IN my early teens I was lucky enough to buy my first horse Cody. My sister Gemma was only a child at the time and immediately had the horse bug.
Gemma got her first pony Fizzy when she was nine and it’s been a team effort ever since. Fizzy is now in her 20s and she’s the pride and joy of Gemma’s son Aiden (five) and so the story continues.
1. Proudest moment(s) as a breeder?
I’ve had a few proud days. Lisbrogan Gold is up there giving me my first RDS home-bred win (2018) and going on to win at Balmoral the following season. Trewins and Lisbrogan Grace (Tyson) winning the Horse Sport Ireland eventing foal championship (2018) was a special day as we’d had a few attempts at winning that championship.
Last summer at the Irish Pony Society championship show was probably my proudest moment. We drove all the way to Wexford to stay with friends and made it into a mini-break. Gemma showed Tigerbillie, her two-year-old Tiger Attack filly out of our Hand In Glove mare Trelissick.
They won their class and championship in the morning and in the evening performance, stood reserve supreme in the Price Family qualifier for the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). The standard was so high that day, beating some lovely horses from a range of championships.
2. Favourite broodmare, past or present?
I can’t pick one as my two Hand In Glove mares Trewins and Trelissick have been so lucky for us. They were both bred by Vin and Liz Jones from Preci Spark Horses. Trewins is the dam of Oliver Townend’s five-star horse Tregilder and she has bred us numerous nice horses that we have sold on well, as has Trelissick.
3. Describe your winter regime for mares/youngstock.
We rug everything by the end of October each year. The youngsters come inside in November and they are turned out each day for a few hours. Turnout is important for youngsters, it keeps their minds and bodies healthy.
The broodmares stay out until closer to foaling and again they will be turned out daily. Gemma is really organised and consistency is key with horses. They are on numerous schedules: farrier, worming, dentist, etc., not just feeding.
Gemma leads our feeding programme. We keep it simple for the majority of the year, nothing too fancy, just as much haylage as they require and hard feed can include oats and balancer.
However, as the mares get into the last three months of gestation we do monitor them closely and feed accordingly. Feeding young horses for the show ring is more intensive but our approach is balanced and we keep it as natural as possible.
4. Say you were the lucky Mayo person who won last Saturday’s Lotto bumper jackpot. How would you spend it on horses?
Whoever it is, I hope it’s lucky for them and that it brings positive change to their lives. If I won €19 million I’d probably buy a show jumping mare that’s competing. I’d also try to buy a few nice three-year-old event horses from Shannondale Stud. You’d need a lot of money going down there!
5. Any foals expected in 2022?
Due to the impacts of Covid last year, we only have one mare, Trelissick, in foal. She’s due in April to Tyson. All going well, we will cover four mares this year.
6. Have you changed your breeding policy over the years?
Yes, we upgraded our broodmares a few years ago with a focus on eventing. They all have good dam lines and have bred horses that look like they are going in the right direction.
Our broodmares have over 75% TB blood, this leaves us with room to breed to a range of stallions and meet the requirements of over 60% TB blood for the RDS Breeders’ Championship and HSI eventing classes. We try to breed a nice, correct, good-looking horse with a good mind and one that will hopefully have the requirements to go eventing.
7. How do you juggle a demanding Dublin-based career, with the National Forensic Mental Health Services, and horse-breeding? The bottom line is I couldn’t do both without Gemma and my dad Gerry. I love my job in Forensic Mental Health and, like the horses, I’m passionate about it. The yard in Mayo is where I find my peace. When I’m home I try and get the hard jobs done for Gemma and that systems works for us.
8. Best advice you got?
Whatever you have in your life, look after it.
9. It takes a team – who’s on yours?
It literally takes a village when it comes to horses. I won’t list them as they know who they are and I’d end up leaving someone out!
10. What are your goals for 2022?
Lisbrogan Gold: We’re covering her this spring to Tyson and all going well, this combination will be aimed at the eventing section of the RDS Breeders’ Championship in 2023. We aim to show her in the stinted mare class at the RDS this year and you never know, she might make an appearance in the ridden mare class with Philippa Scott.
Lisbrogan Tigerbillie: She is now co-owned with Billy Moran, who owns her sire Tiger Attack, and ourselves. She’ll compete in the UK this season and the goal is to qualify her for the Price Family championship (formerly the Cuddy championship) at HOYS.
We’re really looking forward to this as I was with Billy the year he won the Cuddy championship with Dolce Vita and her Tiger Attack foal.
I was over staying with Billy and Joanne and it was a long drive, especially after the win, as Billy sang Tina Turner songs the entire return drive to Durham, laughing. The following year, we used Tiger Attack with this championship in mind.
Bohola Nightingale: A two-year-old filly, bred by our friend Fran Kelly, she’s by the Hand In Glove sire Treffry and out of a Garrison Royal mare. She’s from a five-star dam line, including My Royal Touch and the four-star mare Azure, competed by Elizabeth Power and now with Phillip Dutton. I think a lot of this filly.
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