BERT House Stud changed hands late last year. Previously owned by Maurice Phelan, the 58-acre stud on the edge of Athy, Co Kildare, was bought by Richard Young, who is already offering foaling, boarding and livery services at the farm.

Richard lives with his wife Ciara and their two daughters, Naomi and Ruby, in Naul in North Co Dublin. He established Forte Healthcare in 2002 and the company is now a leading animal healthcare business with a global network.

Having show jumped in his youth, and kept an interest in broodmares, Richard launched ArkEquine in 2021, an efficacy-based and scientifically-backed manufacturer and distributor of equine products.

This week I visited Richard at Bert House and asked him about his plans for ArkEquine and Bert House Stud.

Q: How did you get involved with horses?

RY: I’m originally from Rathfarnham with no background in horses at all. At 12 I was sent, with a pal, to a local riding school to keep us out of mischief! It just clicked and journey with horses began.

I was good at show jumping and, at 21, I was offered a place in Eddie Macken’s yard when Boomerang was there. I loved it but I couldn’t do it forever.

Q: When did you get into the animal healthcare business?

RY: I worked in the motor trade for a very short time and then I was approached by a friend in England who asked if I would be interested in distributing veterinary products in Ireland.

We set up our first company in 1985 and that was the beginning of it all. We did supplements to start with, distributing veterinary drugs or whatever. We sold that company at the end of the 1990s and enjoyed some garden leave for a couple of years.

In 2002 we set up Forte Healthcare, a veterinary pharmaceutical company based in the CityNorth Business Campus at Stamullen, Co Meath. Our big break came when we were one of the first companies in the world to genericise a vaccine for rotavirus in cows and heifers.

Forte is only involved with developing supplying medicines to veterinary surgeons. However, the drive to reduce the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals was gathering pace. So, seven years ago we bought Ark Animalcare in Newbridge and that gave us a vehicle to develop products which are not pharmaceuticals but are evidence-based.

Then in 2021, we established Ark Equine. Initially it distributed Derbymed products from Germany and Acme products from Italy. Both DerbyMed and Acme had similar backgrounds to ours having been established by veterinary companies too. We now develop and manufacture our own products where gaps and needs are evident. Recently we have established two unique partnerships firstly with VetTrue, an under-tail temperature monitor from New Zealand and Aquatabs, an Irish water purification system and offer on-site water testing and analysis.

Q: How many people does the group currently employ?

A: We have 50 people across seven companies and I’d say we will be up to 75 in two years’ time. Equine health represents about 20% of our business. Kirsty McCann is the real driving force behind ArkEquine and she is doing a great job. We’re exporting to the Middle East, Japan, Libya, and now Enterprise Ireland is opening doors for us in the United States and other markets.

Q: Why is ArkEquine different to other equine nutrition companies?

We are not a vitamin supplement company, that’s not us at all. We are about solutions for horses with veterinary development and proven efficacy.

What is hugely important to me is being able to improve the way animals are treated in both Forte and ArkEquine.

We have an exciting new launch at the Dublin Horse Show this year.

Q: Why is an animal health company distributing a water purification system and temperature monitor?

RY: Water is the largest nutrient that a horse will consume daily but very few have ever looked at water quality in significant detail.

We were approached by a company called Aquatabs who purify water for human consumption in places like Bangladesh. We’ve put that system into Punchestown Racecourse and a significant number of training yards and breeding establishments throughout the country. We are ensuring that a consistent level of safe drinking water is available 365 days a year regardless of the pathogenic load coming from the water source.

The VetTrue temperature monitor is fixed to the underside of a horse’s tail and it continuously records the horse’s temperature at five-minute intervals and sends that information to an app on your phone. It’s ideal if you are transporting horses or in a veterinary hospital. In the instance of horses travelling, the team receiving the horse at destination will be able to review the data and see any spikes in temperature and be able to treat accordingly. Under current FEI regulations temperature monitoring prior to an event is mandatory and the VetTrue system is suitable for this.

‘We’re putting something back into the industry’

Q: How did you come to buy Bert House Stud?

RY: I’d known Maurice Phelan for 35 years. I brought mares here to be covered when he stood the like of John French, Broken Hearted and City Honours.

My wife Ciara and I actually went on one of our first dates here, so when the place came up for sale it just felt serendipitous. We had the deal done very quickly.

This is no vanity project, it’s a business, but it does allow us to close a lot of circles.

Forte is selling to the veterinary sector and now Bert House is giving business to the local veterinary practice led by Don Collins and his team at Phoenix Equine.

We’re supporting stallion farms, sales companies, all the industry suppliers. We’re putting something back into the industry which has been very good for us.

ArkEquine is doing the same, through sponsorships at racecourses and by having brand ambassadors in racing, show jumping, dressage, eventing and showing. I strongly believe in the old phrase ‘you reap what you sow’, and that good deeds come back to you.

Q: So what are your plans for the stud?

RY: We only took possession in December and immediately set about making some improvements and we took in our first mares for boarding and foaling in March. We’ve foaled 16 mares from a standing start and appreciate all those owners who trusted us with their mares in year one.

Joe Hanly does all the foaling, ably assisted by Bronagh Boardman and Jane Hobson has just moved into one of the apartments and is a real asset to have on-site.

The plan is to have at least 10 foaling units, all with 24-hour camera and alarm monitoring. We can board mares full-time, or they can come here just to foal. We have 58 acres and 58 boxes and the maternity unit will be a nice basis for us. However, with lots of grass at this time of year we now have some racehorses taking a break from training.

The paddocks have all been re-fenced specifically for mares and foals and we have just built an all-weather turnout area.

We’re putting in a lunge ring so we can do sales prep too for foals and yearlings. Maurice had put in a two-furlong sand gallop which we keep well-maintained and will even use that for breeze-up prep in the future.

The aim is to be able to provide a full range of services for horse owners, thoroughbred or sport horse. We have a couple of mares here just being prepared for embryo transfer, bringing me back to the beginning of my journey with sport-horses.

From start to finish, we can do it, but only because we have the expertise in the group.

ArkEquine is successful only because of the people we have and Bert House Stud is the same. We make good decisions quickly. I trust the team and look forward to the next couple of years to see how it all evolves.