I think my story should probably start after a bad fall in my late 20s stopped me doing anything with horses for over 15 years. But, as anyone involved with horses knows, the longing never really goes away and I decided to do something that still kept me involved.

So my husband George and I headed to the 2008 Irish Draught show that we saw advertised in the Irish Farmers Journal. After seeing Simone Hession on her magnificent Irish Draught, ‘Beezies Sue’ perform to music I decided the Irish Draught was the horse for me.

As luck had it, when we sat down to eat some food that day in Mullingar, a wasp pestered me much to the amusement of the two gentlemen sitting behind me. What I didn’t know at the time was the influence those gentlemen, Timmy Sullivan and Tommy McEntee, would have in instilling a huge love of the Irish Draught in me, and the knowledge I’d gain and the people I’d meet through them, especially Timmy.

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They introduced me to Ellen Walton and Sue Benson at the Irish Draught Horse Society (GB) show that September. With some help from Ellen at the Cavan Sales in November, I bought my first foal who turned out to be bred by Eiline Brennan.

With Timmy’s encouragement, I joined the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association (IDHBA) Laois branch the following year and took that yearling filly Stormy Madam to their show. She had different ideas and went off for a trot on her own. After finally catching her, a lady approached and asked was she for sale. She’d been driving in with her husband as our filly was showing herself off along the Stradbally Hall driveway! That was Mary Doyle and the next time I saw Stormy Madam, she was second in the Irish Draught performance class at Dublin. I didn’t realise that day in Stradbally what a fantastic horsewoman Mary Doyle was and is.

Mentor

Timmy and I travelled the country to agricultural shows all over Ireland. He taught me so much about conformation and explained the importance of pedigree, or, as he put it, ‘the background’.

It was Timmy who put me forward for the Laois branch treasurer’s role. That’s how my relationship with David Cosby and Eiline Brennan began.

With Timmy’s guidance, my husband George bought my first mare. By The Bard out of an Uibh Fhaili mare, Meadowland Heather was found at the Wilson family’s Village Stud in Kilkenny.

I sold her first foal Silver Bard to Pat Wafer of Carnew and she was third on her first RDS outing. Heather’s second foal, a colt by the thoroughbred Coroner, topped the first Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) foal sale in Goresbridge.

Buying Heather was the start of a good friendship with the Wilsons. They are such a nice family and so friendly. Tim Wilson Jr is an Irish Draught judge and Timmy Sullivan always wanted to see the shows he judged at and was very pleased with how he judged.

After several years as Laois branch treasurer, I was proposed as national IDHBA treasurer, a role I started under the chairmanship of Paddy Joe Foy and remained in for five years. Part of my role included the national show finances and knowing Una Holohan through the Laois branch, I asked her to help at the Draught show. She joined the show committee and the rest is history. Una and I worked very well together. The national show moved to Punchestown racecourse and has been running there very successfully until of course, like so many agricultural shows all around the country, it had to be cancelled this year due to Covid-19.

We have a fantastic committee and volunteers who help tirelessly year after year. Our sponsors are all so loyal and committed every year. I cannot thank them all enough, so cancelling was a heart-breaking decision.

Top job

I took a step back in 2016 as my eldest son Denis was doing his Leaving Cert and I needed to put more time into our own place. George had gone more into commercial cattle after breeding pedigree Charolais. Denis now has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and David is in his Leaving Cert year.

Out of the blue in early 2019, Damien Kenny, the IDHBA’s then-chair, rang and asked would I consider putting my name forward for national chair. My initial reaction was “Oh God, no!” but he asked me to think about it.

I thought George would be totally against it but he wasn’t. I rang my branch secretary for her opinion and Eiline said she would back me 100% if I put my name forward. So I became chair. I have to say the board of directors have made it easy for me, they’ve all been very supportive and really open to all views and suggestions made at meetings.

Helen Kelly, the national secretariat, also does a wonderful job ensuring the smooth running of the office. As an organisation, we know how important breeding is to our members and in late-February, we organised a traditional Irish stallion show so breeders countrywide could see a large collection of stallions in one place.

It was a huge success but we didn’t know then it would be one of our last outings breeders would get to attend this year.

It’s been hard too for the board’s directors to stay connected to branches. We’ve adapted to our new reality which has been a crash course introduction into the world of technology and Zoom board meetings.

Several branches came up with excellent ways of informing members of what’s happening. The Kildare branch promoted the Irish Draught during National Heritage Week for some years and were very innovative with their 2020 video The Irish Draught – Survivor of History, which can be watched on Facebook and YouTube and received the Kildare County Council heritage award.

Encouraging prices

On Covid-19’s ‘better’ side, breeders are encouraged by a noticeable increase in returns, foal prices are encouraging and there seems to be a considerable demand for Irish Draught horses. Long may this continue.

Eilene Brennan’s banner at the IDHBA stand at the Dublin Horse Show reads: “A horse for all seasons”, and to me the Irish Draught or traditional-cross is also a horse for all generations.

I can think of families across all age categories enjoying breeding, producing and riding traditional Irish horses. I recently bought two colt foals myself; one traditional colt from Paul Newell and the second is an Irish Draught dropped off here by Micheál and Matthew Greene; both families have a great love of breeding traditional-breds and Irish Draughts.

New Venture

The IDHBA has a new venture kicking off this month. ‘IDs Around Ireland’ adheres to Covid-19 restrictions and promotes the pure and part-Draught, while helping local and national charities.

Branch members can take a photo or video of their walk or ride with their Draught, (within the 5km restriction), and send it with a donation to their branch secretaries. Donations will be divided 50/50 between local and national chosen charities.

Any participating member receives a commemorative rosette, there will be spot prizes in different categories and the main sponsor is Horse Sport Ireland. Fingers crossed, it will be a success and we’ll raise money for charities badly hit this year by being unable to organise their usual fundraisers.

Until we can all safely meet to praise and admire (or even give out!) at the ringside again, we will find ways like this of promoting the Irish Draught horse.

Jennifer Haverty was in conversation with Susan Finnerty.