ANYONE who met Seán Maher has a story about the Roscrea breeder. Murphys Law, having called to his farm at Golden Grove while scouting for a potential lead rein pony, the one that caught my eye turned out not to be for sale.

“I can’t sell that pony [Goldengrove Zara], she belongs to my granddaughter who’s over in America for the summer. I couldn’t sell her pony while she’s away.” Which of his granddaughters was this?

“That was me! Sarah never did the J1 as she never wanted to miss a summer showing,” said Claire Scott who, along with sister Sarah, now carries on the tradition of breeding Goldengrove ponies.

A J1 summer is a rite of passage for many Irish students and for Claire, who juggled four jobs in Hyannis Port, working a 70-80 hour week was another trait of the Maher work ethic.

“We had a great time there, did the obligatory trip to New York City but didn’t get to brush shoulders with the Kennedys!” she said with a smile about the Irish-American clan who spend their summers in the small Massachusetts village.

Growing up, the pair were regular features in their grandfather’s yard, on the outskirts of Roscrea town.

“He just had a love for ponies and passed it on. The whole evenings and summers were taken up going round the yard after him. They were just special grandparents to have,” Claire added about Seán and Peggy Maher, whose family of five included Eugene, whose son David now owns Roscrea Equestrian Centre, and Claire and Sarah’s mother Anne [Delaney].

“Like Eugene’s story, we were always busy helping to break in and produce ponies, then sell them on. We nearly always had the greenest ponies at Pony Club!”

One pony they both have fond memories of was Clonan Sunshine. She was bred in Roscrea by Catriona Meagher, who bought Sunshine’s dam from Seán. Like so many of the Golden Grove herd, ‘Judy’s’ breeding went back to Gus Keane’s famous pair of Jackets Goldfinch and Kiltinan Charles. Clonan Sunshine was successfully shown in-hand by Claire and later won at Dublin with Sarah in the saddle.

Then outgrown, she was sold through a Horse & Hound advertisement to Scottish lady Pat Melville-Evans, who also owned event horses competed by Caroline Powell. “I took the phone call from Pat and she said that the photo of Judy in the advert reminded her of a pony they already had, Goldengrove King. It turned out he was a full-brother to Clonan Sunshine.”

Both Roscrea-breds were competed by Pat’s son William, who brought Goldengrove King with him to boarding school at Prince Charles’s alma mater: Gordonstoun. Renamed Goldengrove Sunshine by then, Judy competed successfully in show jumping with both William and Holly Haig, with whom she competed on the Scottish team at the Cavan pony championships.

Later on, with William now competing on the same polo team as Prince William and Prince Harry, she returned home to Pat and produced several foals, including one polo pony prospect.

“We went over to meet the family, a great experience and they are just great people,” said Claire, highlighting one of their many friendships made through the pony world.

Niche market

Another early favourite was Goldengrove Petals. Bred by Amanda Cayley at Coolmore House in Kilkenny, Petals’ sire Ceulan Lord Luke is a fitting reminder that the Welsh pony community recently lost noted author and breeder Dr Wynne Davies of Ceulan Stud.

‘Goldie’, Petals stable name, bred numerous foals that went on to be successful in various spheres in America, Sweden and the UK.

While the Goldengrove team have bred winners at Balmoral, the BSPS championships, Dublin, Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), Ponies UK, Royal Highland and Royal Welsh shows, Claire and Sarah are delighted to see the Goldengrove ponies appear in The Irish Field results pages on a regular basis in many job roles.

“In the same week as Eugene’s article, there were three of our ponies in the dressage, combined training and show jumping results at Raheen na Gun and Banner Equestrian Centre, then you had Morse Code jumping in the interschools show jumping at Killossery, all doing their thing.

“They don’t all have to be HOYS winners, it’s just so great to see them out there with their little riders.”

The German export Goldengrove Simon is their best known performance pony, having won the European Youth Eventing Masters in Poland in 2020 and notched up another team appearance at the European pony eventing championships this summer.

It was their brother Denis, who breeds horses under the Rossdarragh prefix, who suggested covering the Holyoake Czar mare Goldengrove Tamara with the Irish Sport Horse stallion Ballysimon, a half-brother to the veteran campaigner Da Zara Newport Clover.

Tamara’s brother - Goldengrove Gingerbreadman – had competed at international level with Nicola Ennis and Andrea Ryan and made the Irish junior eventing team. He was described by the sisters in their Breeders’ 10 feature last January as “an absolute machine, so we decided to experiment to see if we could produce another eventer from the lines. The cross resulted in Goldengrove Simon.

“He hadn’t the prettiest head and we immediately agreed would never make a show pony! However, he had fantastic limbs, power and a beautiful, willing temperament.”

Broken in by their cousin David, he was sold to Germany through the Kuehnle family of Tullibards Stud. “Simon is in his teens now. That’s the length of time it takes to know you’ve bred one like him. It doesn’t happen overnight,” remarked Claire.

Back to their Breeders’ 10 feature, which incidentally proved highly popular, when the Goldengrove sisters spoke about the pony market. Breeding show ponies is a niche market and, as they themselves describe it as, is often a labour of love.

Another reality is the falling numbers in pony youngstock classes around the country. “You could have 10 entries in each of the in-hand yearling, two-year-old and three-year-old classes. Definitely the numbers have declined since then and Covid hasn’t helped, people went in different directions with few shows to go to.

“What’s been ‘good’ about Covid is the extra time has encouraged people to embrace producing youngstock and not look so much for the made pony. There’s definitely more people that are willing to take the time to produce youngsters again.”

Fourth generation

One such person is Claire’s daughter Annarose. “She’s a massive help, she absolutely loves the ponies and has a really natural way with them. She’s very patient and giving of her time. There’s never enough hours in the day for her, even during lockdown and she’s never bored. One thing I would have loved is if she could have met Seán, they’d have so much in common and so much to talk about. All ponies!”

Annarose with Goldengrove Savannah (Derwent Rainbow Bandit) at the North Tipperary Show at Roscrea Equestrian Centre \ Susan Finnerty

Carrying on the Maher tradition, Annarose’s current project is Goldengrove Miss Markle, a rising four-year-old mare by Holyoake Czar, which she broke and schooled herself and is now for sale.

“She also broke Goldengrove Midas Touch,” added her proud mother about the eye-catching palomino, recently sold as a show hunter pony prospect to Nicola Miller. A full-brother to Aidan Williamson’s prolific winner Goldengrove Temptress, Midas Touch was gelded this year.

A third generation home-bred, he produced two foals this year and with two more mares in foal for 2022, that was his quota before switching careers.

“It didn’t really make sense to keep another stallion. We don’t take outside mares normally as we’re a private stud and busy with our day jobs,” said Claire, a national school teacher.

Was she tempted to have a career with horses instead? “I was very tempted but my mother knew best! I love my job, I teach in a lovely school and was so happy to go back to the classroom, I really did not enjoy teaching online during the lockdowns.

“Children need to be in school, they need the social interaction. There’s a huge amount of junior infant classes for example that have missed out on all that aspect of school life.”

Far from the stereotypical view of teachers having an easy job with summers off, she mentions the other side of the profession. “People forget that teachers are human, it’s a huge responsibility. You don’t just go home at three o’clock, you’re always thinking about your responsibilities.”

For Sarah, there was always one career path: dentistry. “Sarah wanted to be a dentist from when she could walk! She is so passionate about her career and the success of the business. Herself and her husband Will have taken on another dental practice in town.”

Sarah and Isobel Rymer with Ballyloughan Pollyanna at Charleville Show \ Susan Finnerty

Irish main streets have changed as much as the show pony scene over the years and the Rymer’s award-winning Expressions Dental & Cosmetic clinic, also offers treatments such as botox, with Sarah having completed her training for this aspect of their business in Harley Street.

Ringroe

Both pass through part of Tipperary’s equine heritage country, as mentioned by their uncle Eugene, on the morning commute to work. Charlie Swan and Denis Hogan’s yards are on their route, as is Ringroe, where the late Philip Heenan stood a range of stallions and lived with his brothers Denis and Tim.

“We only moved here 15 years ago and our farm is both sides of the road the Heenans pass. We’d regularly meet Tim out walking his greyhounds along the lane and he texts me their results. He calls in every Christmas with a bag of goodies for the children and he’d always remark on Midas, if he’d meet him, as he reminds him of a pony Philip once had.

“Stephen Oakley, their relative, put up our foaling cameras so there’s another link and even today, when people call here for the first time, they’ll say ‘So this is Ringroe where Philip Heenan’s yard and Clover Hill were.’”

The sisters had visited the famous yard, which they described as a ‘rural wonderland’ with Seán. “I remember we’d a cob. My grandfather would do a bit of tillage, grow potatoes and she’d do all those jobs. He’d breed a foal from her every year by Delamain. They were lovely 15-handers and would make lovely small show hunters now.

“We were always on our best behaviour when we went to the yard. I remember the goldfish swimming in the water tank and Philip would show us the different dogs. Like his brothers, he was a very kind man and was all about the ordinary man. He liked down-to-earth people.”

The path to Clover Hill’s door could sometimes be fast-tracked by the right introduction and Seán was responsible for making the introduction between Richard Tolerton, a great customer for horses and ponies in the locality, and Philip.

Seeing Richard and his daughter Margaret at the North Tipperary Show, held at Roscrea Equestrian Centre in August, was the icing on the cake for the Maher family. The Plain Sailing app proved invaluable for organising that show.

“I’m part of the Tipperary Irish Pony Society branch and I can see it makes such an improvement since they started online compared to the old way of running shows, everyone phoning up with entries, even the typing up of details.”

Goldengrove ponies have a habit of returning. Among the ‘boomerang’ ponies was Rathnaleen Dreamcatcher, Claire’s wedding present from another noted pony breeder Michael Grace in nearby Nenagh. Another is the current favourite, Goldengrove Juliet.

“We would always try and keep a line. The favourite pony here has evolved but Juliet is a real character and has been very successful with Annarose. I had sold Juliet as a foal to Orla Whelton, she was shown in-hand, then went on to do pony club with her later owners before she came back here. She’s done everything with Annarose, she’s given her confidence, and they’ve won workers and flat classes. She is just such a personality to have around the place.

“And she’s also a full-sister to Zara, the pony you liked that day when you met Seán.”

Claire Scott and Sarah Rymer’s enthusiasm and passion for breeding ponies, family ponies that excel both in and outside the show ring, together with their cousin David running the local equestrian centre, is a lasting legacy of Seáns. And with the fourth generation of Mahers now in the saddle, it looks well set to continue.

Despite the cancellation of the school’s Christmas concert, Claire is looking forward to the festive season. “I love Christmas, it’s just such a special, magic time when you get to spend more time together.”

Before the next crop of Goldengrove ponies arrive and shows start up again.