Showing

Wixted focused on farming and showing

Conor Wixted talks about his experience in the showing world and where he hopes to go in the future.

Wed 3 October 2018 12:00 AM

Wed 3 October 2018 9:00 PM

Conor Wixted with Rockon Foxey at the HSI young handlers final at the recent National Ploughing championships. \ Susan Finnerty

Conor Wixted (right) with other arena party members Brendan Doyle and Sarah Jane Camon at the HSI mare inspections at Creagh EC in April. Photo Susan Finnerty

My own interest in farming and love of horses stemmed from growing up surrounded by animals on our home farm in Co Clare, where as a curious three-year-old, I had a pony called Taxi. John, my father, then bought Paulank Windstorm for my sister Aisling and me.

He was a 12-hand show hunter and pony of a lifetime, it was Windstorm that sparked my real interest in showing. He was the overall IPS and Welsh Pony of the Year in 2004 and won many classes and supreme championships.

I then climbed up through the ranks with Holyvale Citation and the grey 143cms working hunter, Brian Boru. He gave me the opportunity to go to the 2012 BSPS summer championships and afterwards in his new English home, was placed at the Royal International and HOYS on numerous occasions.

Then I bought a young mare Hangonaminute, by Bahrain Cruise. She was successful as a small hunter in her short showing career before we sadly lost her after an accident in the field.

While I’d love to be at the horses full-time, my parents always encouraged the importance of getting a good education. After weighing up my options I decided agribusiness was the route I was going to take.

I was accepted on to the Rural Enterprise and Agribusiness programme, run between Mountbellew Agricultural College and GMIT. This course has given me many opportunities which include work experience with Teagasc.

I worked in their Kilrush advisory office and then in Athenry, on the ‘Farming and Country Life 1916 Centenary event.’ This relevant experience allowed me to develop some excellent contacts and relationships within the agri-sector.

EXPERIENCE

Then I was asked to work with the arena party at the Horse Sport Ireland inspections. This opportunity has really broadened by knowledge of conformation and movement, I’ve gained great experience and learned from very influential people.

In 2015, I was lucky enough to start farming in my own right, I am contract rearing dairy heifers and I also keep some breeding ewes. This takes a good bit of my spare time, although I get great help from my parents Helen and John and sister Aisling, who are also farming.

During college, I spent some time working for cob producer Bill Bourns. Working with Bill was great, we had some great laughs but at the same time I was learning loads. One horse that sticks out during my time there was Mr Bear, a bay cob who was spotted and bought by Scottish-based producer Kirstine Douglas for owner Morean Hamilton.

This sale sparked the idea of me spending a summer with Kirstine, another great experience. We travelled up and down the country to some of the biggest shows and I found the standard over there really is another level!

I returned to complete the final year of my degree. This took quite a bit of my time so I didn’t get a chance to compete too much this year.

Instead I helped Aisling with her intermediate RockonFoxey and I qualified for the Horse Sport Ireland young handler series at the National Ploughing Championship after placing second in the Roscommon Show qualifier.

This summer I also judged for the first time at Longford Agricultural Show, something I really enjoyed and I hope to do a lot more of in the future.

ADVICE

I think the vibrancy of Irish shows has picked up again over the last year or two.

It is important for people who go into the show ring to remember that at the end of the day it is only one person’s opinion on that day.

It is not the be-all and end-all and I think some people tend to forget this. If you persist and work hard enough at anything, the results will sort themselves.

I am also heavily involved with the Teagasc young breeder’s programme.

I’d really encourage a lot more young breeders to get involved in. The programme gives young people the chance to visit some of the top Irish producers and to engage both with each other and professionals in the industry.

It also gave me the chance to lead GCS Ita, the O.B.O.S Quality mare that won the Broodmare Futurity final at Dublin.

I’m weighing up my options in terms of pursuing a Masters next September and looking carefully at some programmes in the hope of making the right decision.

Currently I’m working with Enda Bolger, “King of the Banks” which I am really enjoying.

When you start in the morning you never know what’s in store for the day; you could be jumping banks, hacking for miles around Athlacca or flying down the gallops.

Conor Wixted was in conversation with Susan Finnerty.