JIM Derwin is an international horse dealer based in Athlone, Co Westmeath. Jim has been working in the equine industry his entire life and carried on the family tradition of horse dealing from his late father Francis Derwin Snr.

While Jim sells a wide variety of horses and ponies from riding school animals to top quality show jumpers and eventers, hunters are a big part of his business. “We sell between 70 and 100 hunters each year,” Jim begins. “We sell some in Ireland but most of the horses would be going to England, Germany and Holland.”

When asked what people typically look for in an Irish hunter, Jim replied: “Most like a full draught horse and some others would like a little bit more blood and would tend toward a thoroughbred draught cross, a three-quarter draught – that’s what people are looking for.

“The draught horse is the horse that most people can ride, a horse with more blood is fiery and needs a more experienced rider – that type of horse would suit a hunting professional who wants something that can take on big hedges and fences etc. Nine times out of 10 people are looking for a nice easy-going hunter so the draught suits them, they are bred for the job.

“With regards to age, a six or seven-year-old with a season or two hunting under their belt is the ideal. When the buyers come they want to try a horse that they know has experience and that they can bring to a hunt straight away.

“We have a few cross country fences here so that potential buyers can jump some tape, gates, typical hunt jumps. People like to know they are sitting on a nice horse that they can hack on through their farms and that is genuine on the roads. A horse that is easy to load, shoe and clip is essential also.”

SOURCING HORSES

There seems to be plenty of demand for an honest Irish hunter, which means that Jim is busy travelling the country to source the ideal animal.

“I buy all over Ireland,” says Jim. “I buy some at Goresbridge sales, some at Cavan, some at fairs and I’d visit different people around the country too, breeders or people who ring me and say they have a horse that might be a suitable hunter.

“A nice looking horse is the first place to start, something with a nice bit of bone and that rides well and has a good quiet temperament. A lot of people, they are only coming out at the weekend to go hunting. They might have been working all week so a horse with a good quiet temperament is most important – one that stands, waits his turn and does his job.

“I need horses that have some previous experience, they must be broken and riding, and they must have hunted. I will take horses that have hunted one or two full seasons and a few who might have hunted lightly, maybe five or six times. I don’t buy them unbroken, it’s no good for my business. The people who come want to get on them and go straight to a hunt.

“The youngest I would purchase a horse intended for hunting is as a five-year-old. Six and seven-year-olds are ideal. But there are some people who like an older, more experienced horse. There is no particular height that I look for. We sell everything from 12.2hh ponies up to 17.2hh horses.

“I wouldn’t like a horse that makes a noise. I wouldn’t buy a horse for hunting that was whistling, and they have to be clear of stable vices.

“A lot of hunters are stabled in big livery yards so you could have a horse in there with no vices and you wouldn’t like one beside him weaving or wind sucking so a horse would have to be clear of all vices.”