Of all the equestrian journalists I have encountered over the past 60 years both at home and abroad, none can compare with Nicholas O’Hare in terms of output and contribution to the equine sector. Whether in his weekly columns, annuals or his many published books, he has produced wise words that are both pointed and pertinent.

While he lauded what was best in this ever-changing equestrian forum, he never shied away from critical comment on the workings of those who control the industry. He has been both a breeder and competitor himself – a fact that made his commentary all the more authentic and lively. But most of all, one has to marvel at the prodigious amount of writing he has done during his long career. At his retirement, it is time to just plain congratulate the usually shy-of-praise Nicholas.

One time O’Hare said to me: “I will write 20 books before I finish.”

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He had eight in print at that point and I questioned whether he would accomplish his goal. But he has done that and more, with volumes that range from stallion profiles, to breed commentary and even novels. He did a superb profile of the stallion King of Diamonds. He followed this with a unique glimpse into the quiet world of Philip Heenan and his sire Clover Hill. But that was only the beginning. Thereafter followed publications with titles including, The Modern Irish Draught, The Irish Sport Horse, The Modern Connemara, Pillars of Breeding, Thoroughbred and Irish Sport Horse Breeding, Champions on Horseback and Coloured Horses in Ireland.

In one of his 1983 The Irish Field articles Nicholas wrote: “Despite us having too many stallions for too few mares, breeders are continually looking for new blood.” He too looked toward what was new when producing an enlightening book on Warmbloods in Ireland. But he also moved beyond the factual to the fictional with novels entitled Irish Agent, Spy in Dublin,The Ballylally Races, The Boyle Inheritance and more.

As I mentioned, he wrote in the Irish Horse World section of the The Irish Field, right from the time that it was initiated by Avril Douglas in the 1970s. Also important in Nicholas’s legacy are the numerous annuals that he produced, such as The Irish Horse Yearbook, Irish Showjumping Annual, Irish Horse and Pony Annual, One Hundred Irish Horses and the 1985, All About Irish Horses. These were all edited from Farmstock Press.

But Nicholas did not just write, he bred Connemara/Thoroughbred crosses and competed as well. Typical of him he chooses the most difficult of driving classes as he drove his Connemaras in tandem to a gig.

Congratulations Nicholas well done!