Like my father before me, I was born and bred in Rineen, Co Cork. Growing up, my father primarily bred Irish Draughts with the odd pony stallion thrown in and I have fond memories of him driving what seemed like hundreds of miles to take his mares to the best of stallions.

Fifty years later and it seems like not much has changed as it’s many a day I’ve spent driving up and down the country to and from stallions myself!

I work construction full-time along with my wife Kerry who also works full-time as a nurse with the HSE, so the horses are a hobby for us. Our daughters Deirdre and Emma are heavily involved too, so it’s a family affair and a labour of love for us all.

1. Congratulations, you qualified at West Clare for The Irish Field Breeders Championship with Slatequarry Sasha and her Tyson colt foal. Tell us more about the pair?

Sasha is a Ghareeb mare that we purchased in 2017 from Paula Howard who had great enjoyment with her, including winning the Breeders Championship and the Coote Cup at the RDS in 2016.

Her current Tyson foal is a full-brother to Haven Hi Hope, fourth in the Breeders Championship last year and who is entered in the yearling filly class this year.

To be honest, the pair were put on the back burner at the start of this season while we concentrated on Ballard Bridgeboy, a four-year-old ridden hunter with Deirdre on board. So we were delighted to qualify at Sasha’s first and last qualifier this year at West Clare Horse Show.

2. What’s your aim as a breeder?

My father, Sammy, would always aim to breed a horse that would do a job and that philosophy is something I have thankfully inherited. Nowadays, when breeding my mares, I am firstly aiming to breed a show horse that I will be able to enjoy for the first three years of its life in the show ring.

After that, I would be hoping that same cross could produce a good show horse under saddle or even better - a talented eventer!

3. Favourite bloodlines?

I love to see the old Irish bloodlines that my father would have used - the likes of King of Diamonds, Clover Hill or Cruising, to name just a few. Welcome Diamond, who stood in West Cork, gave both my father and I some lovely horses.

More recently, Tyson has given me two lovely youngsters and looking to Tyson’s older offspring they all seem to have buckets of talent so I am excited to see how they turn out.

4. What’s your view on prefixes?

They are incredibly important and are often easily dismissed by new owners. They give important recognition to the breeder and in my opinion shouldn’t be so easily redrafted.

5. How many mares do you have now?

We currently have three broodmares: Slatequarry Sasha (ISH), Union Hall Galaxy (TIH) and An Rinnin Diamond Dancer (ID). In recent years, we followed the market trends and abandoned breeding purebred Draughts. However, we’ve returned to doing so in order to save precious bloodlines and keep the tradition going.

ABC Bobby Jean is a three-year-old that we hope will be joining the broodmare team once we’ve had some fun out jumping with her first. Her mother, ABC Saving Grace, was crowned the six-year-old world champion in Lanaken last year and Bobby Jean herself has qualified for the RDS three-year-old loose jumping performance final this year, so she is a very exciting prospect.

John Burchill and daughter Deirdre with Slatequarry Sasha and Haven Hi Hope at Charleville in 2022 \ Susan Finnerty

6. Describe your regime for keeping mares/youngstock?

We like to have all our mares and youngstock out on grass for as much of the year as possible. The mares are brought into a large straw-bedded shed for the winter months and minded, but as soon as the weather picks up and our cattle go out - so do the mares!

7. If you could have bred any horse?

I have always loved following the National Hunt meetings and it was a bucket list moment to be at Cheltenham on Gold Cup day. I was lucky enough to be there in 2008 when Denman won, so he will always be one I would have loved to have bred.

8. It takes a team - who’s on yours?

I am very lucky that all of my family have taken an interest in the horses as I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them. My wife Kerry, is my right-hand woman who is involved in every aspect of the yard, from organising marking sheets for the foals to mucking out!

It’s been extra special to have Deirdre in the ring with me in recent years as she has taken over the reins with Sasha and she puts in a lot of hours at home from schooling Emma and her ponies, to stitching in plaits on show mornings.

My sons Sam, Richie and Sean also play their part to keep the show on the road.

9. Best advice you ever got?

Do what you love and love what you do. To always follow your gut and buy what YOU like.

10. It has been noted at many shows around the country this year that entries in certain classes have fallen while others are thriving - is there anything you would suggest to repair the downward trend?

I think young people are the future of the sport and it’s worrying that there doesn’t seem to be as many coming through, particularly in the in-hand youngstock rings. Dunmanway Show have a fantastic young showperson initiative which attracts a massive entry every year. Perhaps if this class was introduced on a smaller scale at a greater number of shows, it would attract and retain young people and provide them with a steppingstone from ponies into horses.