I WAS very surprised when Susan asked me to take part in the Breeders’ 10 feature, as I would consider myself a small-scale, amateur breeder. However, when I started breeding horses in the ‘80s, small breeders formed the backbone of the traditional horse breeding industry.

I grew up in Inistioge, Co Kilkenny. Both my parents grew up on mixed farms, where horses played an important role and were used for both work and leisure. My father, Tom Murphy, bred and trained a few thoroughbreds and, as there was no way of transporting horses back then, they had to be ridden everywhere.

He loved to tell the story of how he rode his little horse, Lawbreaker, eight miles to the train in Thomastown, joined along the way by a string of horses from some of the big yards, who teased him about his ‘pony’. They got off the train at Naas, hacked to Punchestown where his horse won his race over the banks two days in a row and then made the same journey home, very pleased with himself as he was the only winner on the train! Horses certainly earned their keep in those days.

I started riding ponies when I was very young and was involved in everything from Pony Club to eventing. I moved to Enniscorthy, Co Wexford when I got married.

My husband John is a vet and we keep a few suckler cows, Charolais sheep and horses on our farm. This practice of mixed grazing is beneficial to horses, due to sheep and cattle being less selective grazers and cleaning up parasites affecting horses.

My first broodmare was a mare that I evented to 3* level called Hob Nob, she was by Teaspoon (TB) out of a TB x Draught mare. She bred six foals, all traditionally-bred, and all went on to compete successfully at both show jumping and eventing.

I had another nice mare, Marfield, by Marwood (TB). She bred two foals by Puissance, both went on to compete at European junior level for Italy and Switzerland.

All our children rode ponies and competed at both show jumping and eventing. We were lucky enough to produce some lovely ponies, a few that went on to grade A show jumping and pony 2* eventing.

The most talented pony we had was Kateys Gem. I bought her as a four-year-old from Tom Molloy in Tramore. She was by Ricardo Z out of a Delamain-Clover Hill mare, but only grew to 148cm.

Our daughter Hannah rode her as a young pony and qualified for the RDS, then our son Michael took the reins and jumped her up to 1.30m. She was the most athletic and careful horse I ever had, described by the late, great Capt. Con Power as the closest thing to Rockbarton he had seen, as she just exploded over fences and, accompanied by Fra Connors, was a joy to watch.

However, she inherited a bit too much attitude and energy and definitely wasn’t designed for children. While she was a gem to jump, she wasn’t always a joy to ride! But we had some great times with her and, when she sadly got injured, I decided to put her in foal.

Katey bred 10 foals, by both traditional and foreign stallions. They all jumped for fun, most had a good attitude and went on to compete successfully in different disciplines. The most successful to date is a bay mare by Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet, I called her Dora or officially Very Dignified.

Dora grew to be 16.2 and she was ridden as a four-year-old by William Flood, who quietly introduced her to show jumping and cross-country. She has a big, scopey, careful jump with lovely paces and, although a bit sharp, she has a good temperament and is clever and willing.

I asked my friend Jane O’Flynn to take her and assess her when she turned five. Jane thought she had a lot of potential as an eventer and recommended her to Robbie Kearns, who tried her and bought her.

That was in 2020 and, due to Covid, there was little opportunity to compete, but Robbie put in a lot of patient groundwork. Robbie then moved to Kevin McNab’s yard in the UK and brought Dora with him, where they both gained invaluable experience.

She competed in her first official event in September 2021 and quickly moved up the ranks, clocking up several wins and placings. To top it off, she was selected to represent Ireland at the WBFSH Young Event Horse championships at Le Lion D’Angers in October 2022. The atmosphere was electric and her dressage was somewhat electrifying, but Robbie somehow managed to keep a lid on her. She redeemed herself with a super clear cross-country and an unlucky pole down, as she rarely touched a pole.

In 2023, she transitioned easily to 4*, winning the CCI4*-L at Kilguilkey and finishing the season with 17th place in the Boekelo CCI4*-L, leaving her qualified for Badminton.

She was then spotted by Will Coleman, a top US event rider, and was reluctantly sold by Robbie. Sad for me too, as I really enjoyed following her progress and attended many events with Robbie’s mum Trish and dad Gerry, who always made me feel welcome and part of the team.

Dora has settled into her new home in sunny Florida and has been placed in three of her four CCI4* events, earning her €27,287 in prize money and eighth place in the Hippomundo top-10 ISH placings. Needless to say, it would take a long time to earn that prize money in Ireland or Britain!

Dora is a very special mare and, while I wish she still represented Ireland, I know she is in very capable hands. I look forward to following her progress in the US and hopefully will see her competing in the 5* at Kentucky one day.

Deirdre Bowler with her pony Ted

1. Proudest breeder moment?

I’ve had lots of proud moments with children, ponies and horses, but as a breeder, watching Dora represent Ireland at the WBFSH championships was my proudest.

2. Do you have any broodmares now?

No.

3. “Fools breed horses for wise men to buy.” Agree/disagree?

A wise man is welcome to buy my horse, so long as he rewards me for the time, patience, hard work and cost involved in producing a horse from conception to competition.

4. Prefixes, your thoughts?

I never used a prefix, but always named my foals. But some names were changed and I lost track of the horses, so a short prefix is probably a good thing.

5. The best breeding decision you made?

Deciding to breed from Kateys Gem.

6. Social media - a positive or negative in the horse world?

I am not a fan of social media, but it has its uses when it comes to buying and selling horses. Although nowadays with AI-generated photographs, can we believe anything we see?

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

Colorado Blue.

8. It takes a team, who’s on yours?

I have a great team of family and friends to thank for all the help, support and advice. And thank you Susan, for acknowledging the breeders.

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

Absolutely. I love foals and watching them grow. But breeding horses is a labour of love, fuelled by the dream of breeding a champion, which rarely happens, unless you’re very lucky.

10. Guilty pleasure?

Happy hacking with my Connemara pony Ted.