the family history when we meet her at her aunt Ann O’Grady’s yard in Ballingowan.

“My grandfather, Michael Leonard was a well-known producer of sport horses and my grandmother, Peg Moloney, was a sister of two champion national hunt jockeys, Tim and Martin Moloney, so I guess you can’t beat breeding!

“I’ve been riding since I was four or five, when I started lessons through my aunt Mary Leonard, she runs her riding school in Newcastle West. Ann is my official trainer, she’s been a huge influence and support in my equestrian life and my uncle Peter Leonard, coaches me in show jumping, for which I’m extremely grateful. I’ve been fortunate enough to have an extremely talented, extended family that is willing to give me advice and help whenever I need.”

Mia has just returned from a morning at Hollypark Stables’ league, where she jumped her Kannan x Lux Z mare Cullinagh Glory Be under the expert eye of mentor Ann.

“I got my mare as a four-year-old, when I was home from school during Covid four years ago, just before I went into my Leaving Cert year. Some might have seen this as crazy, but she kept me sane throughout the exams!

“We compete in show jumping, eventing and working hunters. She’s been placed in the working hunter class at Dublin Horse Show, which the whole family attends every year. This year, we look forward to progressing towards some international events in Ireland.”

A fitting monument in front of the town’s Castle Desmond in the heartland of Limerick equine heritage \Susan Finnerty

Good neighbours

And she’s following in the family footsteps in more ways than one, as the third year medical student explains: “Being a medical student is incredible. Obviously, it is a lot of work, but every day I get to learn something new about a topic I love and at the weekends, I get to come home and compete on my mare.

“My parents are both GPs and have been hugely supportive of both my horse riding and my medical studies in UCD. My mother, Dr Miriam Murphy, didn’t grow up with horses, but is one of my biggest supporters and my role model.

“We like to joke that my father, Dr John Leonard, is my manager, trainer and groom. He puts up with it all, while making sure both myself and my mare are well turned out. He is the main reason I am riding today.”

John, busy plaiting another horse, waves over as Ann returns from checking and feeding the horses in the field. Her pride and joy is her 21-year-old mare Ringwood Boula (Master Imp x Coevers Diamond Boy), still combining broodmare and competition duties.

The rapport between the two generations - John, Ann and Mia - is evident and, while it would be great to stay and hear more about the Ringwood fleet, the clock is ticking.

There’s time for a flying visit to Ardagh and more two-generation examples. On the way there, Liam sings Ann O’Grady’s praises. “Ann runs a Hallowe’en kids’ hunt at her Ballingowan Equestrian every year, where she has lots of little jumps set up for kids, from lead rein upwards and some adults too. She is very encouraging to our young people.”

At the Ruttle’s home, daughter Carol, an Equine Studies student at Kildalton College, is home for the weekend, while son Nathan is preparing for their local Pony Club branch’s tetrathlon taking place over the weekend at Clonshire, where he duly won the senior boys’ section the following day.

“Clonshire Equestrian is run by Sue and Dan Foley, who are very professional and encouraging to their many customers. The County Limerick Hunt is also based on the estate, which hosts their annual hunter trials on Easter Thursday and the Limerick Hunt Pony Club are based in the old stableyard of the great house. Pony Camp is the highlight of the year, when the yard becomes active with over 100 kids over two consecutive weeks each July.

“Mary Leonard has the only riding school in Newcastle West, on the Cork road. Great facilities and runs lots of leagues to get young horses out. Clonshire do similar. But, they don’t clash.”

Carol is busy schooling Ardane Silver Bob in the all-weather arena, which adjoins the yard of their “wonderful neighbours”, Dan and his son D.J. O’Sullivan.

“D.J. is a great producer of young show jumpers and eventers, with a busy schedule of sales, qualifiers and shows. He’s renowned for his preparation and turnout. His Dad is the back-up, feeds, mucks out, drives the lorry, he can do everything except ride the horses. D.J. has two sons, Jack and Alex, both into football and hurling. Jack played with Limerick hurling all the way up along to 16,” Liam explained, before Dan took us on a tour of some of their horses.

When I last saw Harlequin Charm, she was in Dublin’s Ring 1 with her Conticco colt foal during The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship. Cullinagh Glory Be was Mia Leonard’s lockdown project, just as Liam and his GP wife Joan, bought the Harlequin du Carel mare back then too. In foal again to Coolballyshan Stud’s Chacco-Blue son, the plan is for Carol and Nathan to compete the offspring.

Olympic event horse Ringwood Cockatoo, pictured with Bettina Hoy winning at Luhmuhlen was sourced from the Leonards' Ringwood Stud

Stan The Man

There is one more call that has to be made.

By happenstance, I’ve seen the Stan The Man painting in the Jung family home, presented to them by La Biosthetique Sam FBW’s grateful breeder Günter Seiter; watched same, modern eventing’s greatest horse, and Michael Jung win back-to-back gold medals at London and Rio de Janeiro and visited Marbach State Stud, where the exported thoroughbred moved to from Askeaton.

Now it’s time to visit Lake View Stud, where Stan The Man stood with the late John (Jack) Shorten. “John himself was a West Cork man and a very good judge. I saw him judging horse classes at Skibbereen show in 1998 and was delighted to see my neighbour, we were both a long way from home. His wife Ruby, was an integral part of Lakeview Stud and raising a large family.

“The Shorten family organised show jumping shows back in the ’70s and ’80s when jumping on grass was all the fashion. Cecil, a very good horseman, runs the Lakeview Stud operation now.”

By chance, Cecil just happens to be pulling up in his tractor, as we’re directed down to the yard by his mother. “He bred the Shear full-brothers too,” mentioned Cecil, when he hears the purpose of the visit, about two more Olympic horses in Shear L’Eau and Shear H20, bred by the late Edward Walsh in Kilrush.

Stan The Man’s former box is now occupied by Baltydaniel Purple Boy, the latest Irish Draught resident at Lake View Stud, where previous Draughts have included Sandyhill Boy and Lakeview Pride.

By coincidence, John Shorten bred the first Irish-born Irish Draught to join An Garda Síochána’s Mounted Unit in the Phoenix Park. Another recruit was Oscar, bred by the late Martin Donnellan and mentioned in the Breeders’ 10 (page 94).

And then, there’s another connection in ex-Garda Liam Ruttle, the best tour guide possible, on this flying visit to the Treaty County that turned into an impromptu yard tour.

There were 101 more yard and characters we could have called into to piece together more of Limerick’s equine heritage.

“Tús maith, leath na hoibre” (A good start, halves the work), as they say.