If you go to the Ploughing this year and you want to take a break from trawling through the trade stands, I’d recommend a trip out to the ploughing fields. At the heart of the National Ploughing Championships is, naturally, the ploughing competitions themselves, but the people competing with the horse and plough is something you don’t see every day and well worth a visit – away from the hustle and bustle.
Taking part in the under-40 horse plough class this year on Tuesday 16 September is Caroline O’Driscoll from Kilbrittain in Co Cork. Relatively new to the sport, Caroline and two fellow pony club mums Claire O’Rourke from Timoleague and Séad Ní Mhaoilmhia from Kinsale decided just last Christmas that they wanted to compete at the Ploughing.
Claire is going in the senior horse class and Séad in the special horse class with horses.
They will be using two bay cobs Larry and Jeff, belonging to JJ Delaney, who helped Caroline and crew to learn their trade and qualify for the National Ploughing Championships.
“The three of us got together... with a lot of help from JJ and a lot of practice.
“We’ve been at it since March or April, learning the ropes. It’s really physical, but we all had worked with horses before, so that part was easy.
The cobs are owned by JJ Delaney from Macroom, Co Cork.
Involved
“I think it’s great to be able to do it, especially as women and horse ploughing is a dying trade, so it’s nice to get involved,” she said.
Caroline said that for the last couple of weeks, they have been out practicing basically every evening.
“We have great craic and the kids are all running around as well, it’s like a creche. We met through the local pony club, the three of us and we decided on a Christmas night out that we’d give horse ploughing a go. And here we are.”
Caroline said that is has been hard to get suitable conditions to plough with the ground being so hard. This, she said, is hard on the horses and them.
“We still have a lot to learn but we’re going to give it a good rattle.
“Hopefully everything goes right for us after all the time we put into practicing. We’re definitely the underdog,” she said.
If you go to the Ploughing this year and you want to take a break from trawling through the trade stands, I’d recommend a trip out to the ploughing fields. At the heart of the National Ploughing Championships is, naturally, the ploughing competitions themselves, but the people competing with the horse and plough is something you don’t see every day and well worth a visit – away from the hustle and bustle.
Taking part in the under-40 horse plough class this year on Tuesday 16 September is Caroline O’Driscoll from Kilbrittain in Co Cork. Relatively new to the sport, Caroline and two fellow pony club mums Claire O’Rourke from Timoleague and Séad Ní Mhaoilmhia from Kinsale decided just last Christmas that they wanted to compete at the Ploughing.
Claire is going in the senior horse class and Séad in the special horse class with horses.
They will be using two bay cobs Larry and Jeff, belonging to JJ Delaney, who helped Caroline and crew to learn their trade and qualify for the National Ploughing Championships.
“The three of us got together... with a lot of help from JJ and a lot of practice.
“We’ve been at it since March or April, learning the ropes. It’s really physical, but we all had worked with horses before, so that part was easy.
The cobs are owned by JJ Delaney from Macroom, Co Cork.
Involved
“I think it’s great to be able to do it, especially as women and horse ploughing is a dying trade, so it’s nice to get involved,” she said.
Caroline said that for the last couple of weeks, they have been out practicing basically every evening.
“We have great craic and the kids are all running around as well, it’s like a creche. We met through the local pony club, the three of us and we decided on a Christmas night out that we’d give horse ploughing a go. And here we are.”
Caroline said that is has been hard to get suitable conditions to plough with the ground being so hard. This, she said, is hard on the horses and them.
“We still have a lot to learn but we’re going to give it a good rattle.
“Hopefully everything goes right for us after all the time we put into practicing. We’re definitely the underdog,” she said.
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