Green gold

Why do so many good hunters come from Ireland?

- Carl Evans

TURN up to any day’s hunting in Britain and you will find Irish-bred horses among the field – it is almost a badge of ownership to own a “Murphy” or “Paddy”, be they cob, Connemara, Irish Draught or part-thoroughbred.

Of course, there are many good British-bred hunters, but it can’t be a coincidence that time and again in Horse & Hound’s “Hunter of a Lifetime” feature, the subject has travelled across the Irish Sea. Dealers love them, as do hard-riding thrusters, but a good Irish horse is usually just as happy patiently following the non-jumping field master. Knickers in twists is rarely part of their profile and the Irish hunter takes some beating. It is no different in the world of horse racing.

Asked for reasons why Irish horses make such good hunters, Scarteen joint-master Chris Ryan says: “We have some tremendous mares. That and because of the early education they receive crossing banks and ditches, and that they are raised on great limestone land for the most part.”

Producer and dealer Eamonn Gleeson, like Ryan a native of Co Limerick, helped create the Traditional Irish Horse Association’s Show and Go event, a marketplace that connects vendors with buyers.

“There are so many breeders and producers in Ireland, which helps make the marketplace here very appealing to British buyers,” he says. “As someone who sells horses, I can’t afford to have them coming back. Mentally they are good and once they’ve learnt the game, they can do so many jobs, either patient safety or upfront.”