When the first Stud Book was compiled in 1923 it included a mare named Bunowen Beauty, a grey filly, foaled exactly 101 years ago in 1917.

She was owned by John Sweeney from Bunowen and was the foundation mare of a bloodline that produced many successful mares down through the decades such as Keehaun Lassie, by Keehaun Laddie (Innishgoill Laddie-Golden Gleam) and Trixie (Rebel Wind-Keehaun Lassie).

From a covering with the iconic Abbeyleix Owen she produced the mare Brown Lady, a three-time Clifden winner and dam of stallions Dunloughan Scot (by Garryhinch Prince), Dunloughan Lad (by Abbeyleix Fionn) and Gunsmoke (by Smokey Duncan).

ADVERTISEMENT

Brown Lady also foaled a full-sister in 1990, the much loved mare Bay Lass by Garryhinch Prince (Abbeyleix Fionn-Kilbracken Queen) and subsequently when she was covered by Currachmore Cashel it further improved the breed with her stallion son Dunloughan Troy who was the first embryo transfer winner at Clifden in 2010.

The dam line followed through as Dunloughan Lad sired Cloneenagh Lass, dam of Cul Ban Mistress who was bred by Barry Connaire from Athenry.

TOP PARTNERSHIPS

Team gold medal and individual silver medal winners Kate Derwin and Cul Ban Mistress (Credit: Helen Revington/Focus On Horses)

Clive Swindell bought his first Connemara pony six years ago, now he is a household name in the Connemara pony world as a successful breeder, businessman, and owner of European Silver medal-winner Cul Ban Mistress.

Swindell bought Cul Ban Mistress as a four-year-old from Jim Nagle at Claremorris Equestrian Centre. Initially she was entered into the October sales at Clifden when Nagle bought her, Swindell was attracted by her breeding and a super springy jump that day.

Since then she has been lucky to have the cream of Irish pony riders on her back, most notably Mikey Pender and Kate Derwin, who have both excelled at home and on the international scene.

As a six-year-old the then rider Mikey Pender blazed a trail of successes in Europe winning several major competitions.

In April 2015 Pender and Cul Ban Mistress had three back-to-back wins including the Grand Prix for seven-year-olds in Fontainebleau, which to this day is still unbeaten at this venue. With five wins from five starts and a clear in a Nations Cup, Cul Ban Mistress was presented with the Connemara Pony Breeders Society (CPBS) Performance Pony of 2015 award.

Kate Derwin from Athlone took over the reins in late 2016 and was very excited at teaming up with Cul Ban Mistress.

Their first big success was at Chevenez Switzerland, winning a speed class and picking up a second place the following day. They finished 2016 with a sixth place at the Pony World Cup in Mechelen, Belgium.

A YEAR TO REMEMBER

A Happy day at the 2017 European Championships in Hungry (l-r) Dennis Flannery (trainer) Anne Derwin, Francis Derwin jr., Kate Derwin on Cul Ban Mistress after winning a silver medal, Carol Gee, Conor Swindell and Clive Swindell (owner)

Kicking off 2017 with a win in the 1.30m Fontainebleau Qualifier at Cavan Equestrian, the result was to help the combination earn a place on the Nations Cup team for Fontainebleau. This was to be a great show, with Cul Ban Mistress winning her first class, a speed round, followed by a clear round in the Nations Cup to help the Irish team finish second.

The final day was outstanding as Cul Ban Mistress won the big Grand Prix and in her owner’s words: “It was edge of the seat stuff to watch and one of the best wins of her career.”

Next was a European trial at Barnadown where a first-place finish earned them a spot at Opglabbeek in Belgium, the next stage of qualifying.

Again Derwin and Cul Ban Mistress produced a super weekend of jumping by being the only combination to jump two clear rounds, helping Ireland take silver on Nations Cup day.

By winning a second major Grand Prix on the final day it was the result that earned Cul Ban Mistress and Derwin a place on the Irish pony team at the European Championships in Kapsovar Hungary last July.

PRIDE OF IRELAND

The pair became the pride of Ireland when jumping two clear rounds in the Nations Cup. Cul Ban Mistress was the anchor pony and did not disappoint.

She and her rider helped the Irish team finish on just four faults to claim the gold medal for Garry Marshall’s team of Wexford’s Harry Allen (Cassandra van het Roelhof), Cork’s Abbie Sweetnam (Dynamite Spartacus (ISH), Mayo’s Ciaran Nallon (Rextor d’Or), and Kate Derwin (Cul Ban Mistress (CP).

Derwin and Cul Ban Mistress didn’t stop there. They went on to win silver in the individual show jumping and also won the Grand Prix on the Sunday with a time that was untouchable. Swindell says: “My greatest ambition is to win the gold medal in Europe. We came so close this year but she did us proud. It was an epic moment watching Mistress that day.”

BREEDING PLAN

The highly successful stallion Silver Shadow and sire of Cul Ban Mistress taking a walk with Kevin Bolger on Ballyconneely strand in 2006 (Credit: Ruth Rogers)

One of the main reasons Swindell bought Cul Ban Mistress (Silver Shadow-Cloneenagh Lass) was to buy a mare with a top performance pedigree with the aim of producing her as a competition pony to later breed from.

Due to the availability of embryo transfer, Swindell has already bred a colt from Cul Ban Mistress, Tullaree Chieftain, now a yearling, sired by Banagher De Bregeon (currently ridden by Killian Murphy) and a stallion by Poetic Justice (which Swindell bought from Eugenie Carpentier from Normandy in France).

The plan is to keep Tullaree Chieftain as a stallion and make him available to breeders at Sean Lydon’s Watervalley Stud in Ballinasloe.

Swindell has two other stallions at Watervalley, the homebred Tullaree Tomahawk by Dexter Leam Pondi and Glencroft Go for Gold a full-brother to Blackwoodland Rock (I Love you Melody-Grey Rock Trish) who was purchased from Niall O’Neill.

Both stallions are currently under saddle, ridden by James Connors-Smyth.

The careful planning and expertise that formulated these two pedigrees has paid off between Silver Shadow (Cloonisle Cashel-Poetic Moonlight), owned by Liam Diamond and Philip McManus, who has proven himself as a top international sire of jumpers and was enriched by Eamonn Burkes iconic stallion Cloonisle Cashel and a double cross of Abbeyleix Owen on the top line.

MISTRESS’ FILLY

Cul Ban Mistress' filly foal, Tularee Diva, pictured with her surrogate dam, by Ice and Fire d Albran was born just three weeks before Cul Ban Mistress won the silver medal in Hungary

Through the availability of frozen semen from top performance genetics and a massive thanks to Larry Dunne from Ballyvourney Veterinary in Wicklow for making this happen, Swindell has also bred a yearling filly out of Cul Ban Mistress. The filly was foaled to a surrogate dam just three weeks before Cul Ban Mistress won the silver medal in Hungary.

Sired by Ice and Fire d Albran (Dexter Leam Pondi-Underline of Laps), a top international show jumper from France who was recently bought by Liam Diamond from Emmanuelle D’Albran. The filly, now named, Tullaree Diva is a very exciting prospect as both sides are very complimentary of each other’s abilities.

Born to a surrogate dam, Tullaree Diva was described as a very athletic foal for a full-bred Connemara and plans are to also do embryo transfer with her in future years.

“It is a very intense process lining recipient mares up to tandem cycle with the donor mares,” says Swindell.

THE FUTURE

As Kate Derwin has now ended her career in ponies, Francis Derwin Jr. is the new rider for Cul Ban Mistress. Swindell is excited about the prospect for this combination in their quest for gold.

He also has a host of other Connemara ponies including Burning Wind by Burning Daylight, and Glencroft Elena a full-sister to Blackwoodland Rock who will both be ridden by the promising young rider Leah Stack from Clare. Swindell says: “I am so lucky to have a very good team and Sheena Boran does a great job getting the young mares ready in the early stages of their jumping career.” Roll on 2018.