JAMES McMahon is no stranger to the winners’ enclosure. He and his brother John were a regular feature of the in-hand showing classes at agricultural shows up and down the country during the 1970s and 80s.

For them the highlight of the competition year was the trip to Dublin for the Horse Show, and in 1981 they bred the National Yearling Champion.

James’s daughter Sinead remembers horses always being a feature of their home life.

“Dad is a farmer and a carpenter by trade. He has always been passionate about horses and when he was growing up, his father always had horses about the place, he bred them too.

“Dad and his brother John continued the tradition and, although they never rode themselves, they enjoyed many years of breeding and showing youngsters in-hand as well as loose jumping classes.”

Sinead’s brother Brian began to compete show jumping ponies and they started to take over as James travelled the country with his son. Brian enjoyed plenty of success, his best pony was probably the 148cms Beauty Bath.

Once he grew out of ponies, he lost interest in riding and it was James’s niece Geraldine who took over as rider for him.

Coolminga is the first line of the family address in Co Clare so that is why they chose it as the prefix for all their horses.

Breeding

James purchased the mare Coolminga Cavalier (2003) from her breeder in Portlaoise. She jumped up to 1.40m herself and it was with her that he bred a couple of talented sport horses.

She can boast the best of Irish breeding, by Garrison Royal (Cavalier Royale - Clover Hill) and out of Esker Beauty (Kings Servant). Coolminga Cavalier’s offspring include the 2009 gelding Inspector Royal (Tinaranas Inspector) who is currently eventing in the UK under British rider Emily Vaughan.

Another of her sons is his full-brother, the 2010 gelding Coolminga Inspector Royal who has an impressive competition record.

In 2014, when ridden by Geraldine, he qualified for the Dublin Horse Show four-year-olds and then went on to partner Geraldine through his five- and six-year-old years producing good records in the 1.10m and 1.20m divisions.

James is friends with young rider Robyn Moran’s grandparents, and Sinead is friends with Robyn’s mother so they were aware of her talent and her progression through the ranks.

Winning ways

In the spring of 2017, Robyn took over the ride on Coolminga Inspector Royal and the pair haven’t looked back.

They began their winning ways straight away with placings in 1.20m regular and young rider classes.

In the summer of that year, they placed third in the young rider final at the Dublin Horse Show. The following year they once again qualified for Dublin but this time for the 1.30m young rider division.

At the National Young Rider Championships in Mullingar in 2018, they won the Challenge Stakes and later that year, they moved up to the senior Grand Prix ranks with the 1.35m Munster Grand Prix.

In 2019, they won the Munster Grand Prix in Killeagh at the start of June and then went on to win in Charleville at the end of the month.

An additional six top-five placings saw them named Munster Grand Prix league champions that year.

During 2020, with all its disruptions, they recorded decent results in the 1.40m division and already this year they have won two rounds of the TRM Showjumpers Spring Grand Prix Tour; first in Broadmeadows and then again last weekend in Killossery Lodge.

Delight

According to Sinead, James travels to the shows which are local to them to watch his horse and Robyn compete and is delighted with how great a team she and the horse have made and their recent run of winning results.

As a result James has sent his three-year-old Coolminga Sam (by Orestus out of Coolminga Cavalier) to Brian and Robyn to produce.

Having begun work with him, the Morans are very pleased with his progress and are optimistic that he may well bring them and James as much success as their Spring Tour superstar.