I’M an 83-year-old dairy farmer from Co Galway, married to Eileen for 54 years, father to seven children and grandfather to 19!

I had to leave school at 12 to start working the family farm full-time due to my father’s illness.

I used to farm using horses before I invested in my first tractor and always favoured a half-bred or three-quarter-bred horse, instead of the traditional heavy Draught like most.

1. Proudest breeder moment?

My proudest breeder moment was definitely watching Rathmorrissey Lord of the Dance win in Dublin in 2023. He looked a picture and had been produced so well by his owner Keith Martin and his rider Nicola Perrin. I felt incredibly proud to have been a small part in the horse’s success.

I’d only sold him the year before as an unbroken three-year-old to Keith and, only recently, he won the supreme horse championship at Charleville Show.

Assumpta, my eldest daughter who lives in London with her three children, named him. I was talking to her on the phone and told her I had a beautiful black colt foal who just floated across the ground. She commented that he sounded like Michael Flatley from Lord of the Dance and that’s what we should name him… So we did.

2. How many broodmares do you have?

I’ve always had two broodmares, I just love foals and my favourite time of year is when I’m on foal watch. I like to keep all my youngstock until they are three years old. I enjoy watching them grow and develop and seeing the horses they turn into. Years ago, I used to break all the young horses myself with the help of my eldest son Michael and we would sell them as four or five-year-olds at Goresbridge after a year’s hunting, but now at my age and being so busy running our dairy farm, it suits us better to sell them as well-handled three-year-olds.

3. Lucky bloodlines?

I’ve been lucky over the years with all the different bloodlines I’ve used. Castleforbes Lord Lancer sticks out for obvious reasons as he is the sire of Lord of the Dance, but our vet Philip McManus has always been a great source of knowledge and any stallion selection he has been involved with has always turned out to be very lucky and left plenty! Those include Darco, Luidam, Mermus R and Russel, to name a few.

Rathmorrissey Lord Of The Dance, bred by Jack, was the supreme horse champion at Charleville Show and is pictured here with rider Nicola Perrin, owner Keith Martin and judge Kathryn Lloyd \ Susan Finnerty

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

I agree with this to a point, but I am very much on both sides of the fence. I love to breed a foal and be part of its journey from day one, but I also like to buy youngsters, as sometimes it’s easier to buy what you are looking for than breed what you are looking for.

5. Famous horse you would like to have bred?

I’d love to have bred Boomerang. He was such an exciting horse to watch and he and Eddie Macken were like poetry in motion.

Show jumping was always on the TV back then and Boomerang was a household name - everyone, horsey or not, knew who he was.

6. Prefixes, your thoughts?

I’m new to the whole prefix thing and only started giving my horses prefixes in the last six to seven years. It was my daughter-in-law Shauna who explained the importance of a prefix to give breeders recognition and also for traceability years down the line.

We chose the Rathmorrissey prefix, as it’s the name of our out-farm and I’ve been amazed when people have contacted Shauna, via Rathmorrissey Lodge social media pages, to give us updates on our past home-breds. This is all thanks to the horses having our prefix. I do find it fascinating how social media works.

7. Selling horses – how has that changed for you?

In many different ways over the years! Many moons ago, I’d milk the cows in the morning and then head to Ballinasloe Fair or Spancil Hill and sell the horses on the Fair Green and then I’d be back home in time for the evening milking. That was a good day’s work.

8. It takes a team – who’s on yours?

I’m very lucky to have a strong family network around me. We all help each other and everything runs very smoothly. My son Gabriel and his wife Shauna produce and sell a handful of horses every year and both are qualified farriers. They keep on top of helping me handle youngsters, trimming their feet and worming.

My other daughter-in-law Sylwia is a large animal vet and specialises in equine reproduction, so she scans the mares for me and marks foals, does vaccinations and AI, etc.

My eldest son Michael will help with transporting mares to and from stud or collecting semen. Nutrition is a key factor in young horse production and reproduction, so Niall Gillane, from Bernard Gillane Feeds in Gort, has to get a mention as his products and service are always top-class.

9. Breeding/owning horses would you do it all again?

I’m 83 years old and I wouldn’t change the experiences I’ve had with horses over the years. There have been good times and bad times, but my fondest memories since childhood have always involved horses; from hunting with the Galway Blazers as a young man with my dear friends Tommy Connolly and Henry Gordon, to driving around Galway, bringing the lads hunting and to hunter trials.

I’m now going to shows watching my grandchildren compete and I love seeing the joy that horses and ponies bring them. It really has gone full circle.

10. What advice would you give someone looking to buy a horse, whether it be a youngster or a broodmare?

My rule of thumb is, “Don’t stay looking at a horse until you see something you like”, you must be drawn to it instantly. A good temperament is key as is a good model, after that, if the pedigree is good, that’s just a bonus.

A lot of people dream of breeding an Olympic horse, my dream has always been to breed a horse that will do a job for a variety of riders and have soundness and longevity.

That’s the market I aim at as it’s a much broader market, but I find it is often overlooked.