HORSES have always been part of life on our farm. In fact, we were one of the last families in the area to rely on working horses before investing in a tractor. My father, Terry, owned a broodmare, Ardagh Lady (Delamain x Clover Hill), and we’ve continued that bloodline through four generations. This spring, we welcomed a lovely filly foal by Phenomene Bleu, carrying Lady’s line forward once again.

My mother, Maureen, was equally involved in horses. She plaited horses for shows, from her husband’s three-year-olds to her grandchildren’s ponies. Over five decades, she must have done thousands upon thousands of plaits.

Thankfully, Bernie developed a keen interest in horses too, and together we proudly hold the longest-serving couple title in our local riding club, Mosstown. She might just be the most competitive person in the family and is rarely off the road with the horsebox!

Our approach to breeding and producing horses has always been simple and traditional. The horses live out on our dairy farm as much as possible. We take our time with young horses, starting their education slowly with lots of handling as foals before breaking, riding and starting them with a few hunts with the Longford Harriers. From there, they gain experience in show jumping, showing and eventing.

We’re fortunate to have excellent local opportunities to bring on young horses, particularly through Longford and Granard agricultural shows, Mullingar Equestrian Centre and Granard’s Cub Hunter shows. These provide a valuable foundation, giving young horses a broad and well-rounded education.

When our children were younger, our aim was to breed horses and ponies that they could enjoy and ride. We’d have the best of times squeezing three ponies into the horsebox and heading off with Bernie’s picnic in a coolbox before stopping for ‘99’ ice creams on the way home. Many such days were with Longford Pony Club, which deserves credit for many great memories.

As the years passed, our ambitions evolved. We began focusing more on breeding competitive, commercial horses capable of reaching top levels in show jumping and eventing, becoming increasingly selective about the mares and stallions we used.

1. Proudest breeder moment?

In 2009, Maureen, our eldest, rode our home-bred Ardagh Jones (Dow Jones Courcel - Ardagh Lady) at Dublin Horse Show, and we were bitten by the bug. Breeding a Dublin champion is a dream for many breeders, and it is undoubtedly our proudest moment.

In 2014, our son Thomas won the Connemara Performance Hunter Championship with Ardagh Bobby (Glenayre Mystical Bobby). They were both the youngest in the class, which made the achievement all the more special. Being crowned champions was an incredible moment for the whole family, especially for those who bred and produced him from day one.

Bobby was a very special pony who gave all our children tremendous fun and a wonderful education. Our daughter Joanne had competed him the previous year in the Dublin working hunters, bringing home a yellow rosette.

Following his Dublin success, Bobby was sold to the Edgar family in Scotland. They competed him very successfully and on the Scottish team. That sale marked the beginning of a lovely friendship, and the Edgars went on to buy a number of horses from us over the years.

Thomas Whyte and Ardagh Bobby won the Connemara Performance Hunter Championship at Dublin in 2014 \ Donal O’Beirne/Hoofprints

2. Favourite bloodlines?

On the dam side, Puissance has always been particularly lucky for us.

We’re delighted to follow Emily Brooks’ success with Ardagh Mayday (O.B.O.S Quality), whose dam is by Puissance. They recently won the EI115 at Tattersalls in September and went on to finish in the top 10 in their first 3*-L at Ballindenisk in October.

We bought Ardagh Highlight (Puissance), as a foal and produced him over eight years. He later won a silver team medal in eventing with Sam Watson at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon.

When it comes to stallions, we’ve always liked Celtic Hero, sire of Ardagh Celtic Echo, who competed successfully up to 1.35m with our son Thomas, and Ardagh Celtic Lady, (now Fourfields Wonder Woman), who had considerable success eventing with Heidi Coy in the UK.

Fourfields Wonder Woman was another sale to repeat customers, Fourfields Sport Horses. We take huge pride in the relationships we’ve built with returning customers who trust our breeding and the horses we produce.

3. Best advice you got?

We narrowed it down to two:

“You’re not married to the horses - when you’re getting a good price, let them go!”

“Always regard the dam as 80%. Invest in a good stallion, but never overlook the influence of the mare.”

4. Describe your winter regime for mares and youngstock?

We take a simple approach to winter management. Our mares stay out over the winter, rugged and minded, with haylage and feed. We keep on top of the basics, including regular hoof trimming and worming.

We also believe in starting the young horses’ education early. From foals, we handle them regularly, teaching them to lead and behave well on the ground. This gives them a good foundation before they are broken and ridden as three-year-olds.

5. “Fools breed horses for wise men to buy.” Agree or disagree?

There are very few breeders who are fools but two things can be true at once! We’ve bought plenty of foals ourselves over the years, but nothing quite beats breeding your own horse and watching it go on to compete successfully.

You learn quickly when breeding horses. It has to pay, and ultimately the horse you produce needs to be commercial. We’re constantly changing our approach, always looking for ways to improve the quality of the foals we breed each year.

6. Ardagh is yours, thoughts on prefixes?

Prefixes are important. They recognise the contribution of the breeder, who has often invested years of time, thought and effort into producing a horse.

That said, there needs to be a balance between recognising the breeder and the producer.

We have been asked to support a producer changing a prefix in the past, and we wouldn’t say no.

Ultimately, everyone involved is trying to do what is best for the horse, and that is what matters most.

7. Biggest challenge facing breeders?

Moving with the times. The standard of competition has become phenomenal in recent years, and horses are increasingly specialised for particular disciplines. To remain competitive at the highest level, breeders need to continually upgrade their mares and use top-class stallions to meet the demands of top-level competition.

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

James Kann Cruz. It’s incredible to see an Irish-bred horse competing so successfully on the international stage. He also has a great Longford connection, having been produced from a foal to a seven-year-old by the Gannon sisters, Anne and Mary. It’s always special to see Irish breeding making its mark at world level.

9. Breeding horses – would you do it all over again?

Absolutely! There is nothing quite like it.

More than 10 years on from our Dublin champion, we’re still trying to breed another. We came close in 2019 when Ardagh Epic (Mohill Cavalier Clover) finished third in the Young Event Horse final in the main arena with Alice. Maybe we’ll retire if we breed another Dublin champion!

10. It takes a team – who’s on yours?

Very much a family affair. We have four children - Maureen, Alice, Joanne and Thomas - who’ve all won Dublin rosettes and four grandchildren: Isabelle, Aida, Bill and Conn.

We play to strengths. Maureen is a vet and the one who solves the problems, Alice helps us master dressage, Joanne is the bravest, while Thomas is the most competitive. And, of course, the grandchildren keep us young. It looks like we’re starting all over again, as our grandchildren have just bought their first pony, Lucky. Watch out for leadrein classes, Pony Club adventures and the inevitable, “I don’t need you to hold me!”