ON January 31st this year, the Bjoerk family left Dollanstown Stud for the final time. The closing gates marked the end of a period in their lives which saw the house brought back from a gutted shell in 1982 to the most beautiful home, and farm, in which to live, work and raise a family.

With some of the finest trees in Ireland found throughout the parkland surrounding the house, Dollanstown was simply the Bjoerks’ heaven on earth. Over a period of 38 years, everything on the property had been renovated and brought back to life while there was a real sense of community with the eight other houses on the farm.

Now settling into their new home close to Tattersalls Ireland and Fairyhouse racecourse where they continue to breed and produce young Irish Sport Horses, Lars and Caroline Bjoerk reflect on the years they lived in Dollanstown House and Stud on the outskirts of Kilcock and on their own riding careers.

The Dollanstown eventing centre was founded in 1990 when Lars and his future wife Caroline (then Sharp) set about building the outdoor arena and upgrading the facilities. Shortly afterwards, the late Captain David Foster joined the team.

Fresh out of the Army Equitation School, David and his wife Sneezy based themselves at Dollanstown to produce and compete top-class event horses. At one stage, there were 30 horses in full-time work and between David, Sneezy and Caroline, plus a team of international riders and grooms, it was a busy but rewarding time.

Foster eventually set up his own yard at home in Possextown, Enfield but he was just the first of many top riders to be based at Dollanstown being followed by such as the late George Mernagh, Edmond Gibney, Carina Nilsson, Rolf Seidel, George Russell, Kelly Allen, Melanie Young and Gerald Bloomer.

A dressage yard ran in tandem with the eventing stables. It was established by Rolf and his wife Ulla whose love of dressage was infectious and proved beneficial for all the eventing riders as well.

Sandra Blake-Farrell, Sorrell Klatzko, Emma Kieran and Kevin Acres were just a few of the dressage riders to have been based at Dollanstown while among the horses they produced was St Emillion who competed up to Grand Prix level with Sandra and Kevin. Rolf and Ulla produced event horses such as Top Of The Morning and Morning Darling and the dressage horse Lorenzo K who is still in work at the age of 25.

The Dollanstown horse trials were first staged in the early 1990s and soon become one of the best events in the country.

Run over two days, it catered from novice up to advanced level (EI110 up to EI120 in current grading). It was not for the faint-hearted; many of the big Meath ditches were incorporated into the fences and there was an atmosphere akin to that of an international event. The Irish Field always ran a preview the week before, unheard of for a national horse trials.

The cross-country course, originally designed by Bill McLernon, rewarded a bold riding style and brave horses. Organised by Lars and his team, with the help of his great friend the late Lt Col Ronnie MacMahon, who also acted as society steward, the event went from strength to strength.

During the 10 years the event ran, Dollanstown hosted the Irish one-day event championships, a two-day event including roads and tracks with steeplechase, and the final team trials for the 1995 European Championships. That final trial was won by Britain-based Lucy Thompson riding the mare Welton Romance and this combination went on to claim individual gold for Ireland at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy.

None of this would have been possible without the generous support from various sponsors over the years including, but not limited to, DG Opel, Norbrook Laboratories, Foran Equine Products and Pegus Horse Feeds.

Following on from the horse trials, Lars, Ronnie and the late Harold McGahern came together to establish the Future Event Horse League or FEHL. This competition was aimed at showcasing young Irish event horses aged four and five years old through a league and final. As a result, the Young Event Horse class at the Dublin Horse Show was created with the FEHL being used as a qualifying conduit.

After 15 successful years, the FEHL was dissolved, however, the Young Eventhorse Series (YES) followed in its footsteps. The last YES qualifier held in Dollanstown was in the summer of 2015 and was arguably one of the best.

Over the years, Dollanstown hosted show jumping training shows, combined training and dressage competitions, training clinics (with national and international coaches) and international team training for all levels. The final team training for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was held in Dollanstown while the German eventing team based themselves there before the 2003 European championships at Punchestown.

Lars and Caroline bred and produced many top-class horses over the years with DSL horses competing successfully in both show jumping and eventing.

Among these were Dollanstown (owned by the Minister for Defence) who was twice placed in the Hickstead Derby, the RDS Puissance and was a winner at Grand Prix level; DSL The Professor who, ridden by Elizabeth Hayden, represented Ireland as both a six- and seven-year-old at the World breeding championships for young event horses at Le Lion d’Angers; the half-brothers Ard Cluedo and DSL The Entertainer who were both placed as six-year-olds at Le Lion d’Angers where the latter finished fifth under Elizabeth Power in 2017; and Ard Highlighter who won the CCI4*-S in Strzegom last year under Michael Jung.

Caroline competed at an event for the final time in 2012 when she partnered Mr Goggs to finish second in an EI100 at Monart. On the way home, she placed her rosette on the grave of the horse’s former owner George Mernagh who had died the previous year.

Caroline then had to stop competitive riding due to persistent problems with her back which resulted in her undergoing four spinal surgeries. Halfway through these, she decided to raise money and awareness for spinal research, culminating in her charity walk across Ireland, ‘Walking for those who can’t’. Supported by family and friends, she managed to complete the 350km walk in 2014 and raise an astounding €50,000 for her surgeon at Beaumont Hospital, Professor Ciaran Bolger.

Expertly run

The farm at Dollanstown was expertly run by Kieran McIntyre and his sons Derry and Morgan.

Kieran, who had worked for Lars during his time in Belmont House, always had the farm looking immaculate while his knowledge and love of cattle was to come into its own with the breeding of pure-bred Charolais. Living on the neighbouring farm, Ferrestown, with his wife May and four children, Kieran and the whole family became a fundamental part of any event held in Dollanstown.

The walled in garden and parkland are truly what makes Dollanstown so special and maintaining them was a full-time job, one which was expertly carried out by Danny Smith, Karl O’Rourke and Joe Fox.

“Since January 31st, Dollanstown is under new ownership. The Bjoerk family wish the new owners the very best luck in the years to come and hope that they continue Dollanstown’s legacy and learn to love it like we did,” concluded Caroline.