I FARM a beef herd near Glasson, Athlone and part of the enterprise is my equine breeding programme. I have Irish Sport Horses, Irish Draught and Connemara mares. My father always kept horses and trained them for ploughing and pulling the cart and trap.

I rode horses from my home in Killinure, Glasson to Longford Fair, we would meet the late Francis and Tim Derwin in Glasson village and travel together.

Growing up, I attended all the local horse fairs, Athlone being the main one, and local shows, competing in show jumping and showing a pony and trap. I won the high jump in Moate Show many years ago when I was about 16 years old. Unlike nowadays, it consisted of jumping a stone wall at the time.

My dad always kept a broodmare and that is where I developed an interest in breeding. My late wife also had a keen interest in horses. We actually met on the hunting field and the rest, as they say, is history. We travelled the length and breadth of the country as a family, with our children competing their show jumping ponies and later horses.

I showjumped and competed a gelding, out of a Connemara mare and by the thoroughbred sire Final Problem, for many years. Some of my present broodmares trace back to my foundation mare Sweet Meadow, a Grade B show jumping mare, and I started into breeding when I retired her.

1. Perhaps an easy question after Luhmühlen but your proudest moment as a breeder?

Well, there are a few to be honest; having bred numerous All Ireland traditional winners out of my mare Vanity Fare has to be one. Breeding a RDS prize-winning yearling filly (Porsch - Ravishing Ruby) is another.

The icing on the cake has to be SRS Kan Do (VDL Arkansas - La Vie En Rose) coming sixth in Luhmühlen recently, in only his third five-star event.

It’s wonderful to see him being so successful for his rider Kylie Roddy and owners, the Fox family. It makes all the hard work and sleepless nights worthwhile.

2. How many broodmares do you own?

I currently have my two top prolific winning show mares: Vanity Fare and Ravishing Rochelle; two Irish Draughts, Pave The Way and Lakeside Lass, both lines going back to my original foundation mare, Sweet Meadow.

I’ve also retained three traditional-bred young mares to protect the mare herd into the future. I have one Connemara, Creggan Countess II, who has offspring competing in Dubai, Sweden, UK and Ireland.

3. What’s your aim as a breeder?

My main aim now is to try to protect our traditional mare herd; I feel that not enough emphasis is placed on this.

There is no doubt that the traditional-warmblood cross is producing excellent performance horses in all disciplines but if we do not protect our traditional mare herd, then it will be lost forever.

Warmblood foals and warmblood-cross foals continually fetch better prices at the sales, so the incentive is to breed this way to try and make a profit and cover expenses.

My aim is to retain traditionally bred broodmares and cover 50/50 with traditional and warmblood stallions to produce broodmares and performance animals for the future.

4. Describe your regime for keeping stock.

My regime is pretty straightforward really. All broodmares are wintered out, rugged and fed haylage. In the last three months before foaling they get extra hard feed and supplements.

They are taken in two/three weeks before foaling to allow them time to settle. I have three extra-large foaling boxes on camera which certainly makes life easier.

All youngstock are out 24/7 on grass, except for farrier visits, etc., and allowed to develop naturally. I feel that this is very important for their proper development.

5. Do breeders get enough recognition?

Absolutely not, I feel more needs to be done. I’m sorry to repeat myself but I do feel strongly about protecting our mare herd and feel that breeders should be rewarded for breeding traditional foals. The market is stronger for the warmblood foal, so naturally breeders are swayed by this.

I feel that TV commentators, etc., should read out the breeding and breeder’s name. There is also the issue of prefixes being dropped and names completely changed which needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

A lot of time, effort and expense go into breeding these foals so the breeder needs all the recognition they can get.

Perhaps a bonus scheme for breeding a top-class horse would also help.

6. You’ve had much success with traditional-breds, having won the All Ireland final several times. From continental and traditional bloodlines you’ve used, what are your favourites?

That’s a difficult question but I would have to say Loughehoe Guy would be one of my favourite stallions because I’ve had so much success with his offspring.

I always loved Porsch too as he really stamped his stock with excellent bone, body and movement. Star Kingdom was one of my favourite RID stallions. Having had a few mares by him, they all had fabulous temperaments, were excellent movers and always threw quality foals.

I feel you can’t beat the TB-ID cross for a broodmare, you can then cross with TB or warmblood to produce the blood horse the market requires today.

7. If you could have bred any horse ...?

It would have to be Dundrum, on winning Nations Cups teams in 1963 and 1967. I had the privilege of riding him in the practice arena many years ago at Athlone Show while Tommy Wade was competing other horses. What he lacked in size, he made up for in ability, a little superstar.

It proves that the TB/Connemara cross can produce super performance horses and they remain very popular even today.

8. It takes a team, who’s on yours?

My late wife Jacqueline was always a great support behind the scenes; she also had a very keen eye for a nice foal. My daughter Mary who has travelled all over the country with me showing mares and foals, my granddaughter Laura who has shown ponies very successfully for many years and has now stepped up a notch showing the foals for me (under my watchful eye, of course!).

My other daughter Pauline, sons Frank and Kevin work behind the scenes and are there when required. My grandsons Dylan, James, Daniel and Michael have often been called upon to help with a hardy foal or catch a difficult mare. It’s very much a family affair and we all pull together when required.

My very good friend George O’Malley has always been a big part of the show team over the years, stepping out to show many a broodmare for me with great success, especially Ravishing Ruby and Vanity Fare. He would always tell me to shape myself up when it was getting near show time!

9. Best advice you ever got?

That would have to be “never rush a young horse in training, give them time and be patient.” And “always beware of a sleepy horse”, told to me by the late Philip Heenan, who stood Clover Hill.

10. Are breeder’s prefixes properly protected?

I would have to say no. I am seeing, time and time again, where names have been changed and prefixes dropped from names.

The breeders get little enough recognition so I feel that this issue needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.