LIKE anyone who grew up on a farm, there was always a love of horses. We relied on them too for working on the farm, transport and selling a foal. That love of horses never leaves you and both my parents – John and Mary – worked with horses on the farm.

My father was a small farmer, he had about 50 acres and would keep a broodmare. Pat, my brother, is an out-and-out cattleman.

I served my time as an industrial electrician in the local chipboard factory where I worked for 20 years. Then I went out as a self-employed industrial electrician which meant travelling all over the country, working for various companies and I had less time then for breaking and training horses.

I hunted with the Clare Hunt for years and am the last founder member of the East Clare Harriers.

My nephews help a lot with the horses, particularly in the last two years. Diarmuid and his wife Helen foal the mares and get them covered.

1. Congratulations on breeding the half-brothers Vantage Point (Nash Me) and View Point (Loughehoe Guy), two of Jill Day’s most successful showring champions. Was breeding this pair your proudest moment as a breeder?

Well, I suppose it had to be. It was unique for View Point to win the supreme championship at the Horse of the Year Show in October. The supreme is judged on Sunday night between all the horse champions and it was a great honour for View Point to win.

He’s won a lot in the showring including HOYS and Royal Windsor, three times each. I would have been there at HOYS this year but for Covid and I had a bad accident last year. I was there before and at Windsor too. The grounds and setting of Windsor Castle are something else and it all adds to the show.

Out of all the big days and shows, I was the proudest at the Horse of the Year Show so yes, breeding two horses that won there would make for the proudest moment.

Robert Walker and Jill Day's View Point, bred by Clare's Sean Jones, were crowned Supreme Horse of the Show at HOYS 2021 \ 1st Class Images

2. Tell us how you started off breeding horses.

The first mare I bought was an Irish Draught by Pride of Toames, she bred 16 foals for me, 12 colts and four fillies, that I’d sell as three- and four-year-olds, including a Chair Lift horse that was in Dublin as a four-year-old. He was never in a showring in his life before but finished up in America.

3. East Clare is an area noted for horse breeding and Coevers Diamond Boy was the well-known ‘local stallion’ in Tuamgraney with Tommy Brennan. You were a customer?

I knew the horse very well, he was by Diamond Lad out of a Coevers mare. A nice model of a horse, he had good bone and presence and I think he would be more of an Irish Draught than some of today’s Draughts.

Tommy was a very good stallion man, He also had a grey thoroughbred named Able Albert so they were the two local stallions in Scarriff.

4. How many broodmares do you currently have?

I have four, three are related to View Point.

Quality Dame, his dam, is by O.B.O.S Quality. My neighbour Noel McNamara had a very nice Coevers Diamond Boy-Chair Lift mare named Clounuskers Dame.

He bred her to O.B.O.S Quality and brought that two-year-old filly down to my place to give her a pop as I had a sand ring. I liked what I saw and I bought her there and then.

She is now in foal to Watermill Swatch, I believe the thoroughbred horse is being under-used and we’re going to lose the traditional Irish horse for that reason.

Noel still has a full-sister to Quality Dame – Clonuskers Lady – that he has bred to Vivant.

Another mare I have is View Point’s half-sister Dame Of Stability. She’s by Beowulf as I did a bit of research and decided on that horse of Paddy Quirke’s.

She did well anywhere I showed her and Jill Day bought last year’s foal from me, by Future Trend. She’s back in foal to him again.

I also have a mare – Hope’s Whisper – out of Clounuskers Dame, by Nash Me.

5. Favourite broodmare?

It would have to be Quality Dame, she has proved herself.

6 You’ve shown many of your broodmares and are a keen supporter of local shows. How has the show scene changed over the years?

To produce a horse takes a lot of work, they’ve got to be walking properly and be well handled. And maybe that’s why you’ve less people showing now if you can’t do that work yourself.

I was on the Scarriff Show committee for years, the All Ireland yearling filly final was held at the show and exhibitors came from all over Ireland then.

I’m afraid the small country shows are going to be in trouble after Covid. It will be very hard to collect money from local businesses.

7. Jill Day – a patron saint amongst Irish breeders/producers?

I couldn’t say enough to praise Jill Day. And that’s not because she’s a customer, who I’d be very fair with, but because she’s a decent lady and just a very nice person.

Jill and Tony Lloyd have become personal friends, I’ve stayed in her house in Wales and she absolutely deserves an award for all she has done for Irish breeders and producers.

8. Best horse advice you ever got?

It was from my father who said when breeding horses, try to breed a good model with good conformation, movement and temperament. That’s it in a nutshell. They mightn’t all be superstars but if they’re all of the above, you will always sell them.

9. Sport horse breeding – would you do it all over again?

I would because I have a pure love of horses.

10. Do breeders get enough recognition?

It all begins at grassroots with the breeders. That’s why I was delighted and very honoured to be nominated for the Gain Star of the Month award in The Irish Field.

It’s great to see breeders being recognised, and congratulations to everyone nominated.