Wexford schoolteacher Jim Kavanagh carries on the horse breeding tradition started by his father Ned 50 years ago. He is married to Mary and together they have four children.

“I’m producing the sixth generation of traditional breeding, started by my late father Ned in the early 1960s. He sold many horses to Max Hauri, the renowned Swiss dealer, over the years. His thing was going to west Clare and literally bringing home a load of untouched three-year-olds loose in the lorry.

“We’d even have them entered for Dublin before they were handled and if you could sell one good one that would buy the next load. Ned had huge affection for Clare bloodlines, like Coevers and Jab, I remember winning at Dublin with a mare by Jab. I suppose if you think back to what Robert Splaine said about Irish mares going to the creamery in the past, they were performance tested in their own way in west Clare.

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“There were a lot of Italian customers in Dublin around then. When you think of Ambassador coming from the southeast, he was a great advertisement for the Irish horse in Italy. Max was selling horses to Italy, Switzerland and Belgium and it’s ironic that some Irish mares became the foundation broodmares in other countries.

“Max bought horses from Ned two or three times a year. He and Seamus Hughes would arrive in the yard. Max was the main international dealer around here and you’d also have Steve Hadley, who Noel Roche brought around the Wexford farmers’ yards.

“Sylvia Hofstetter has also been a regular visitor to Ireland for the past 30 years and was introduced to Ireland by her father Jack, who made frequent visits to Ireland with Max. His friendship with Seamus Hughes led to similar friendships between the Hofstetters and international showjumper Marion Hughes and her cousin, Tom Brennan of Millhouse Stud.

“The Hauri connection also led to Sylvia’s friendship with Catherine Dermody Curran from Carlow and subsequent dealings with Catherine’s cousin Donnacha.

Spruce meadows

“After the RDS, Sylvia bought Metalbridge Liath, by Uskerty Sweet Lad, the runner-up in the Small Event Horse championship, on Jack’s behalf for his granddaughter Zara. Sylvia is a huge fan of Master Imp breeding and has bought three progeny of Lomond Imp, bred by my uncle Owen Conway in Mullinavat. The irony is that Lomond Imp was turned down at the Horse Board mare inspections. I haven’t shown a mare since at inspections.

“Lomond Imp’s six-year-old HS Victoria, by Castlecomer Q, is competed by national Grand Prix rider Darryl Walker and both she and Metalbridge Liath are having a winter break here before Liath goes to Switzerland in March.

“Another customer was Lee Kruger, who Maureen O’Dwyer first brought here. Lee, at that stage in the ‘noughties’, was looking for American hunter types and we sold and sourced a number of horses for her. She then concentrated on show jumping and of course later owned MHS Going Global with Greg Broderick.

“Lee invited me over to Spruce Meadows in 2004, it made the Dublin Horse Show seem like a gymkhana with the number of arenas. It opened up my eyes to the amateur market for 1.10m/1.20m horses.

“I went to the London Olympics and looking at the event horses on cross-country day, I thought ‘I could breed one of those’ but being very realistic, I don’t think I could breed an Olympic show jumper, no matter how many generations you built up. Many of those top horses are freaks of nature anyhow.”

“I would have a great chance of breeding a good event horse and watching the likes of High Kingdom and Master Crusoe at London reaffirmed my belief in Master Imp on the world stage.

“I’m a member of the Traditional Irish Horse Association and love traditional bloodlines. I think the reason the likes of Sylvia keep returning is the Irish horses, if they want German horses, they’re right there on their doorstep.

“Since the World Equestrian Games there’s been a lot of very interesting discussion about the amount of thoroughbred in the modern event horse. If we could keep on the old thoroughbred lines, that is the basis for breeding for that market. I think some people think traditional means more a hunter type.

“For me, traditional breeding for the eventing market is through the judicious use of thoroughbred blood. “

Traditional bloodlines

“I’m currently breeding from four half-bred mares, all with Clover Hill/King of Diamonds bloodlines. Max Hauri was crazy about the King of Diamonds line. Several mares go back to Forest Fern, by Wilton House, and her daughter Forest Clover, by Clover Hill.

“We started going to Philip Heenan after Ned first began to notice the Clover Hills when he’d see Willie McDonnell’s three-year-old winners making good prices in Goresbridge. He canvassed local farmers too with the late Michael Donohoe to support the Goresbridge Sales when the family was setting it up.

“Nowadays usually breed the mares to the show and young event horse stallions Emperor Augustus and Nigrasine in Tara Hill Stud. You’re producing a lovely, traditional show type for the English market. I sold an Emperor Augustus out of Forest Clover for €8,500 at Monart last year and have his yearling full brother.

“Ned often said ‘You go as much to the man as to the horse’ and at the time it made no sense but now I get it. You were dealing with straight people, hence why you go to the Noctors, Hattons, Walter Kent, Jack Kearns, Norman Kearney and Philip Heenan, to mention a few”.

Career

“I didn’t go into farming or horses full-time because it wouldn’t be viable. I teach in CBS New Ross and my passion for horses has helped develop a unique equestrian studies module for Transition Year students.

“Forty-five of them went to the Thyestes Chase meeting in Gowran recently. We’ve done a day in Goresbridge, visits to Coolmore and Ballydoyle – I was just a year ahead of our local hero Aidan O’Brien in school – and I’ve brought my hunter into the school carpark so they’d learn about handling horses.

“The Wexford Hunt territory is a great training for the young horses I bring on. I was doing the commentary at the hunt’s point-to-point yesterday in Ballinaboola and it was great to see our huntsman Johnny Howard win the members race.

“A lot of the talk was about Envoi Allen who won his third bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival in Leopardstown the day before. He won the maiden at Ballinaboola last year before being sold for £400,000.

“I’m after making my first foray into thoroughbred breeding and bought a mare by Soldier Of Fortune, that’s won four flat races. Eamon, my brother who works in Ballydoyle, is encouraging me to use Wings Of Eagles this year.

“Mary and I have four children; Kate (7), Niamh (5) and then the twins Edward and Eanna (four). They’re already into ponies and looking through the classifieds at horse lorries with a living area, so I can look forward to years ahead with the Wexford Pony Club and shows.”