BORN and reared in Co Clare and currently living in Galway, I didn’t come from a horsey family. I grew up on the Gort road in Ennis, beside John Joe O’Grady, who wheeled and dealed in ponies and cobs.

I spent most of my days there, breaking them in and travelling to the fairs with John Joe, buying and selling ponies with him until I bought my first horse.

That was in Gort Mart; a crazy, blood-type chesnut mare by a thoroughbred stallion, Dameen, and out of a Powerswood Purple mare. I competed her for years and then started to breed from her, she was covered to the local stallions such as Glacier Mint and Clover Clon. That’s when the breeding bug took hold.

1. Congratulations, you bred Coco Douglas (Ard VDL Douglas), the recent winner of the Boomerang final at Millstreet CSI2* with Rhys Williams, another Banner County connection. Tell us more about her.

Thank you, she is something special. How she came about was a bit of an accident; I had a Tinarana Inspector mare I was breeding from and she was in foal to Douglas but, unfortunately, I lost her in a field accident.

So I rang up Olive Broderick at Kylemore Stud, told her what happened and asked that if I got another mare, could I use Douglas again and Olive said ‘no bother’. So off I went and I purchased a Pacino mare, Leahnoir de la Vie, from Andrew Hughes.

I had her a week and she was ready for covering. She was covered to Douglas, but she was scanned with twins two weeks later; one was pinched and the other was Coco.

When she was a three-year-old, I brought her into Ennis Showgrounds to the Dublin three-year-old event horse qualifier. It was simply just to school her for the following week when the three-year-old performance loose jumping qualifier was to take place, as I felt she was more of a jumper than an eventer. She ended up qualifying the first day out and so she made my dream come true to exhibit a home-bred at Dublin Horse Show. I had qualified horses for those classes before but not a home-bred. After Dublin, I sold her to her current owner Martin O’Neill.

2. Breeding eventers or show jumpers, what’s your aim?

I aim to breed show jumpers from Leahnoir de la Vie and eventers from my other mares that are thoroughbred or by a thoroughbred sire. The end-product has to be commercial and saleable, so I tend to always use warmblood stallions.

I sell them as foals or three-year-olds so they have to be good enough to be sold at those stages. I don’t tend to keep them and ride them on, like I found you would have to do with the traditional Irish horse.

3. How many broodmares do you currently own?

I have one thoroughbred mare by Footsteps In The Sand named Shanvoher Footsteps. She has a lovely blood colt foal at foot by Bravour VDL - that’s for sale, by the way.

Then there’s Lux Like Iona (Lux Z x Voltaire), who is in foal to Veer De Muze, and Lalonie KT (Etoulon x Indoctro), who has a colt foal at foot by Grand Cru, for sale too.

I also have a Ghareeb mare with a HHS Cornet colt at foot and Leahnoir de la Vie is now in foal to Sea Coast Valdelamadre Clooney.

4. “Fools breed foals for wise men to buy.” Agree/disagree?

Totally agree. It’s easier to go out and buy what you want. You don’t have to wait 11 months to see what comes and hope it’s correct and healthy and that nothing happens to your mare.

But then, on the other hand, it’s a great buzz when the mares are getting near foaling, the excitement is building, everything goes right and you get a healthy foal. Nothing beats it.

Maria with her Exquisite Mint (Cormint) champion young horse at Moate in 2019 \ Susan Finnerty

5. The current international standout sire?

For me, it has to be Diamant de Semilly. He is such an influential sire.

6. Best advice you ever got, horsey or life in general?

“Never take criticism from someone who you wouldn’t take advice from.”

7. Prefixes, your thoughts?

I don’t have a prefix and I don’t really get hung up on them. I will never forget a horse I’ve bred or named, so I will always be able to track them down.

8. That famous horse you’d love to have bred?

Kent Farrington’s mare Greya (Colestus x Contender).

9. It takes a team, who’s on yours?

Well, my partner Lorcan Byrne who puts up with my crazy ideas and always backs me!

My great friends - Gina and Emelyn Heaps of Carrowgar Stud - help me no end and never see me stuck.

John Aherne, whom I have owned horses with and topped sales throughout the years. Breaffy Mandela (S Creevagh Ferro x Ghareeb), now known as Ardeo Mandela; Dasset Curra Candy (Sligo Candy Boy x Clover Hill) and Rebellion to name a few, who are working their way to the top through MJ Sport Horses.

No stallion is picked or foal bought without running it by Johnny. He knows every pedigree upcoming and old.

He is also a judge, so what I might not have seen, Johnny would have around the country. So there’s plenty of road trips, looking at horses and going out into fields with herds of horses, picking out the ones that catch our eye.

And, of course, Harvey my Jack Russell! Anyone who knows me, knows Harvey. He’s [my] little shadow and he doesn’t miss a show or sale.

10. If you had your time all over again, which profession would you pick?

I would be a vet.