Well, if you would have asked me if I thought
that one day there would be enough content to write a book about my life – I
very likely would have laughed about it. Now looking back on all the years and
adventures, the people I met along the way and of course all the animals and
most of all the horses, all the wonderful horses I was privileged to have had throughout
my life – it surely was a life worth living. To be able to spend my life out in
nature most of the time, with wonderful people and animals around me - I wouldn’t have had it any other way. But
let’s start from the beginning.
I was born May 1st which they said enables you to be friendly and communicate with the “Little People”I as I call the Fairies and Leprechauns, but that’s just beside the point.
Growing up on a small farm
outside the little town of Loughrea in Co Galway with my brothers and sisters I
learned from an early age that one had to work for what we wanted, and nothing
is gained or achieved from sitting around. I had two sisters, Phil and Peggy
and four brothers, Vincent, Jimmy, John and Tony. My parents were hard working
people and while my Father, John, was a very straight and disciplined man with
a great sense of taking care of and providing for his family my Mother,
Margaret, was a very caring and kind-hearted person who taught us to live a
life of Faith and Love and to see something good in everyone and everything.
Both loved the land, each in their own way, it was anything but easy to raise a
family of 9 from a small farm back then. The weather here in the west of
Ireland makes for pretty damp conditions for many months of the year along with
windy and stormy conditions during the winter months. The best chance for
sunshine and dry weather would be between May and September but there is never
a guarantee. Therefore sickness like flu or worse, pneumonia, was easily caught
if one got weak or into poor health. I struggled with a bad cough at some point
when I was very young which was probably what they called whooping cough but I
eventually got over it. Each of us had their jobs to do around the home and
farm, from taking care of the animals, helping around the house, going for
water, fuel the fire or help with any other tasks around the yard and out in
the fields, including picking stones, a lot of stones. Our Father eventually
worked as a Guard besides having the Farm since the farming alone would have not
provided enough means for the whole family to make a living, which meant for us
to take over more duties while he was not around. Our Mother was also helping
with the farming wherever possible besides looking after the house and home
while raising us children. In the few moments of free time she loved to sit
outside the house with a cup of tea, looking over the little farm we called
home and take it all in. Her love for the land and nature I feel was passed on
to me. She was very appreciative and grateful for everything we had and was
very good in passing her wisdom and values onto us. As long as you have faith
anything is possible she would say.
Of course, we also had to
attend the local school for which we headed off walking each morning after
having done our jobs around home. It was a 3-4 mile walk in any kind of
weather, rain or shine, storm, or snow, thank God we usually got not so much of
the latter as our clothes or shoes were surely not made for snowy conditions. The
classroom was a cold and not very welcoming place to be either, even if one was
lucky and a fire was lit in the morning it was almost time to go back home by
the time the place would heat up a little. My siblings seemed to enjoy studying
quite a bit and later in life went on to study for jobs like teaching etc.
while all I can say honestly is that I hated school. The teacher was a very
kind lady and seemingly liked me a lot too, she made every effort to get me
more interested in school and she even had me sitting on her lap trying to help
me with the reading and writing. However, all I was interested in was looking
out the classroom window at the fields on the hill across from it, planning and
wishing to own those fields – which I do today amongst other land, but more
about this at a later stage. Back then I didn’t know that there is a word for
my difficulty to learn all this reading and writing, Dyslexia I now know it is
called, but it surely didn’t stop me and shouldn’t stop anyone from becoming a
successful businessperson and live their dreams.
The advantage of growing
up on the farm was having all the animals around and to learn to handle them in
the best way and starting my own kind of communication with them which was
something I took as natural back then and only realised later in life how this
skill had become a huge part of my success in my business. I was especially
lucky to have a fantastic Pony, Aille Castle.
At the start I didn’t even
have a proper saddle to ride in but stuffed an empty bag with straw which I
would tie onto her. I eventually got an old saddle and started to get more
serious about training her. I took part in jumping competitions and pony races
when the opportunity arose. Of course,
we had to hack all the way to the shows or races and also back home as there
was no other way of transport. In fact, the horses would be the means of
transport, same as for all farming purposes, like pulling the plough or any
other equipment.
This one time I fondly
remember we took part in 3 competitions in one day and won all 3 cups. However
there came this one day I arrived back home after school, not expecting
anything out of the norm and was about to go about my duties when my Father
told us that he had sold the Pony. That was probably the worst day of my life
so far at that stage and I started to cry my eyes out. It was only then my Father realised how impactful his decision was
but at the same time, as straight and correct as a person he was, he could not
step back from the deal he had struck with the buyer.
Trying to rescue the
situation a little the best he could he eventually gave me part of the money he
got from the sale and so I would go off and buy my first own horse named Dan.
My brother Jimmie with Aille Castle and with Dan on the potatoe sprayer
At the time I also started
to make some extra income for myself by helping others bringing in turf from
the bog – even if it meant I had to borrow a donkey to do it, pick stones,
potatoes or bring sheep to the mart. Having Dan I had a lot more opportunities
now to get paid jobs by working in the fields for other farmers too. The most
business I got was from spraying potatoes which was and still is an important
task here in Ireland to prevent potato blight which we are hugely afraid off
here in Ireland given the devastating impact it had on our country before. Back
in the days we would make a mixture of Bluestone (Copper Sulphate) and washing
soda. I went out spraying from early in the morning on weekends and was proud
to be able to contribute to the family income myself. Dan was a great horse for
me in every way, besides working the farm jobs I also took part in some jumping
competitions with him and went out hunting. So at the age of 12 I decided that
I had learned enough of everything school could possibly teach me for my life
ahead and left.
Now I had even more time
to work with Dan and create my own income.
It was one day in late
summer when my Uncle Joe offered me a horse to buy which he had. He said by
putting some work into the horse and after some training I could sell it on
with some profit for sure. I didn’t have enough money put aside at the time but
after a lot of begging my Father agreed to give me the funds I was short. I
rode over to my Uncles place and brought the young horse home leading it beside
Dan and put it in our stable. I spent every free hour I had on working and
training her and brought her out with Dan as well as training her for jumping
and hunting eventually.
I’ll never forget the day
– things were obviously going too well with her – I came towards a hedge which
was considerably wide, all made up of briars between the whitethorn. I figured
I could possibly jump this and decided to give it a go. Admittingly it looked
somewhat discouraging but this only made it all the more interesting to try. I
galloped towards it giving it way too much go and pressure and as you can guess
she pulled the brakes and sent me flying out over the ears into the briars.
It prove more difficult
than I would have ever imagined to climb back out of the briar bushes. Given
the nature of briars having thorns all over I tried to get out of it as quick
as I could, however any move I made towards climbing back out I seemed to sink
in more. The first reaction would be to call for help bur for once there would
have been nobody around to hear it anyway and my pride didn’t allow for this
either. So eventually I made my way out of the bushes bringing with me
scratches and splints of which it would
take a few days until I get them all out again. Surely I did learn a lesson
that day, one of many to come during my life. At least the mare stayed around
grazing and saved me from an even more embarrassing walk home and having to
find her again.
By next spring the horse
was ready for sale and the price I got for her enabled me to buy two new horses
which I would keep and train until they would find their new homes from here. I
kept holding on to this principle of working and training horses alongside my
farming I did with Dan and started to create a nice little business and income
for myself.
I have one memory, strange
enough I still remember it today, when I brought in a huge load of turf for
another man which took me all day and then I brought it all the way to down for
him to sell it. Not only was it hard work but also took a lot of my time and I
ended up never getting paid for it by this man. I’m not someone who carries
grudges but I would remember it and learn from it to avoid getting caught like
this again in the future.
You can imagine the days
were long and still seemed never to have enough hours to fit everything in I
wanted to get done but it was the life I chose and I couldn’t see any other way
I would want to make a living than being out in nature and with animals. Being
inside an office or any other place caught up all day sitting down or focusing
on paperwork was just an impossible
thought for me. As time went on and I had enough funds I started looking at
buying land for myself, which had always been a dream of mine as I loved land
since as long as I could think. With having a certain amount of funds myself
and a very understanding bank manager at the time, who knew me well enough to
know he could trust me I was soon able to fulfil my dream of buying the land
across from the school which I had looked at since I was a little boy sitting
in the classroom.
One time when I was on the
lookout for another horse to buy, I was approached by a man telling me about
this one horse who was supposed to be really talented and good looking but
seemingly next to impossible to train and ride. People tried and failed at it
already and it would be cheap enough to get at this point, if one was able to
handle it. Well, of course I was interested in this horse.
When I went to look at it,
showing as little interest as I possibly could, pointing out how difficult or
even impossible it might prove to get anything done with this horse I got the
price to where I wanted it and made a deal with the owner. Normally at the time
the way of bringing this horse to the home place would have been to tie him to
a carriage or lead him, depending on the distance. However the owner didn’t
want to do anything with the horse and so I done what had proven very helpful
before – I rode over on Dan and brought the horse back home leading alongside.
I had decided my approach
to this horse would be to bring him along during the when working the fields
with Dan. I tied the horse up beside Dan and had him walking along all day and
eventually started to work with him in the evenings when there was no excessive
energy left I would have to fight against.
Weeks went by and I made
slow but steady progress with him. The days started to get shorter again and in
the evenings you could feel the cooler autumn air clearly starting to come in.
One evening it had gotten later than usual and I wanted to get him worked
before dark, so I didn’t waste time to get all the way home with both horses
but started to ride the young horse there and then and let Dan off to walk home
on his own. It wouldn’t have been the first time he would go home by himself,
the lead rope just loose around his neck, he was well used to this. The was no
traffic on the roads back then and animals on the road were the normal picture
you would see.
When I got home myself
with the young horse I left out in a field for the night it was already dark.
Passing the stables I seen Dan’s stable door closed and assumed that somebody
closed it after Dan had arrived home. I went straight into the house as it was
already late and I didn’t want to upset Mum by being late for dinner.
Later on that night, we
were already gone to bed when I woke from a loud, banging noise at the back
door. I run down the stairs and opened the door to find Dan there collapsing
outside the door. I called for help and my brothers came running down the old
wooden stairs as well, causing enough noise to wake the whole house too and we
lit candles to get a better view since it was dark around the back of the house
as the light from inside was not shining onto the area where he was lying. What
revealed itself there was frightening. The lead rope had somehow tightened
around Dan’s neck and strangled him in a very bad way. He must have not came
straight home and got caught somehow somewhere. His head was swollen up and the
veins were all up in his face and around his neck. Meanwhile our sisters and
parents had woken up as well and came to see what was going on. I got a knife
to cut the rope but it was so tight I could not even fit the knife under the
rope, so I had no choice but to carefully start cutting the rope from the
outside towards Dan’s neck.
He didn’t move an inch and
waited for me to help him. As soon as I had it cut and released, which felt to
me like an eternity, he took several deep breath and after a while came back
onto his feet, being unsteady and dizzy at first, he started slowly walking
around in the yard but we could see he got better by the minute and thank God
was back to himself the following morning. I had went out extra early to see
how he was of course as I was barely able to sleep anyway that night.
I was so impressed and
touched by Dan’s cleverness and the trust he had in us to help him and how he
came to the back door looking for help – it was just amazing. Dan was one horse
I kept all his life and retired him here in the fields until he passed away at
over 30 years of age.
Dan in June 1976
The once so difficult
horse I bought had turned into a lovely riding horse after a couple of months
and was ready to be sold by next spring. Soon word got around more and more
that I was not the worst at training and schooling horses to say it in a modest
way. So one day Lady Hemphill from Tullira Castle in Ardrahan, who kept several
horses approached me to ride and train horses for her. Especially with the view
to get one or more ready for competitions and the prestige Dublin Horse Show
which took place in Ballsbridge every year. This is the most important event in
any Irish horse persons calendar and to get a horse qualified to compete there
is a highly thought of achievement. This Lady was very particular with her
horses and to give one example, she would go over the coat of the horse with a
white or cream coloured glove on her hand after one groomed it, to make sure it
was really clean enough.
I would head out working
my own horses early in the mornings or attend to any farm work that was to be
done so I could fit in time in the afternoon to work with her horses. She had
one particular gelding I brought out hunting with the Galway Blazers and also
to show jumping competitions who was to compete in the RDS in August that year
where we had qualified for the working hunter classes. I knew I had to put all
my effort into this and to allocate as much time as possible for it.
As the day came closer I
grew more nervous having had no idea what to expect. Not only haven’t I been to
Dublin before like this nor travelled with a horse to compete in the RDS. I was
told I would take the train to Dublin and so would the horse.
The train station was busy
that morning with people and horses arriving from all around the area to head
east for Dublin this morning. There were people shouting here and there, trying
to find someone or give somebody orders on what to do. I must admit I felt kind
of lost between all the hustle and bustle but once the horse was loaded I too just
boarded the train as as I was told and soon we would be on our way to Dublin. I
had brought a bag with all I could think of I would need and some food for
along the way.
On our arrival at the
train station in Dublin all the horses were unloaded and there I stood, with
the horse in hand, not a clue where to go from here. Thankfully I was not the
only one and so I just followed the others who were leading their horses towards
Ballsbridge. We had to walk a good bit through Dublin to get there and
eventually found the right stable block where Lady Hemphill’s horse was to be
kept. I made sure the horse was fed and watered and everything we needed was at
hand. Eventually I also found the rooms where the riders/grooms would stay.
They were filled with bunkbeds and the air was warm and stuffy. I quickly picked a bed on the bottom near the
door where I could get in and out without having to pass too many others who
came in, dropped their belongings and went off again swiftly to find places to
go for drinks. I was literally on my own when I went to bed in the evenings as
I had planned to be out early in the mornings to get ready and work the horse
and to be as ready as I possible could for the days ahead.
I can thankfully say that
alcohol was never very appealing to me and
I had made a rule for myself never to start drinking, which made life a lot easier and smoother and
I can proudly say that I kept this promise I made to myself all my life to this
day. In fact to be honest I think it’s a lot more fun to be sober and watch the
drunk people making fools of themselves.
The other lads indeed only
came back heavily drunk falling onto their beds or anywhere on the floor, since
somewhere not able to reach their bunkbeds on top, when I was just about to get
up. I headed out in the fresh morning air, took a deep breath and started to
explore the showgrounds, where the competitions would take place, the arenas
and warm ups and the whole set up of this famous place, in which I had the
honour to compete now for the first time.
There were various
different sheds filled with stables for the horses, dedicated places for the
horse feed, hay and straw to be stored, various signs directing one where to go
or not to go and sign posting warm up and competition arenas. There were places
were one could buy food, if the finances allowed it, given the prices they
charged here and also trade stands selling everything one could possibly need
around horses or a farm as such.
The printed catalogue
showed all horses entered in the various competitions listed with their owners
names and also contained all kind of advertising from local Hotels, Restaurants
and shops that had one way or the others something to do with horses, farming
or country life.
I would bring the horse
out and ride in the warm up and around the whole set up to get him used to the
environment and settle his nerves too. I soon recognised the same people
watching me ride for two days in a row and when Lady Hemphill arrived for the first
day of competitions I told her about it. I felt they had an interest in the
horse and when we are honest, trying to get a horse qualified to compete in the
prestige Dublin Horse Show, it is usually done because it increases its value
and selling price and it is a great shop window for getting the horses out in
front of a large audience.
When I got ready for the
competition that day the same people were watching again and also during the
competition, where our performance brought us into the final the next day. I
had pointed the people out to Lady Hemphill and they soon started to chat and
the horse was successfully sold in the RDS there and then.
After the few busy and
exciting days in Ballsbridge I only had to take myself back home on the train
as the new owners took the horse home directly from the showgrounds.
Lady Hemphill was very
particular with her horses as I mentioned already earlier but for some reason I
could do no wrong in her eyes and she greatly valued my advice and opinion on
everything concerning her horses. So I would produce and compete her horses and
would be back at the RDS every year for some years to come. It was a great
working environment and I’m very grateful for the experience and opportunities
I got from training her horses but due to having only limited time I eventually
had to make a decision between building up a business for myself or stay
working for her and other people – and I knew I wanted to work only for myself
going forward.
My idea was to buy, train
and sell horses for once but also, since fox hunting was very popular all over
Ireland and we saw an increasing number of visitors wanting to hunt here in Co
Galway with the well-known Galway Blazers Hunt, there was good business in
hiring horses out for hunting too. Since hunting season was only from October
through March each year I would still be able to compete during the summer
months.
I continued to compete and
also had qualified for the RDS a couple of time with my own horses. There was
only one pair I was never able to beat in the jumping competitions and that was
Tommy Wade and Dundrum. This amazing small horse , a Connemara x Thoroughbred
Cross measured only 15.1 HH but had an incredible heart and jumping ability and
was just so fast. Whenever this pair competed in the same class I would end up
second while they would take the win.
At one stage they even
cleared the puissance wall at a height of 7.2 foot which is an unbelievable
achievement for such a small horse.
Over the years I must say
I got tired of sitting around the horse shows waiting for my turn to ride and
the days dragged on and I couldn’t stand the sticky air and smell in the stable
tents anymore. So I fully concentrated on my other horse business and turned my
back to the show rings after many years of competing.
For a brief period of time I also had a short but successful career in point to point races. I won several races and at one point an owner brought a jockey particularly across from the UK to ride his horse as so far he was not able to beat me. I might add here he did again not succeed. When owners and trainers started to approach me offering me money to hold back my horse and obviously trying to influence the outcome of the races I realised more and more that this was not my sport. So I turned away from it again despite having been very good and successful at it. What I had liked about it I must say was the speed and the challenge and I surely wasn’t afraid to take it on.
This reminds me of a story
that does not involve horses but speed for sure. We were heading down the road
to Portumna, myself and my brother Jimmy, on my motorbike I owned at this
stage. Going way too fast we suddenly encountered some oncoming traffic behind
a bend and it was too late to slow down enough and to avoid meeting head on I
had to cut the corner resulting in us going up a heap of gravel that was left
there for to repair the road. Acting like a ramp we got launched off into the
air flying over it and landing like the perfect stuntmen on the others side. I
still do appreciate how lucky we were as we surely cold have been killed there
and then. It was a bit like a miracle. For some reason I still do remember the
registration plate number the bike had.
Our
first cousin chancing a ride on the bike with me
Hunt Hire business was
going well a but it was very different from how we know it today. What I mean
by that is the work that went into it – still not having transport for the
horses as we have today.
The horses needed to be
hacked all the way to the hunt meet and also back home. Depending on how far I
had to bring them this would mean even to go the evening before the hunt. Given
the time of year hunting takes place the days are short and darkness comes in
quick in the evenings. One could also be sure to get soaked wet a lot of the
time while being out riding and hunting during the winter months.
Nevertheless horses had to
be clipped for the hunts and turned out particularly well which was at the time
done with hand clippers and often by candle light as there was still no
electricity in the stables. If one could afford it there were more advanced
models where a second person would wind a handle in order to make the clippers
work and shear. Clippers going blunt was a common issue to arise and one time,
admittingly to my own fault, one horse bit me badly in my backside when I
pinched him with the clippers which were simply not sharp enough anymore.
Hand Clippers Mechanical Clippers
When I first started off I tried to do it all by myself and I could lead as many as 5 horses alongside the one I was riding hacking them to the hunt meets. Roads were quiet back then and one would encounter little traffic along the way. I remember one time I hacked the horses all the way to almost Tuam for a hunt. I had to leave the previous afternoon to be there already the night before in order to be on time for the meet in the morning. When I rode through Athenry I stopped for a short while at a Pub for some rest when the girl working behind the bar offered me a pillow. I said I had to head on as I had another good stretch to go before evening but must admit I didn’t get the point back then what she actually meant by that and surely won’t make the mistake again going forward.
I arrived in time and had
already organised a place for the horses and myself for the night and got them
ready for the hunt early next morning.
After a long day out
hunting, the hunts finish mostly around 4-5 pm I was determined
to head back home instead
of spending another day with this. It got dark on the way home but with the
luck of having the moon shining bright I could see well enough where we were
going. On the long way home I got awful hungry but I just did not want to break
the 10 Punt note I had gotten for the hunt hirelings. It was a good bit of
money back then and I had other plans for it. When I came towards a place where
I knew the people who lived there and I saw the lights on in the house I knew
someone was at home. I had started to feel really sick and dizzy at the time I
was so lucky when the lady came outside to say hello when she heard the horses
coming. She offered me tea and when she also brought some bread with butter I
felt I was the luckiest man ever. After a short break I continued my ride back
home that night, not hungry anymore and with the bright light of the moon
shining down. I always said and say to this day that there are a lot of good
people out there, just unfortunately the bad news and stories getting more
attention most of the time.
The most important thing
for being successful in the hunt hireling business always was and still is
today to have well trained horses, that are not only able to handle the jumps
well and give their often not so experienced hunt riders confidence but also
have a steady nerve and can be held back well going in the field between the
other horses rather than upfront. The landscape here in Galway is mostly for
stonewalls of different heights and width but also includes some drains or even
wire fences. It’s important to keep riding and schooling the horses yourself in
between hiring them out to keep them confident and going well for the customers
otherwise you would lose your clients eventually.
I used to get bookings
made from business people in Dublin through telegrams which was the way of
communication back then. Since this was not as straight forward, one man who
was involved in politics, made sure I got a Telephone line installed as soon as
this became available here in our area. From there on it was much easier for
customers to contact me and arrange horses for themselves – of course provided
someone was in the house to take the call. Since I was mostly not the one
myself I was lucky to have my Mum or some of my siblings still around home to
answer the calls.
A life changing or say
habit changing experience happened to me one day when I had the farrier come to
shoe horses. I had started to smoke at some stage since I had often spent time
and done business with people who were older than me and I somehow felt I would
appear more grown up by doing like them. However that day the farrier offered
me a smoke of whatever cigarettes he had there and my God, did I get sick soon
after and the headache I got – it was for sure the worst I ever had in my life.
After he left I got so sick I had to lay down and sleep for a while and was
unable to finish getting the horses ready for the hunt next day resulting in me
having to go out at 4 am to finish it all off. This was the last day I smoked
ever and just like with the alcohol something I would never touch again in my life from thereon.
As time went on I got
busier and had more horses as the demand requested it. I eventually was not
able anymore to do it all by myself. Luckily I had good friends who were happy
to help out for either some payment or just for the sake of getting to hunt themselves
in exchange as I often would have young horses that needed to get trained in
the hunting field and I would let them ride those youngsters on the hunts. My
younger brother Jimmy used to help a lot too, even hacking horses to the hunts
on his own at some point. Exactly that day there was a young horse in the bunch
of horses he brought who would just stop every so often and refuse to move on
being led alongside the other horses, causing Jimmy having to dismount his
horse several times and get the young horse moving again. You can tell he was
not one bit happy and of course I heard all about it but sure the next time I
needed help he was here again to help with whatever had to be done.
I do remember the one day
I had this somewhat excited young horse and with all the buzzing at the hunt
meet, the noise of the hounds and the large number of other horses present he
was especially anxious. When a good friend of mine, Pat O’Neill mounted him, I
hope it’s ok to mention him by name, he bucked him right up into the air so
high it felt to me like minutes until Pat hit the ground, lying flat on his
back and unable to move for a little while. However it felt like a very long
time to me and even though I’m not easily getting panicky or too worried now I
was. Thank God after some time he started to move and was able to get up and
wasn’t badly hurt in any way. He was even able to get up on the horse again and
ride him that day – that much to be said about hardy horse people. Another good
friend helping me a lot with the hunt horses was Noel Mullins who would went on
to become a well-known author and writer dedicated to the Irish horses and
equestrian scene.
On another occasion we
weren’t able to get the horses all clipped in time before the hunt and still
had one more to do on our way to the hunt. Arriving at a pub with stables at
the back the evening before the hunt – I had meanwhile realised that when I had
helpers with me I needed to make time to stop and get them something to eat –
we still had to clip this one horse that evening. We had to keep the back door
of the pub open in order to get some light from inside with the result of the
horse hair blowing into the pub and causing the girl behind the bar giving out
to us. Seemingly we were charming and nice enough to settle it in such way that
she even made us some sandwiches later on.
Many hunt seasons would
pass that way and my number of horses and acres of land I owned increased.
Eventually I would be able to first have a trailer and later on even a truck to
transport animals. The Ballinasloe Horse Fair, the oldest horse fair in Europe
as they say, takes place every year on the first weekend in October. It was a
place I would go every year to buy some horses, not so much to sell but to buy.
Since the hunting season
was only during the autumn and winter month I had time for other business
opportunities during the rest of the year. I had started to sell a lot of
Connemara Ponies to the continent, especially to France at the time where they
were very popular. I would load them on my own truck and head off to France
myself via ferry to bring the Ponies over. At one occasion I got the idea that
it is a waste to bring the lorry back empty and so I sourced a load of oats in
France, which was cheaper to buy than here at home and filled my old truck up
with it. Hopelessly overladed and way too heavy I left France to head home. On
my route I encountered a steep hill which I wasn’t aware how steep it was until
my old truck wasn’t able to move anymore and eventually even started to slide
backward down the hill. I was lucky enough it was a very rural area and
eventually a farmer with a tractor came by who was able to give me a pull which
was just that bit of support my truck needed to make it up the hill.
I would go back and forth
to France on several occasions to bring Ponies and Horses I had sold. The
chances to have a calm sea to travel are a lot higher during the summer month
in comparison to the winter, where high winds and stormy conditions are common
here in Ireland and across the Irish Sea. However one can never be sure of
anything when it comes to weather in Ireland. At one time I left Galway in
lovely weather and headed for the port. I had boarded the boat and the lorry
was parked under deck and I had went to my cabin when the weather turned and
the storm out at sea got so strong and the waves so high I got as sick as a dog
on the boat. All I could do for the duration of the sailing was lying flat down
and when a steward came to the door telling me it sounded as if a horse was
loose in my truck I was still not able to make a move or to have a look. I had
to admit even if they were to sink the ship I would have not been able to do
anything. This horrible trip eventually came to an end as well and I would
continue my journey and go about my business as usual.
When at some point I had
another load of Connemara Ponies including one stallion ready to go to France
the deal was cancelled by the buyer. I ended up keeping the Ponies I had originally
sourced and purchased for the French buyer including the stallion. This would
mark the start of my own Connemara Pony breeding business.
I also used to show young
stock and the stallion at the traditional Clifden Pony show held every year in
late August.
.
The stallion, Grange Finn Sparrow, was an amazing animal and would become famous also in the USA later in his life. Not only competed he very successful himself but also produced amazing offspring and Ponies from his breeding line compete successfully in showjumping and eventing still to this day.
It is on the foundation of
his breeding my whole Connemara Pony herd is based and they are successful here
in Ireland and all over continental Europe and the USA and also make great
friends for kids just for leisure riding and pony club activities.
Coming towards late summer
it was important to get the hunt horses ridden and fit again after their summer
break in the fields where they easily got a bit on the heavy side and unfit.
I would start riding and
training them in time to be ready for the opening meet early October. Not only
did I hire horses for the hunts and take part myself, mostly to be with my clients and to look after them,
but I would also become Field Master for the Galway Blazers hunt and fulfil
this role for the next 30 years, 3 meets per week, Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays.
I fondly remember one very
exciting hunt around my home place where the hunting field had to move so fast
and cover such a great distance in order to follow the hounds, that only few
riders were able to stay with it till the end. I was lucky we came by the home
place twice so I could swap horses or else I would have not been able to stay
with the hounds which were literally out hunting on their own at this point as
the hounds man who had only the one horse with him had not been able to follow
anymore either.
When the long hunting day
came to an end I was able to gather the hounds and bring them back to the rest
of the field.
Many years would go by that way and it turned out that I was the one of us siblings running a farming and horse business in the home yard at that point while the others more stuck to the school and study part of life. Jimmy was the only one who also had a good interest in horses and farming but not to the extent I did it. So it was eventually agreed that I would get to take over the farm with a certain settlement agreement with the others and eventually I started to build a house for myself just across the yard from the parents’ house.
I didn’t plan to build
anything huge or fancy but a nice modest house on one floor with a design I
thought out myself and there was one thing I knew for sure – it was to be built
from stone so I would not have to keep painting it as I would not have the time
nor patience to do so.
I will never forget this one morning in the month of May in 1968 which would literally decide my future.
It was a beautiful and sunny morning. Even
though it was still early the sun was already warm and it was promised to be a
lovely day. As I walked across the yard I watched the swallows flying in and
out the stables preparing their nests and it made me think that they will be
the only inhabitants in the stables now for the summer month. The hunt horses
were turned out in the fields with the season being finished and they would be
idle now till autumn.
I sat down on the stone
wall, chewing on a leaf of grass, which was a habit I have at times and started
to think. I loved having all the different clients around for the hunt meets
and to come to know and meet new people every week. As for once I was always
looking and thinking about business opportunities and secondly I could also do
with more business income now having two small kids around.
Mainly I just wasn’t
feeling satisfied being around the yard all the time just adhering to the
farming and horses without having customers around, coming and going and to
engage with, which I enjoyed so much.
The idea came to my mind that there must be horse people out there who would
like to ride not only for the purpose of going foxhunting. Trail riding I was
thinking it could be – exactly spoken in the most beautiful location I had ever
seen and loved so much myself, in Connemara. So the idea for the Connemara
Trail was born.
I didn’t waste any time
and went into my old Volkswagen and headed to the tourist office in Dublin to
tell them about my idea. With the road we had back then it took easily a full
day to get to Dublin and back but I wasn’t in for wasting any time.
They surely were
interested but had no experience whatsoever with it and said they would put the
word out. I was delighted when it did not take very long and I got a booking
for 30 French riders. This size of a group came much as a surprise and was
surely not what I had expected, nor had I 30 horses available myself.
Luckily however I had good
friends and so we got the required number of horses together and I headed out
west myself in time before the ride to arrange overnight accommodation for the
riders and sorted out fields to leave the horses for the nights and so on. What
I had planned was a point to point trail ride starting in Barna heading out
towards Clifden, which I figured we should be able to reach in 6 days.
I had to plan a route and
find ways through the bogs and mountains in Connemara which for once were ideal
for trail riding with very little traffic and small, quiet roads but on the
other hand also tricky as the land largely does consist of bog land which looks
to be solid ground until you ride into it and sink down - get bogged as we say.
I wanted to include
mountain crossings which would make for beautiful views as well as riding on
the beaches and through the not so plentiful woodlands where I could
incorporate it, in order to give the riders a variety of terrain and to show
them as much as possible of the beauty of Connemara.
When I came out here
myself for the first time I thought this had to be the most beautiful place I
had ever seen and I fell in love with Connemara and it’s mountains. Driving the
road from Carna to Cashel with the Twelve Bens Mountain range in the distance
is a view I would never get tired of.
“It is difficult to describe
the beauty of Connemara in words, but one can experience it on horseback”
This would become a sentence travel companies
would quote when advertising the trail after I said it one day trying to find
words to describe Connemara.
Eventually the day came when I started my first trail ride with this French group. It turned out to be a mix of riders of all abilities, from beginners to experienced riders. This did not make it very easy and I had to put quite a bit of thinking into how to match the riders with the best suitable horses for each of them. This would always be a challenge in the years to come but I got pretty good at this very quick and people often would remark on this ability of me being able to make out which horse would suit them best.
That week turned out to be
very interesting – I mean don’t get me wrong – I really enjoyed the time with
all my customers from all corners of the world – but if you ever spent a week
with 30 French people who spoke very little or no English at all, you will know
what I mean. The experienced riders wanted to gallop wherever possible and
wouldn’t care if one of the weaker ones would get killed. Everyone was just
interested in their own and it was very demanding to keep everything under
control and safe for everyone. Also several of those who regarded themselves as
experienced were for my opinion not as able as they thought and needed to be
slowed down too. Thank God and much to my surprise we got through the week
without any major incidents and they all left very happy and with lots of
stories to tell when going back home.
I decided for myself, that
after this week I could handle anything
this business might probably demand from me and that it could only get easier
from hereon.
So, together with the
tourist office and a lot of word of mouth promotion I started to get the word
out and would run the trails the following year, in 1969, from May through
September, which would mark the official start of The Connemara Trails.
The first trail in 1969,
starting from Barna with the Twelve Ben’s Pub and Guesthouse in the background.
Myself and my brother Jimmy on the left
A lot of organisation and planning was needed to have the horses transported from where I kept them in Loughrea out to Connemara, to get the customers there and their luggage brought along and also have their accommodations booked. I also had to get them some kind of picnic lunch during the day, while they would have breakfast and dinner in the Hotels and Guesthouses. After a couple of weeks everything would fall into place and get smoother with more experience I gained and was able to figure out how it all would work best. At the start there would have been weeks with only very few or even only one person but I would give them all the same attention that I would give a group of 10 and more people. I had learned very quick that it is all about the customer and customer satisfaction is key to a successful business. It is the customers holiday, they planned for and very often had saved up for all year or even longer, and I had to make it the best time and experience they could have ever wished for on their holidays.
I would run the trails
till the end of September when the weather would get too unsettled and rough
out in the mountains and the ground too
wet. Also from October on hunting season would start and visitors would arrive
for to hunt mainly with the Galway Blazers and I would supply the horses for
them.
Having the horses out on
the trail in Connemara did a lot for them to be surefooted and well able to
handle the cross country challenges in the hunting field even better. For
several years Prince Phillip from England would come to Ashford Castle in Cong
to give clinics in eventing and cross country jumping. They had contacted me if
I was able to supply horses for his clinics for those riders who would not have
their own horses and I was happy to do so. They were very pleased with the
horses I had since they were very experienced in cross country jumping and very
safe and confidence giving for the riders.
He attracted clients from
all over the world and so word of what I was doing and the horses I had spread
more and more.
When I sold my first horse
overseas there were by no means travel agencies available like today who would
take care of transporting the horse all the way from Ireland to the USA. The
horses would fly in the belly of the planes all the same as we know it today
but there were no grooms who would accompany them all the way. So I ended up
flying with the horse in the bottom of the plane along with some other lads who
had jobs to look after horses there too. We were handed a gun and ordered that
if any horse would cause panic and impose any danger on the flight as such we
were to shoot it. Those other lads were already pretty drunk when we left and
had more bottles with them and soon would fall asleep and I was wondering at
myself what I would do if anything went wrong. It was freezing cold in that
area of the plane and I wrapped horse blankets around me and sat down in a
corner and hoped for the best.
Everything went very
smooth and the horses were unloaded at the airport in Newark. From there
someone would take it over who the new owner had organised to bring them to the
quarantine stables before they could go to their new homes.
This was an experienced I
was ok to have made but didn’t necessarily plan to repeat.
I also got to supply
horses for filming movies a few times. At one stage I was to bring some horses
to Limerick to a film set but short notice I also had to deliver a horse here
in Ireland I had sold just before that. It was in fact a young stallion and to
save time I decided to bring him along with the horses for the filming and
would drop him off on my way to Limerick as it was not that much of a detour.
When I was on the road for
a while there was a lot of noise and movement in the back of the truck and I
had to stop eventually to go and see what was going on. It turned out that the
young stallion had gotten out of his headcollar and was biting the other horses
and causing hassle. In order to get it back on him I had to get it first though
which was not as easy since it had fallen down between his front legs and he
would by no means stand still. By right I should have gotten a stick of some
sort and try to pick the headcollar up with it but knowing me you could tell I
wouldn’t waste time on it and also knowing me I was already late too. While I
bent down to get the collar he turned around and grabbed me by the arm and bit
me just as he had done it to the other horse. It was very sore but yet rushing
to get him caught and the collar back on I did ignore it and made sure I had
the collar tighten well this time and tied him back so he couldn’t do any more harm.
Back in the truck I looked
and realised my arm was bleeding quite a bit. I started to put a tissue on it
myself but when I seen the extent of it, I had to admit to myself, that no
matter how much I was in a hurry this needed stiches.
I carried on the last bit
of the drive to unload the troublemaker with his new owner and went on to the
hospital in Limerick. I didn’t want to delay anymore and would do this only as
the last option but it was just too bad and I knew that I would also need
tetanus protection. So I parked the truck outside and walked in and told my
story. Giving it a quick look and I would swear a little head shake of
disbelieve, they quickly fixed me up and
with painkillers and a proper bandage I continued my journey.
When I finally arrived at
the location I was given to go to it was already dark and I parked on what
appeared to me like a field and found the stables where I could put in the
horses. I just unloaded them and went right back into the cab of my lorry to
finally get some rest and after taking more painkillers I fell asleep very
quick and slept like dead as they say.
Eventually I would wake up
and it took me a while to recall where I was and realised it was bright again
as the daylight fell in through the windows. It was getting warm inside the cab
too and I heard loud noises and people shouting outside. I wanted to get up and
have a look but the first move I tried to make reminded me of my sore arm and a
sharp pain slowed me down immediately. I decided that first of all I would need
more painkillers but I also was worried about the smoke I seen through one of
the windows.
Crawling out of the bench
looking out I noticed that the green field I parked in last night in the dark
was very much near the film set and there where actors and lots of other people
and a fire lit and smoke created for the filming. They must have found the
horses and got them out and started while I was fast asleep not noticing any of
it happening.
Once I got out and chatted
to some of the people in charge I got breakfast and found it rather interesting
to watch them working away for the day which I would have seen more like
wasting a day under normal circumstances but given the state of me right now I
had to admit there would have not been much else I could have done workwise.
When they were finished in
the late afternoon we loaded the horses up and I headed back home and I must
say it was an interesting day and the payment wasn’t bad either.
As I continued my business
in this principal, Connemara Trails during the summer months and hunting and
hunt horse hire during the winter I also accumulated more horses over time and also
land, whenever there was an opportunity to buy some in a location where it
would be suitable for me. Whenever I sold a horse I would buy two new ones and
together with the Connemara Ponies I bred myself I had eventually a good number
of horses in order to never having to work or overuse any horses. I also kept
cattle and sheep along with the horses as I’m a great believer in mixed
grassing in order to use and maintain the land the best possible way.
It
was one afternoon I headed out west to look at some livestock I had left in
Connemara and I was worried the field might be getting bare and I wanted to see
if I had to move them. As mostly I got held up and didn’t get going at the time
I had planned and it was already afternoon when I was getting to the far side
of Galway City. After my usual stop in Moycullen Village at the filling station
for a cup of tea or some snack to bring along I headed on towards Maam Cross. A
little further out I met that older man by the roadside looking for a lift. It
was a common practise back then that you would bring someone and not leave them
standing there. Going along he kept talking almost nonstop, while some of it
was interesting information more so was talk I could rather have gone without.
When we passed the more or less only shop along the way in the area of Recess
he asked me to stop. He went inside and it felt like ages until he came back, I
started to come under time pressure as I had still things to do out here.
We
eventually moved on again but it wasn't long until he told me to stop again
when he seen a man doing some fencing work at field beside the road. He called
the man over and started to chat. Daylight would get scares I was thinking to
myself if we would get delayed much more but I just playing along, what else
could I do. The whole conversation caught my attention when he mentioned a
fellow who owned a huge part of a mountain which he was seemingly thinking of
selling. I didn't let on that I had any interest of course...but listened
carefully as the location of it as far as I had understood
was very suitable for me.
When
we finally moved along again I tried to find out more in a harmless way. My
passenger eventually told me who the man was and I was able to get in touch
with him. After a while of negotiating and forth and back conversations we came
to an agreement eventually.
So
now I owned a mountain with over 1000 acres of land with lakes and grassland.
In the years to come I would plant a forestry there too and be able to keep a number of animals there
while I also could ride through this area with my customers on the trail.
As I got busier in every aspect of my business I needed more help as the people I had around me eventually also moved on with their own lives. I had a very obliging man working for me for years, one of those people who didn’t expect the world from life but loved being around the animals and if we had to be out there at 5 am he would be there as well as at the times work dragged on until late in the evening. Especially getting the hunt horses ready and turned out well for the hunts was quiet a lot of work between cleaning the tack, washing and brushing the horses, clipping them when needed and plaiting their manes and have the tails brushed out immaculate. I had also two young neighbours girls who loved horses and they would come over early in the morning before the hunts and help turning out the horses. They could ride as well in return and eventually they also had their own ponies and horses. However they would still come and give me a hand anytime today as adults if I needed and asked for help. I was always lucky to have the right people around me to work with me and help out when needed.
I also had to organise and
plan this all out for the trail ride in Connemara. Since it is a 1.5 hour drive
away from Loughrea on the far side of Galway and leading even further out west
in Connemara as the week goes on, I was better off to have help from someone
living that side of Galway to help on the trail rides. When my own children
were old enough they would come along and help on the trail too, but the time
from when they are old enough until when they are starting out their own lives
and yards etc. was literally flying by.
Given the fact that
working on the trail ride was working in an environment others choose for their
vacations and paying quite a bit of money for it, there were always young
people even from other countries, that wanted to come to Ireland and work for a
couple of weeks, months or even the whole season for having this experience for
free in return.
While at the beginning I
started the trail rides from Barna heading out west towards Clifden I had to
make changes to the route over the years to come, mainly due to ever changing
infrastructure and busier roads and so on.
I eventually found the for
me best suitable route which I would ride for the many years to come whereby I
would have two different trails, one from Oughterard through Maam Cross out
west to Clifden which I started to call the Connemara Trail and the other one
starting from near Cashel back along the coast through Carna and heading back
east towards Maam Cross and Oughterard
which I called the Coast Trail. While the Connemara Trail would lead more
though mountains and forest areas finishing by the coast near Clifden with a
lovely ride on the beach, the Coast
trail would give more time for rides on the beaches and we would even swim the
horses in the sea and ride out to Feenish Island when the tide is low.
At the busiest times and
when I had help to do so I would even run the two trails parallel while later
on I would do one each week, Connemara Trail one week and Coast Trail the next
and so on.
The adventures had and memories made throughout the years while meeting so many different people from all over the world – those are the things one will always remember and cherish and I’m glad to share them here with you.
I always say you can learn
something from every person you meet, even the ones you might not resonate so
well with, it is always worthwhile to try and understand their situation and
views even though they might not be your own and most likely never will be, but
it all adds experience and broadens ones horizon. We all lead different lives
and have different experiences and backgrounds that shaped us into the person
we are today.
Personally I always come
back to the realisation that I’m lucky
to be able to lead the life I live and that I would not have it any other way.
When I speak about
starting and growing my business I need to remind us all of the fact that for
the first 20 to 30 years we had no computers and especially no internet or
social media to advertise and spread the word. Advertising was limited to
newspapers, magazines and travel agency brochures. Word of mouth was an
important factor too and since my main focus was always on having every
customer leaving happy and with memories they would cherish for a long while
after – many tell me for a life time – this was a valuable way of advertising
for me.
Little did I know until
afterwards how important one particular week of Connemara Trail riding had been
for me. I had some customers from the US in the group, lovely people, very easy
to talk to and they showed an enormous interest in what I was doing and asked
me a lot of questions. So we chatted a lot during the week and when they left
they told me how much they enjoyed the week and they were going to write
something about it. To be honest I didn’t pay enough attention to it during the
saying good byes and exchanging of contact details between all the other riders
in the group. As after every week there were photos taken here and there,
addresses and phone number exchanged and so on.
A couple of weeks later
however I got a piece of newspaper sent in the post which was nothing less than
two full pages in the New York Times about my trail rides. It was only now I
understood who those lovely people were and going forward this would give a
huge boost to my business. I wished I had their contact details or could find
them somehow still today to thank them.
This leads me to think of the week on the trail I had the Bishop of New York riding with us.
While the week started off
with nice enough weather it changed after the first day and heavy clouds moved
in from the Atlantic. While it didn’t rain too much right away the fog started
to thicken quickly but only later in the morning when we were already well up
in the mountain which we had to cross that day.
The air was heavy with
dampness and the reins felt slippery while the steam of the horses mixing with
the fog made for a grey in grey picture which started to more and more hide the
normally so beautiful views. If I had known it was going to be that bad I had
to come up with another plan for the day even if it would have meant to move
the horses in the lorry to a different starting point. But now here we were
high up in the mountains and I could hardly see what was 3 or 4 horse length in
front of me or any side of me in fact. While I heard the people chatting away
behind me I noted that they were seemingly not worried at all and had fullest
trust in me navigating and leading the way.
As I did so I slowly
started to realise that there were some landmarks along the way, at least from
what I could see with the limited sight, that were not familiar looking to me.
I could not help but started to feel that we were off the normal route and yes,
to say it plainly, were somewhat lost somewhere in the mountain. If you asked
me where we were, all I could say was somewhere in a mountain in Connemara.
I knew one thing for sure
– I would not let on to the riders in order not to worry them. At some point if
felt as if we passed some bushes, which are in fact quiet scares in this area
which is mainly just made up from rocks and some boggy grassland in between,
that we had passed already earlier. So I started to worry that we might have
went in a circle however I would normally consider this as not quite possible
giving the slope of the mountain but I wasn’t sure of anything anymore at this
point.
In my head I seen already
the headline “The Bishop of New York lost in a mountain in Connemara on
horseback with Willie Leahy”. Of course I was worried about every single person
on the trail all the same but I’m sure you know what I mean.
A long time must have
passed until I recognised a little stream running down the hill and I
immediately thought this is my rescue. If I follow this stream, if at all
possible, it will surely bring us down off the mountain. Of course this wasn’t
so straight forward either since there would be certain areas we cannot pass
through with the horses if it was too steep, rocky or slippery or else boggy.
Even up on the hills the small areas of green in between the rocks would give
way for the animals to sink if it was too soft. When I had to divert away from
the little stream which had become our best friend to lead us off this mountain
I had to make sure, just going by the noise of it, not to move too far away
from it. That was really all I could do given the tensity of the fog and the
very limited sight.
As we moved further and
further hill down the fog got lighter and so it got easier to see and navigate
again which was an advantage, however as the view opened up for me more and
more I came to know for sure that this was an area I had never been to before.
You can imagine how glad I
was when I recognised something in the distance what looked to me like a vehicle
moving, not many or too often but every now and then and I noted this must be
some sort of a road. So this was where we had to go.
At the same time as the
fog started to disappear I noticed the daylight was getting lesser and by now
the riders had started to ask how far we still have to go and if today was
longer than normal.
I said I had to change the
route due to the fog and the limited sight…. And eventually added honestly,
well, we were kind of a bit lost for a while. It was only now that some of them
started to say they had such a feeling too but they were all quickly agreeing
on the fact that they had every faith that we will be all fine given who we had
on the trail with us and clearly the good Lord wouldn’t have allowed for the
Bishop to get lost in a mountain in the west of Ireland. There were some jokes
made about the lost sheep and that not all that wander are lost and so on and
we finally reached the little road. The only problem we had was that I still
had no idea where we were and what direction to take from here. So we just
moved towards west for a bit until we met a man in a car. I stopped him and
asked what this area was and where this road would lead to. When he heard where
we actually wanted to be at this stage he laughed and offered me to bring me to
get my truck in order to load up the horses as we had ended up far off from where
we were meant to be.
The riders were only happy
to get off the horses after this long day and waited for me to come back with
the lorry while this nice man brought me to it. We stopped at a house along the
way with people he knew where I could use the Telephone to make a phone call to
whoever was to pick the riders up that day and was probably waiting there for a
good while only to find we were not coming. Thank god somebody was at home to
take my call and so word got out to him where to pick the riders up instead. By
the time I had the truck gotten and came back to where the riders were waiting
with the horses the minibus driver had arrived as well. We loaded the horses
and I brought them to the field from which we were to start riding the next
morning and let them off there for the night. Looking at them grazing relaxed
with not a scares in the world I couldn’t help but think how much easier life
is when one doesn’t overthink things too much.
So we finished a long day
of adventure happily and had something to speak about not only that evening at
the dinner in the Hotel but for a long while to come.
I always say there are a
lot of good people out there and that the focus should be more on that and all
the good things rather than on the bad ones that occasionally happen.
I must say I do find it a little challenging at times to remember the exact timeline of events after all those years. Even so I remember the happenings as such clearly, if I had to tell you what year exactly something happened or took place I could not tell you with the best will in the world but I will tell you about everything as it comes to my mind and in the best possible chronicle order, so please forgive me if I don’t add years or dates to most events unless they are more recent.
As I mentioned already
earlier on speaking about the fox hunting, same goes for the trail rides. The
success highly depends on well trained, suitable horses who would give the
customers a safe and enjoyable experience whether it is out in the hunt field,
cross country or on the trail. When buying new horses I had gotten quite good
in figuring out what a horse would be like or better say could become once I
had it for a while, but I also started to appreciate people and friends I knew
who would have good horses that would suit me mostly.
Over the years I done a good bit of horse
business with a lovely couple who came to Ireland from France in the late 60’s,
Chantal and Michel Deon. While Chantal was all into horses and horse riding
Michel was an author and writer. They were real and down to earth horse people
and would breed lovely draught horses which Chantal also would ride in
competitions and out hunting. In fact she bought her first horse in Ireland,
Seaman, of me which she would compete and go hacking out until she eventually
got convinced to also come out hunting with us during the winter month. She
started to supply horses for the Galway Blazers hunt as well and soon her two
children Alex and Alice would go hunting on Connemara Ponies of mine and they
all would come out to Connemara on the trail too. The business worked both
ways, while I bought some lovely horses of them so did they buy from me
likewise if one had what the other just needed. One of my best hunt horses by
the name of Deon I had bought of them. I rode him a lot as field master and
eventually sold him on to America.
I should say, as you might
come to realise this over time, I have a habit, if in need for a name for a
horse, to go by the name of the person I bought the horse from. May it be the
first name or family name, whatever suits. I guess it is because it gets hard
when you own a lot of horses over time. So Deon got his name from Chantal and
Michel Deon while other horses would be just named by the first name of the
seller may it be Lester, JJ, Jimmy or Charly etc and if it didn’t suit to name
a mare Jack she still could be Jaqueline and so on.
Again it was Deon’s honesty and reliability who made him the great hunt horse he was and which got the new owner to buy him. But the list of great horses I had and sold on is long and when you look at some images from the hunts you soon understand why it is so important to have a good horse you can trust.
Here in County Galway we
meet various sized stone walls as natural obstacles mixed with ditches and even
some gates or wire fences which are hard for the horses to make out and of
course it also requires a certain experience from the rider to make this work.
The ground would often be very wet and deep during the winter month and
especially in front and behind the jump when so many horse jumped it in the
same place one after the other. As more horses go over the wall you would also
get loose stones behind the wall that were brought down and you have to make
your horse jump further rather than higher.
Sheila, a once customer
and now good friend from the US taking on a stone wall with one of my horses
Shane Murphy with one of my
Connemaras
In comparison to hunting
the trail rides were more relaxed rides with the main focus for the customers
to see and experience the beauty and fascination of Connemara. However the
terrain could be challenging but here again it was down to the experienced horses
that were able to handle this and the main thing I kept telling the riders was
to leave the horses alone and let them pick their steps. I heard repeating
myself many times not to pull on the reins or try to tell the horse where to go
or which path to take as the horses knew best and most of all not to rush
anything.
It was most important to
follow me exactly on the path I chose even so another might have looked good
all the same but there was always a reason for my choice and many of you might
remember me sometimes losing my patience here for a moment (would I ever….) and
raising my voice to get people back on track before they would get bogged.
If it happened, as it did
every so often, when the riders still would go of track despite everything, the
only way out of it was for the rider to dismount the horse which led to quiet
wet feet for themselves and so the horse could work its way out of the deep,
boggy ground itself without the weight of the rider. Thank god it always ended
harmless enough with a soaked rider and a very dirty looking horse and tack for
the rest of the day unless we came by a stream or the sea for a wash.
Oh and there was one rule
above it all – if I and my horse go down in the bog – don’t take the path I had
taken.
While you are all smiling
now let me tell you a funny story from a lady and a buck goat.
It did happen every so
often that a person got too tired after the first two or three days of riding
all day if one was not so used to it or for whatever other reasons. So this one
week we had a lady who wanted to take a break about midweek and so we brought the
horse she rode with us on the loose and she stayed back in the Guesthouse to
rest or maybe do some shopping or sightseeing. The Landlady had said she would
look after her with any directions she needed or getting a taxi etc.
We took off riding in the
morning after breakfast as usual and since we would come back to the same Hotel
and Guesthouse that evening we said we would see her there or otherwise latest
for dinner in the Hotel.
It was the season on the
trail were my daughter Dorothy had helped me all through the summer, that was
before she had her own family and commitments. I kept saying it often that this
was the smoothest run trail season I ever done. Every challenge one would face
in this business between looking after the riders and horses alike while
organising everything behind the scene, Dorothy understood me without many
words and knew what I thought and was about to do or what had to be done
without any misunderstandings.
Out west one has to be his own farrier
Anyway we moved on with the ride that day and since it was a nice sunny day with no rain we thought she surely will have a lovely day whatever she was going to do. However when we came back to the Hotel and Guesthouse this lady was not there but we assumed she was resting in her room or getting ready for dinner later on.
So when we all met at the
Hotel for dinner there was still no sign of her. One of the other riders who
also stayed in the same Guesthouse told us that the Landlady said our missing
lady was seemingly gone for a walk up the mountain nearby where we had been
riding through the previous day and that she hadn’t seen her since.
Dorothy and myself decided
while the riders had their dinner that we had to go and look for her. We went
into the Jeep and drove into the area as far as it was possible. Where we
couldn’t drive any further we had to walk further on as so far there was no
sign of anybody. The little flies we call midgets here in Ireland were
plentiful and pretty annoying here in the mountain at the beginning but soon it
started to get darker too so we hurried up and as we kept walking uphill
eventually we could make someone out standing on a rock what it looked like
from here, waving her arms. As we came closer we could also hear her and she
was clearly relieved to see us coming. Only when we came really close we could
see what was going on and it was hard not to start laughing. There was this
buck goat who obviously roamed free on this hill with a small herd of goats who
had chased the lady and she had climbed up on this rock which was pretty steep
so the buck could not follow her – however she could not come back down either
as the goat had seemingly no intention of moving away. She must have spent a
long while there without any mobile phone back in the day.
For us it wasn’t very
difficult to chase him away with a stick I carried always when walking up any
hill or across land and so we were able to get her back off the rock and bring
her with us to the Land Rover. She was so excited to tell us all about it and
when we came back the others had since finished their dinner but in the bar she
had to tell the story over and over again and it is still a very funny story to
think of even after all those years. A day that was meant to be for rest and
relaxation turned out to be a very eventful one for this lady and she decided
it was a lot safer to join us riding again the next day.
Over the years I acquired more land along the route in Connemara where I could leave the horses and even some of the cattle I had started to keep back home. At some point I was able to buy land out on Mweenish Island, a Peninsula in Carna, right at the beach with a wonderful view all around. The best was that there was a house on the land which, after some renovations, I could use for myself to stay instead of having to stay in the Hotels along the way. It was also a great place from where we could ride the horses into the sea to swim, canter on the beach and spend almost all day and have lunch there too.
After a couple of years,
business orientated thinking as I was, I sold it to a couple from America who
loved it when they were riding here with me. However I really missed having it
and another few years later, when they felt they were not really coming to
Ireland often enough to use it, I was able to buy it back from them. They had
meanwhile built an extension to it and it was a good deal for me all in all.
As both businesses, the Connemara Trails and the hunt hiring gotten very busy I eventually got a local lady, a neighbours farmers wife, Anna, to take bookings for me and arrange the accommodation and everything needed for the customers. After first my Dad and a couple of years later my Mum had passed away I had started using a room in the old home house as an office in order to get all the paperwork kept and organised there.
Those years when Mum was
on her own without Dad I wished I had more time to be around her since we had
been very close always. She did suffer from lung problems as she got older and
coughed a lot which seemed to get better at times but then worse again and
never really came fully right.
She thought it had to do
with the smoke of the turf fire and a certain amount of dampness being around
especially in the older times when things were not as good. All along she had
been the kindest and most caring and loving lady I could ever think of.
It was also in the yard at
home I sold a Pony to a lady from the USA which I remember very well. After
spending a week riding with us here during hunting season this lovely lady was
thinking of bringing the Pony she rode all week home with her. However she was
unsure if it was the right thing to do given the extra cost of transport and
the idea as such to bring a Pony home from across the pond all the way to
America.
When I said to her that I
think the Pony suits her very well but of course it is up to her and I can’t
help with the final decision she paused for a moment and said… I ll go and ask
my Mum, I always ask her when I have to make a decision I’m not sure what to
do…. and with those words she walked away and disappeared behind the shed.
I was somewhat confused as
there were no mobile phones back at the time nor did we have a telephone
anywhere out here in the yard and surely not behind the shed.
I took probably about 10
minutes until she came back. I was curious what she would tell me now and what
this was all about. Mum said it’s ok, the Pony will be fine and I’m to bring it
home she told me. I must have looked very confused and she started to laugh and
continued saying her Mum has passed a few years ago and she always asks her
when she is unsure with anything. Oh I see, I said and nodded and thought to
myself, whatever way she means this, thank god to Mum I sold a Pony. Back in
the day I knew nothing about communicating this way.
Not only did she buy this
Pony but would come back many years later for another Pony which her daughter
would went on to compete. This second Pony would eventually become so
successful with her daughter that they got awarded a special recognition from
the Connemara Pony Society in the US and she had also gotten a lovely plaque
with a beautiful picture of the Pony which she then would sent over to us to
keep along with several rosettes they had won.
This was an amazing
gesture I thought and the plaque got a special place which I will speak about
at a later stage.
It was and still is always
great to get the lovely feedback from happy customers with the horses they
bought and to see and hear about how they are getting on and what they are
doing. I always try to make sure to find the best suitable horse for every customer
and I honestly tell people if I feel the horse they picked is not the right one
for them, even if it would mean I don’t sell any horse to them at all. How
important this is shows when people keep coming back for horses to me again and
again, same as they would return for their riding vacations over the years.
We had several groups of
people, from the USA and Europe, who would return for many years, some every
second or third year and others even every year like a group from Florida and
others from Switzerland who would even come twice every year, for the Connemara
Trail in spring time and the Cross County and Hunting Holiday in autumn, and
this over a period of more than 20 years.
Those long term customers, over the years, became more friends than customers and I would really look forward each time to having them here again. They knew everything so inside out that they were great help too and the weeks with them were always very relaxing and fun.
I always say that every
single customer matters as if it was the only one. For them it is the holiday
of the year, they planned and saved for and even if it might be for me just one
week out of many, year after year, for them it is the most important week of
their year. I even went to the extent to say if they don’t feel that this was
one of their best holidays they ever had I give them their money back – but I
never had to do that.
Over the years I really
seen a good mix of people, whether it was riders who told me they were saving
for years to make this trip or well off business people who wanted a week away
from the stress of their jobs. I also had some very well-known people like Kurt
Cobain, Obamas personal doctor, the farrier of Queen Elisabeth or even Chelsa
Clinton with her boyfriend but I treated everyone equally and I must say they
really appreciated this too. Chelsea even rode 2 weeks, one on the Connemara
Trail and one week Cross Country and Hunting.
I remember when one of our
customers had mentioned a party of Elton John he had attended and the others
were so stunned when I said leisurely that I had been at one of his parties
too. It was only then I realised that this was seen at something special, more
than I had seen it myself. I was in New York as I had been invited to ride my
former Pony Stallion Grange Finn Sparrow of which I had spoken earlier on, in
the Patricks Day Parade in New York. He had become famous in the USA already at
this point in time and to honour his Irish origin and me as the former owner
who sold him to the US they invited me over to ride him in the parade. It was
then when Elton John decided to give a party in his place in 5th
Avenue while I was there as he had horses as well and him and his partner
brought me to the stables to show me their horses too.
One of my sisters, Phil,
had been gone to the US and had stayed in the Convent back at the time. Of
course I wanted to visit her too while I was there and you might not believe
this but I got to stay in the Convent overnight as a guest - yes, me with all
the nuns.
My sister would leave the
convent and return to Ireland several years later and now has her own family
not that far away from here in Athlone.
I did indeed manage to put
in some time for travelling during the quieter months when the trails in
Connemara would not run.
I spent one week in the US
travelling and hunting with different hunts were again I had been invited to do
so. My nephew, Tony Leahy, eventually become the Chairman of the Masters of
Foxhounds Association in the US and many customers coming to hunt with me in
Ireland would tell me that they either knew him or had hunted with him.
I also hunted with the
Orange County Hunt in Virginia with Jaqui Kennedy at the time.
Huntin in the US is quite
different from hunting in Ireland mainly due to the landscape. There are wide
open planes with little natural obstacles like drains or hedges as we would
have them here. There are more man-made jumps put along the way and there is
always a second field, non-jumping field, that would be led around the jumps
for those not wanting to jump. This would be impossible here in Ireland were
you either get to the other side of the wall or drain or you don’t.
There are longer stretches
where they canter or gallop and so the hunt is faster but less technical I
would say if I have to sum it up. They also hunt Coyotes in many places rather
than Foxes as they are very plentiful in comparison.
I returned to the US again another time to take part in a ride for one week with maybe 40 or 50 men doing a cattle drive across the west of America.
Unlike on the Connemara
Trail I run at home were the riders stay in Hotels along the route it was here
all traditional Cowboy life with campfires and bedroll on the ground. It was an
amazing experience I really enjoyed and I would have loved to do it again a
second time another year when I was invited to join again but I could not make
the time for it.
I also had this idea that
I wanted to visit Japan which I found interesting as it’s culture and landscape
was so very different from ours. I knew the food would be too and I made a rule
for myself to eat whatever the locals have too and I would be offered, which
prove to be more difficult than I thought.
I was amazed to see how
little space there was everywhere. It seemed there were buildings and people
everywhere and hardly any free spaces in between. Also in the cities and towns
the houses were built right next to each other or attached even and large families
lived in small flats which made them come up with the idea to fold the beds up
against the wall during the day to make more space for living. I was stunned to
see it all so close up while I had heard of it before all right.
It was an experience I had
made now and I was happy with that but would not feel like going back there
again.
Different when I went for
a riding holiday myself with my two daughters to
Namibia, South Africa.
It was an amazing
experience to see this beautiful nature and the wild animals up close, sure it
was somewhat scary too but I just trusted that the guides knew what they were
doing. They also carried guns at all times and there was one thing for sure – you
do not want to fall off if your horse would spook at a Lion or Elephant
suddenly coming out of the bushes. Needless to say that the temperatures are
high and it gets very hot during the day.
The landscape is amazingly
beautiful and the accommodation and service outstanding. I did bring back a
stack of brochures from the place to make them available for my own customers
to see and bring home. A good bit of riding experience is advisable to have
though going on those rides. I remember on the last day on the way to the home
yard two horses took off with their not so experienced riders and galloped into
the yard, one rider falling off landing very close to some concrete block which
was sitting there beside the lane for whatever reason.
He was very lucky he
missed this block and didn’t get badly injured at all.
All in all I did not go
away that much as for once I really love what I’m doing at home and Connemara
to me is the most beautiful and magical place to be and secondly something
mostly does not fully go to plan when I’m away leaving my own business alone.
I do have my sister Peggy
living in Tasmania and I often thought I should go and visit her and see this
part of the world as well, which promised to be very fascinating from what I
heard. But I threatened the long flights and the time it would take me being
away and so I never got there, however she would come to visit me later on here
in Ireland.
Even during the winter
months it was not all just hunting business as there were always people who
just wanted to ride out hacking or cross country jumping without taking part in
any hunts. Therefore I had lovely areas to ride available near the home yard
across my own land including cross country jumps and stone walls and also a
large forestry area nearby. The thing with the forest was that everything
looked very much alike, every lane and every clearing looked similar. More than
once I got a bit lost but always eventually found the right way back out of the
woods.
However one time, leading
a group of riders through the forest I really got lost in such a way I was
worried to get back out before it got dark, given that the days are short
during the winter month. It had been a dull day since morning, with heavy clouds
and it wasn’t very bright in general all day. The ground was wet and saturated
with water from the rain over the past couple of weeks. It was hard to make out
if there were any hoofprints from today already in case we were going in a
circle which I honestly could not rule out either. So I decided the best I
could do was to tell them honestly that I wasn’t quite sure at the moment where
exactly we were and which path to follow to get back out of the forest. But of
course I had to come up with some plan to make it not sound too serious and so
I told them that if they started to sing a song for the fairies and little
people they would come to help us.
Surprisingly they took it
pretty easy and several young girls in the group, they were from France,
started to sing a song I didn’t really understand since it was French but
seemingly did the job nicely. It didn’t take long at all when a group of deer
appeared in front of us and as we came closer they started to move into a
certain direction and I decided to follow them. They kept moving away from us,
as they naturally do being shy animals, but they never went too far away so we
could still see them. As we kept following them we came back to the main
driveway which was leading into the forestry and which brought us back out to
where we had come from and so we made it back home to the yard before it got
fully dark. The roads were quiet and it was enough daylight still for us to be
seen by oncoming cars so everything worked out fine.
This was an amazing
experience and the riders said if they didn’t see it with their own eyes they
would have not believed anyone telling them this story.
In more recent years there
would always be some riders thinking getting lost would not be possible given
that they would have mobile phones with navigation system and all kind of fancy
stuff, only until they realised they had no phone signal in those areas we were
riding which I admittingly find quite amusing.
I’m in general a great
believer that we should not worry too much about what is going to happen or how
things will unfold and that everything will work out in the end. You will hear
me saying this repeatedly and for some reason or the other it has always been
true for me.
Some might say I would not
do enough planning and that one has to think things out more in advance but I
don’t think this to be true as we might make plans but circumstances change and
we would have to adjust and spend more time on planning and changing plans
instead of just living and flow with whatever unfolds which at the end of the
day is out of our hands anyway.
This would not be the only occasion we would meet the little people or signs of their existence on our trail rides. I keep telling people that since I was born on 1st of May I was told have the ability to meet and communicate with the little folks. The fairies would tell me to come out at night and meet them in the Ringfort we have out in our land however since this is the rule, I’m not allowed to remember anything of it when I wake up the next morning.
I once told this story to
a travel agent who had joined us on a ride before starting to offer it to their
customers and found it printed in travel magazines since but that’s ok. It was
one day up in the mountain where I had gone to check on animals I had grazing
there when this Leprechaun crossed my way and I finally got the chance to catch
him. I had him held tight and given the little devils they are you want to be
very careful since they would play any kind of tricks on you.
Haven’t said this he
suddenly looked passed me and told me there was this sexy blond girl standing
behind me, wherever she came from and I turned around to have a look, when the
Leprechaun with a quick move got out of my hand and disappeared…. he clearly
knew my weak point.
But this was not the only time I seen a Leprechaun. At another occasion riding in the woods, this time in Connemara, on a lovely day in spring. The sun was shining and the trees started to show the first leaves what made for a lovely light in the woods. The fern had started to shoot up already, not as high as it would be later in the year but high enough to cover the ground in a bright fresh green colour. We rode alongside a little stream when we spotted this Leprechaun coming out of the ferns and crossing our path and before I could tell the other riders he jumped into the stream. Right beside me riding was a longtime customer Felix, a priest from Switzerland, who came every year with his friends. He seen the Leprechaun too and was pretty amazed that these little people really do exist. The only thing we couldn’t fully agree on was that Felix thought the Leprechaun wore swimming togs when he jumped into the water while I thought he had just dropped all his close as he plunged in. As much as we tried to keep track we could not make out where he went and so he disappeared on us.
This is another story we
would tell to fellow riders year after year, especially when the Swiss group
was here.
While I owned land myself
all along the routes I used for the trail riding in Connemara there were also
long stretches of either public land or commonage as well as privately owned
lands I crossed through. I always made it my priority to have the best possible
relationship with all neighbours and landowners and would always stop with
anyone we met along the way for a chat.
Some places were so
remotely located in the mountains that it was nice for them too to have a chat
when we came by as there would not be many people calling in on a normal day to
day basis. Especially children would keep an eye out on the certain days in the
week we would ride by to come out and see the horses and pet them or I would
even let them sit on a Pony while we stopped to chat the parents.
Those remote locations in
Connemara which are also known for producing the thought after Poocheen or
Moonshine as we call this high % spirit.
One place we would ride by at the outskirts of Oughterard was Aughnanure Castle, with its ancient ruin it attracts many visitors and my riders very much enjoyed the views of it too. It was right beside where a young boy lived who loved to come out and meet us when we were riding past with the horses.
Well, what else can I say
than that a couple of years on, as soon as he was old enough, he was out on the
trail with me helping and would do so for years and many of you would know and
love Lee for the ever friendly smiling and caring person he is.
Aughnanure Castle
chatting with Lee
Around Christmas time I
made it my business to go out to Connemara and visit all the people and places
we would come by on the trail and call in with some bottles or other little
presents of appreciation and have a chat. One elderly Lady said she was always
looking forward to this and had a special Christmas Cake ready for me of which
she knew I loved so much.
I would get Christmas
Puddings, Cakes and other homemade things in different places but most of all
it is about the chat over a cup of tea and the visit as such.
One yard located far in
the mountain is built on the slope and even outside the house there is no even
levelled area where one would park. It was a wintry kind of day with cold rain
and all I was thinking when I got there was to grab a bottle of whiskey and
some cheese and hushed quickly to the door which I knew would not be locked and
would even have the key stuck in the door from the outside as most people out
here would do it.
Leisurely as I’m
anyway, I left my Land Rover parked
there without pulling the hand brake that day…. and sure enough while I was
inside, sitting by the lovely open fire place having tea and this special
Christmas Cake…. the Land Rover took off down the hill and stopped only when it
hit a stone wall going across the yard. Thank God for the stone wall I have to
say or else it would have went a lot further down the land and a lot more
damage would have been done.
Given the tough built of
the Defender there was not too much damage done except for the lights and some
dents but I would surely never park there again without pulling the hand brake.
That’s at least what I said that very day.
While I drove any vehicle
I had available at the beginning, even an old
Volkswagen Bus, eventually when I could afford it, the Land Rover
Defenders became my go to drive for out on the land and trails. The ability to
go where I could have impossibly gone with any other vehicle and the strong and
sturdy built made it just perfect for the tough and rough usage I needed it
for.
Driving through one of the lakes in my mountain
Picnic lunch
After good 20 years in business I felt that while it was great to do the Connemara Trail rides and the Hunting business and it all worked out very successful for me, there was something more I had to do. I wanted to create something that would be there for future generations to come and to preserve the history of the horse in Ireland and how we did depend on the horse in the times past.
I had my eyes on a lovely
old estate just a few minutes’ drive east of Loughrea town, Dartfield, once the
home of the Blake family who had built Dartfield House in 1827. Today it
stretches over 350 acres but had been a lot larger back then.
The property had changed
owners several times over the years and the original house was now derelict and
so where the courtyard buildings which ones housed the stables and living
quarters for the servants. The location and the layout of the ruins looked perfect
for what I had in mind. Not to mention what I could do with all the land
besides just keeping horses, cattle and sheep there.
I had the vision of
building a Museum dedicated to the Irish Horse and Pony and I could build a
Cross Country Course and use this place as part of my riding business,
especially during the winter month when not on the Trails in Connemara. All I
had to do though first was to find the owner and get to speak to him if he
would sell it to me at all.
I found out he was on the
Isle of Man where he had some development projects going on at the time.
So I organised a flight to
go and meet him. I had told nobody about my idea and what I was up to or where
I was going as I prefer to not have other opinions or limiting believes
interfering with my plans until I have it all thought out myself. I had weight
up the pros and cons already and of course I was fully aware that this is a
project which would require a considerable amount of labour, determination and
funding. I was never afraid of work, determination I always have loads of and
the funding could be organised as well I figured.
When I got to the Island
to meet the owner he was very welcoming and so enthusiastic about the projects
he had ongoing there that he spent all day driving me around showing me
everything in great detail. Every time I tried to bring the conversation towards
Dartfield he did not go into it and changed subject again. I was getting
somewhat frustrated as I had only this day and the next morning before my
flight back was booked.
After spending all day
driving around with him and even at dinner he would not speak about selling
Dartfield I slowly started to prepare myself for the scenario I did not want to
imagine. But since I’m always believing in the most positive outcome of things
I started the conversation again the next morning when I met with him after
breakfast.
He had agreed to drive me
back to the airport and on the way I brought the topic up again – after all it
was the reason I had come here to meet him.
This time he was all in
for it and I would have never expected how easy and quick we came to an
agreement once we started to talk it all through, it felt like that this was
all clear from the start from his end and he had just not seen the need to
speak about it already the day before since we had still so much time and he
had so many things he wanted to show me and tell me about.
When we had reached the
airport and finalised our dealings we somehow delayed a little longer as we
thought and suddenly it was high time to get to the plane. Luckily it is a
small enough airport and one could literally drive almost onto the runway. When
we got there we seen that they had already closed the door on the plane and
were about to remove the steps while the plane started to slowly roll forward.
Now he really did drive
onto the runway and right up in front of the plane, winding down the car window
waving at them. The pilot couldn’t but stop again and the steps were moved back
and the door opened in order to let me on board.
I was tired, happy and
relieved all at once when I had finally taken my seat on the plane home – now a
new adventure was laying ahead of me.
I first
started to make use of my new property by putting stock into the fields for
grazing and made a map in my head how I wanted to use the place. I would plant
certain areas with trees, some smaller patches and a larger area to have a
forest to ride through. I would use the fields for grazing while at the same
time I created a Cross Country Course with all different kind of Cross Country
Jumps
.
A water
stream running through the land was used as part of a water jump but also leads
into a pond while at the same time provide water for the life stock in the
adjacent fields.
I had
made a plan how I wanted to use the buildings, once restored, so they would
host a Horse Museum showcasing the history of the horse in Ireland, the old
horse drawn farm machineries, the hunting history in Ireland and an Art Gallery
and Tack Shop. I had also planned a Coffee Shop and function rooms for
corporate events. This however would take a couple of years until the work
would be finished. First of all I had to get planning permission and organise
the financial end of course too.
Already rebuilt Courtyard buildings,
sand arena and parking lot
Rebuilt court yard and sand arena
New built entrance and renovated Gate Lodge
As I said earlier this
development would take a couple of years and I will speak more about it as we
go along.
Besides starting to develop Dartfield I continued my Trail Riding business in Connemara week after week during the summer month.
On the Coast Trail, when the tide was low, I would bring the riders across the marsh to an island off the coast of Carna where once several families lived. At some point, many years ago, the government had decided that it was not possible to have this remote place serviced good enough for families to still live there and persuaded them to move into houses on the main land.
Eventually they all agreed
bar one old lady who was born on the island and had never been in any other
place and was in no way prepared to leave her only home she ever had known.
After long talks and all
of her neighbours reassuring her they would still live not far away from her
and she would still be near the sea and so on she eventually said she would
move given one wish she wanted granted. She wanted to bring her pet to live with
her in the new house the same she had it here on the Island.
So when I brought my
riders out to the island I told them this story and instead of finishing it to
the end I would ask them what pet the old lady had. I let them guess and said
we won’t head back until they got it right….mind that the tide would rise again
and we didn’t have endless time.
However I mostly ended up having to tell them that it was a Goose the lady had as a pet or else we would have had to swim back, which was not really an option in this location with a quite long distance to the shore and a current that had not to be underestimated.
We did indeed swim the horses too, however not going out to the Island but in a different location where it was safe to do so.
Admittingly the temperatures are not always that warm here in Ireland for swimming and wearing a swim suit but the riders always enjoyed this a lot even if on the colder days when it meant they had to wear some cloth they would bring especially for it that day which they would change again afterwards.
I remember one year we had
taken on some young people that where brought to us through a programme for
teenagers from Dublin who came from difficult family backgrounds and were to spent some time on an adventure
together for to improve socialising skills and so on.
I had brought two of my
sons with me on the trail that week and I must say we had
no problem whatsoever getting on with them. They enjoyed the week immensely and
we seemingly did the right thing in giving them freedom but yet responsibility
for the animals at the same time during this week.
They had a blast galloping
on the beach and right into the water and even some of them had maybe not
ridden before it just came so naturally to them. I always feel that there is no
better and mentally healthier environment to live in than in the country
surrounded by beautiful nature, animals and genuine, down to earth people.
They had a great week and
I hope could take home some memories for their futures.
Over the years we had a lot of fun on the trail rides, doing really silly things like climbing through the window into a chapel along the way when two people on the ride had told us they wanted to get married.
We found an open window
through which we could fit and one of our American guests who became a good
friend over the years, Snowden Clark, pretended to marry them saying something
like “with the power of marriage.com I herewith announce you as husband and
wife…. etc.”
However, while this had
been just a joke back then, many years later we really had a couple who did get
married on the trail ride. They had planned this beforehand and we had arranged
to have a priest coming with us into the mountain that day to hold the
ceremony.
I had figured out a place
that was accessible with the Land Rover where we could hold the wedding
ceremony. The weather god was totally in agreement too that day and we had a
lovely sunny day with some clouds for the big day. The ladies on the ride where
busy already in the morning getting the horses ready for the occasion with
flowers beautifully plaited into the manes and tales.
We started our ride as
usual in the morning and it was arranged that when we stopped for lunch break
that day, Lee would not only bring the lunch but also had the priest with him
to hold the ceremony during lunch break. Some of the other riders functioned as
brides maids and best man. It was a beautiful day and everything worked out
perfectly.
I hope that they have a
wonderful live together ever since.
Besides the business aspect of it all and having to make a living it was always so much more about doing what I love and to see how much the guests enjoyed their time riding here in Connemara.
There is
not greater reward than getting all the lovely, heartwarimg reviews and
feedback from the customers. Some even speak about being here having changed
their lives by giving them a total different perspective on things and others
even moved to the country side back in their home lands or bought that horse
they enver thought they would ever buy or even moved to Ireland alltogether.
I always
felt somewhat embarassed and didn’t really want to aknowledge it when I was
told the attraction and success to this trail ride wouldn’t not only be the
beauty of Connemara but me as a person and how I deal with people.
When
Andrea showed me on social media how many people sent Birthday or Christmas
whishes or - even more unbelievable to me - there is a group on Facebook (not
that I would know much myself about all those things and gadgets) called the
Willie Leahy Fanclub. I just said you must be all mad….. bad of course I’m more
than grateful for all the lovely people I came to meet all through the years
and if I could only make one of them feel better for having been here then I’m
doing something right.
Connemara
of course has a lot to offer. The natural beauty of it as such, the people who
live here for generations and a good mix of hidden treasures and well know
tourist attractions and landmarks.
On our
rides for example we would pass the Alcock and Brown memorial. It marks the
place where John Alcock and Arthur Brown landed after the very first
transatlantic flight in June 1919. They had started from Newfoundland and
landed just outside Clifden in Connemara after a good 16 hrs flight.
Also not
far from one of the most beautiful beaches in Connemara where we would enjoy
long canters along the shore we find the ruin of Bunowen Castle. This castle
was once home of Grainne O’Malley, the
Pirate Queen of the west of Ireland.
Bunowen Castle
Alcock
& Brown Memorial Site
Mannin Beach
Before I
get caught up telling all about our adventures out west or the Wild West as I
like to call it, I must not forget that alongside the trails I had started to
develop Dartfield into the place I had visualised for quiet a while in my own
head.
When all
the work was done and finished, well, I guess one is never finished, but let’s
say it was in a state I was happy with to open it to the public as what you all
know as Dartfield Horse Museum and Equestrian Center.
It now
comprised a Cross Country Course, Woodlands to walk and ride through, the
Museum, Art and Antiques Gallery, Tack and Gift Shop and a Café. Alongside the Museum buildings there were
some stables and a Sand Arena.
Not too
long after having opened up the first 3 Star Cross Country Event was held at
Dartfield. Such events take a lot of work in terms of preparation and
organising and althought this event was a great success we would not have them
regulary in the future since even after all the work put in beforehand the
weather could ruin it all in the end. We had gone through all the work and been
ready on the day when the judges had to call the whole event off when the
ground had gotten too wet and deep on the day due to heavy rain the night
before etc.
The cross
country course got used on a daily basis anyway for my own business as well as
some Hunter Trials we would run every so often.
The rebuilt court yard buildings now housed the main part of the Museum, showcasing old horse drawn farm machinery which was used to work the lands and carriages and traps that used to be the main means of transport.
A section about the
history of fox hunting in Ireland and the evolution of the horse as well as a
veterinary section.
School Tour
The former staff living quarters were restored as well and showcase an old kitchen, a farriers workshop and harness making room.
At a later stage Master Blacksmith Stephen Quinn would set up his work shop in one part of the Museum and visitor would enjoy watching him work and learn about this craft.
We also built a Coffee
Shop and Tack Shop along with an Art and Antiques Gallery and function rooms.
While most of you reading
this have probably been visiting Dartfield at some point I feel we should
include enough photos to also give a better idea to those of you who have not
been here in person. Many thanks to Dennis Kalnicky who took many of the photos
around the Museum and Dartfield.
The courtyard and some Antiques and Paintings
Entrance and Receptions Area
Tack and Gift Shop
Once I
had Dartfield set up and open to the public I also changed the Connemara Trail
Itinerary so we would only ride Monday to Friday in Connemara and spent the
last day, Saturday, in Dartfield.
So the
riders could try their skills in the Cross Country course or just enjoy hacking
around the farm and woodlans and also visit the Museum.
There
were often jokes that we now had lunch in the Coffee Shop with chairs and
tables instead of picnic lunch in the midst of Connemar and are not used to
that anymore after a week out in the west.
Dartfield Brochure
Dartfield Horse Museum - YouTube
Twice we hosted a so called Muck Run at Dartfield, where people chose to run through the cross country course, water jumps and woodlands, drains and ditches on food in early spring when the land was still wet enough, mucky even, as a kind of competition. The run was timed and medals given after to the competitors who finished first, second and so on….
I must say I very much prefer to do this on horse back but it was a great fun event to have and watch. The organisers had done a great job and everything was set up and organised very well.
Winners
Despite the fact we have showers on site the set up was to wash the participants off with the power washer outside after the race and I guess the trainers and socks were more or less for the bin anyway if not already lost in the deep mucks somewhere. For months after we would find shoes all over the place while riding out or checking on animals in the fields.
Of course we got days on
the trail in Connemara as well where we got simply drowned.
I remember days where it
rained so hard and without any pause that we could not even stop much for lunch
as it would be difficult, once dismounted the horses, to mount again onto the
wet saddle and continue. So I just got Andrea when meeting us with the lunch to
have the sandwiches and tea cups ready to hand to everyone while on horseback.
The biscuits which had to be part of every lunch got soaked in your hand almost
before one could eat them in the rain.
When we finished that day,
I guess everyone was happy to get off and we untacked the horses and got the
riders to the hotel as quickly as possible. We hung up the saddle pads inside
an old house which was part of the land where the horses were left overnight
but I knew well they would not be try by next morning as they were literally
dripping wet. Spare ones were already used up from the day before which was
very wet too but by far not as bad as this day.
Since it was an 2 hours’
drive to get more spare ones from home I didn’t do much about it for the
moment. When we got to the Abbey Glen Hotel in Clifden that evening the riders
were greeted with the warmest possible welcome as always in this amazing place.
The service here is always outstanding and everyone is made feel very special
on arrival. Paul and Brian go above and beyond to make every guest feel welcome
and at home. This together with the beauty of the place makes the wet day
quickly forgotten.
Brian and Paul, Abbei Glen Hotel
The next morning when we got breakfast one of the hotel employees came to me and said they have a pile of bath towels they are not using anymore as they are older and not white enough as to the Hotels standard for customers and we could use them folded up as saddle pads if that would be any good to us….. well that was the best thing I could have heard that morning. Just another way this place surprises and stuns one with being helpful and accommodating.
Ever since we have lots of
white towels around our place….
Sure we also have times
when the weather is the total opposite, not that heat waves are common in
Ireland but we also had days which were unusually warm and this is very much
enjoyable when you are near water on the beach or bring the horses swimming.
However when evening comes or in the early morning hours we have lots of those
little flies we call midgets here in Connemara. They land even on humans and
make your head/hair very itchy and same goes for the horses of course.
In fact it happened on two
occasions, at least the more later ones I can remember, when the horses broke
out in the early morning hours from the field we had them left overnight due to
so many Midgets making them very uncomfortable.
One of the times it
happened the phone rang at 5am and it was the Garda Station ringing to tell me
the horses were out on the N59 heading towards Maam Cross and that a Squad Car
had turned them into a small side road, the one leading up to Maumean exactly
spoken. The horses had been left in the
field at Athry overnight where there is a lake on the opposite side of the road
which causes the midgets to be extremely bad there at times.
It’s not a very gentle way
to wake up anyway with the ringing of the phone, especially the ring tone on
mine is always turned up quite loud to make sure I hear it when I’m out and
about during the day. However at 5am it wakes one up very quick and with the
message received by the Garda one gets going rather fast. Since mobile phones
were implemented I’m told that I spent half the day on the phone but I might
add that it is not me making so many calls but rather so many calls coming in
to me. Personally I feel it is impolite not to answer when someone tries to
ring and so I always try to answer every call unless it would be in a situation
where it is absolutely not possible. Although for example riding one horse and
leading another one along, for me is still not a valid reason not to answer the
phone.
But joke aside, this was a serious situation given that traffic with people going to work in Galway would soon start. We decided to bring both Jeeps and headed off to Maumean. Passing the field I could see the fence post pushed over and the gate opened. Horses where obviously scratching themselves at the post and it eventually broke.
Driving from Carna to
Maumean takes about 20 min and it felt twice as long that morning. Still being
a bit shaky from the cold start this morning we kept going and heading up the
small side road where the Garda said they had turned in the horses. There was
still no sight of them for a good while until we passed the entrance into the
forestry where we had our lunch stop the previous day. That gate was closed so
they could not get in there and they had continued on and we found them grazing
in the fields on the right hand side of the small road right after a bend.
There are no fences around here and this area is open all the way up to the top
of the mountain and back down the far side - so in other words they could go
very, very far from here. Since they had escaped from the field they had no
collars on nor was there any chance to catch them like that.
I thought about the
situation for a moment and decided it was best to go back and get the lorry and
try to get the horses loaded up somehow. Without going into the how I just told
Andrea to make sure the horses wouldn’t go any further up the mountain and left
to get the lorry. Of course all one could do was to make sure they won’t go
back onto the small road and head towards the N59 again but otherwise it was
more just hoping they won’t make any further move from here.
It took me almost an hour
to go back to Carna, get the lorry and return to Maumean again. Boy was I glad
to see them all still grazing in around the same area.
Now they had to get loaded of course. I reversed the lorry at a place where there was a crossing over the drain which run alongside the road and as it happened as I had parked there two cars came out of this quiet road just a the right time. For once they couldn’t pass anyway right now but were so helpful to stand on both sides of the road and helping to make sure the horses would not head along the road again. We just had to walk up around them now in a big circle and carefully start moving them on downhill towards the open lorry. I stayed near the truck to make sure nothing would go wrong heading them up the ramp.
Thankfully the horses
slowly started to move towards the lorry and it seemed after the adventure this
morning they were somewhat happy to see the lorry they knew and it was kind of likeheading
into their stables.
One after the other
climbed up the ramp, loosely with no headcollars on them and we just could
close the gates and ramp once they were all in.
Thank god for nice people
who just appear and help out at just the right moment we got them loaded
without any further problems. Now just to head back to Athry from where the
ride was to start this morning. On arrival there I decided we won’t unload them
now since time was flying and it was not long until the mini bus would arrive
with the riders. I just let the ramp down to make sure it won’t get too warm
but kept the back gates closed. Luckily for the two vehicles brought in the
morning we could quickly get the Land Rover back from Carna in order to have
the saddles and bridles we had in it which we needed for the ride as well.
It felt like being done
for the day and ready to head back to the house when the day in fact actually
only started. Of course the riders wondered somewhat on arrival to find the
horses in the truck instead of the field, some thought we put them already in
to have them ready to tack up instead of catching them while the riders are
here already. I said nothing for the moment and kept it for lunch time to tell
them what had actually already happened this morning.
But this was not the only
time we had to find the horses in the morning in order to start the ride.
Another morning with a
very large group from the USA in fact we had just finished the first day and
the horses were left at Maam Cross, again in a field beside a lake. This is
important for the horses to have access to water but again at times when the midgets
are bad it can cause problems.
Again it was a call from
the Garda telling me about the horses being seen along the N59, this time
coming from Maam Cross heading towards Oughterard. I rang Lee as early as it
was and we headed all out to see where we could find them. Since they were
nowhere to be seen along the road it was very difficult this time to even
locate them.
We done a lot of driving
around, asking people and looking for hoof prints but we are talking about a
vast area and even though there were hoof prints to be seen on the old railway
line heading Outghterard direction, the opposite from where we came here the
day before, they got lost eventually and we were still no wiser as to where to
find them.
Only through phone calls
to as many people we could think off – and Lee knows a lot of people in
Oughterard - we eventually got an idea where they were seen and could possibly
be by now. After a long search we found them outside the village, on the Glann
side of Oughterard. They had come a long way and again we had to hope they
won’t move any further until I got the truck. Lee had gotten help and so when I
came back we were able to load them up and head back to Maam Cross where we had
a pen we could keep them until the riders arrived.
Never a dull moment
really.
I often noticed people
think I don’t care enough, in terms of being worried about things and what
could happen but in fact I do care but don’t allow myself to get caught up in
worrying.
If there is one thing I
learned from all the years is that always expecting the best outcome instead of
painting negative scenarios in one’s head definitive helps any situation you
find yourself in.
This is the main reason I
don’t like to discuss my ideas and plans with many people as I don’t want to
hear all about what could go wrong and be difficult about it as I firmly
believe it has an impact on the outcome.
If someone would point out to me what could happen in a negative way I like to reply that we won’t eve go there now and that it will all work out in the end, of course sometimes we might have to do something to make it work.
At Maam Cross the Peacocks
Hotel with its outstanding Clock Tower is a real land mark. Behind the hotel
the Farmers Mart would be held for selling and buying life stock and the
Farmers Market is on every Saturday. The old railway line running by with its
station located behind the Hotel is not in use anymore for a long while.
Only in recent years a
local man started to restore the Railway Station and is hoping to have a train
running again at least for part of it as a Tourist attraction. He had spoken to
me about his project since I own part of the old railway line and the adjoining
land there.
Another Hotel we use on
the Trail ride is the Carna Bay Hotel in the village of Carna, where I also
have the house and land by the beach. We always had people given the choice
between Guesthouse and Hotel Accommodation on the trail but Dinner would be for
all riders together in the Hotel which ideally were located in walking distance
to the Guesthouses or else we would organise transport.
In Cashel we have the
Zetland Hotel with its adjacent Pub Johnny O’Loughlin’s, all owned and run by
Colm Redmond.
Our riders loved his place
not only for the fun and entertainment Colm always provided but also the
Whiskey Testing he arranged for them. Having his own brand of Whiskey, The
Irish Fiddlers Whiskey, and other spirits on the market this is something close
ti his heart and he enjoyes doing.
Colm Redmond, Zetland House Hotel
Sometimes I got asked by people if we would camp on the trail rides but this is something I never even would consider. After a long day in the saddle, rain or shine, it is an important part of a nice, relaxing vacation to come to an inviting Hotel or Guesthouse and have a nice Dinner together and Breakfast in the morning. The riders who chose the Guesthouse options got to meet the locals owning the accommodation and enjoyed the chats a lot.
I know the head line slogan on the Connemara Trail Brochure reads
“Challenge Yourself” but besides the terrain we cross riding in the mountains
and bogs I hope it is still relaxing at the same time.
A couple of years after I opened Dartfield I got shortlisted for
the Entrepreneur of the Year awards by Ernest & Young. I hadn’t heard much
about it before, I guess mainly because I didn’t look at things like this to be
honest and so it came much to my surprise. The nomination was based on both, my
long established Trail Riding business and the newly started Dartfield Horse
Museum business.
Even so I didn’t win it in the end I had made it into the final
and it was a great experience to meet so many other business owners and to
share and exchange experiences with them.
As part of this we were brought to the USA and traveled through
different states, including a visit to Havard University.
I remember after visiting New Orleans we all boarded a plane to
Chicago. The difference in temperature within the same Country couldn’t be more
obvious. Given the small area of Ireland it made a huge difference to travel
from the south to the northern parts of the USA. So we were all still dressed
according to the warm climate we had in New Orleans and were freezing cold arriving in Chicago. After spending two days
there visiting some businesses which were established by Irish immigrants we
would move on again.
When we headed for Massachusetts to visit Harvard University we
were told that each of us was to address a few words to the students there.
Here was me, having left
school at a very young age, thinking to myself that this would surely not be something
I should tell them about.
However in the end I was
quite happy with my speech in which I told them that everyone is different and
there is no ‘one for all’ guide to a successful business. I surely could not do
what they are studying for but neither could they do what I’m doing. So it does
not matter what you do in live but much more that you love what you do and that
it suits you, your personality and lifestyle, for one can only truly succeed by
putting in all the effort and hard work needed and this is a lot easier to do
when you love what you are doing. In fact it does not even feel like work when
it’s your calling.
Willie Leahy - Connemara Trails (Profile) - YouTube
While on this trip we also got to see the Grand Canyon. There was the option to either go for a mule ride along the Canyon or do a Helicopter fly over.
Let me tell you, the trail rides I do in Connemara might seem
challenging for some but when I saw the small path they ride on along the very
edge of the Canyon with the Mules I was glad I had decided for the Helicopter
flight.
It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience and so was the
whole EOY Awards.
While all my children work
with horses and farming in one way or another, my son,
Justin, who had already spent some time in Germany studying engineering, where
he was even involved in the planning and construction of the new parliament
building in Berlin, had moved to the USA.
He first had a very successful riding school
business in Chicago and eventually moved to Oregon to start his own trail
riding business, just like I was doing here in Ireland.
So when he started the trail I flew over to take part in the very
first trail ride. The Willamette Coast Ride as his business is called leads
through enchanted woodlands, beautiful vineyards and open fields to the Pacific
Ocean which allows for long canters along the beach.
Accommodation is also organised along the trail. The climate is very similar to Ireland but they have trees as tall we never seen them here at home before.
Some of the customer on the ride that first week had been on the trail in Connemara with me before.
In Dartfield we also got people visiting for educational and
research purposes.
So we had Alyssa, a young lady who had the dream to do a
documentary about her travelling around the globe and to ride every horse breed
in the world, which she then documented on social media as Discover the Horse
Quest. She came to us for the Connemara Pony breed and it was lovely having her
here and brining her riding out and recording a short interview with her.
We also had students from Maynooth business campus visiting who were studying business development and equestrian business. They had questions prepared beforehand but also wanted to hear all about how I started my business and what I thought was important to be successful in the horse industry. I keep saying that a lot of people find it hard to make any decent income with horses and might even lose more money than they make. However horses were so good to me all my life and this was really the main reason I wanted to start up the Horse Museum.
Good quality horses of
course are essential for a start and by saying this I mean foremost healthy,
intelligent horses with a correct confirmation and a clear mind.
We are very lucky in
Ireland with our native breeds combining those attributes in a unique way.
Of course one has to
differentiate what a horse is going to be used for. If one is looking for a
hunt horse, a showjumper or just a steady quiet hacking horse, there are
different requirements a rider has in regards to the horse. I always made sure
to have different types of horses to suit all different kind of riders and
buyers. My horses took part in hunting and done cross country all along and I
had also some Irish Sport Horses competing on shows, even internationally.
The Connemara Ponies largely
make for scopey and brave showjumping and eventing Ponies, clever and
surefooted but there are also some quiet enough for to make kids starter ponies
for pony clubbing.
Aille Faye out Cross Country with a visitor
Sarah with Aille Quizzical aka Spikey in Millstreet
Rachel in Millstreet with her Connemara Pony
All the Connemara Ponies I
bred are going back to the stallion Grange Finn Sparrow and his offspring and
one other stallion I purchased later on, Garryhinch Finn.
The Irish Draught Horse
produces the most of the relaxed, easy going hacking horses, surefooted and
intelligent in minding themselves and the rider at the same time. They excel at
hunting and entry level eventing and are a phantastic allrounder horse. Their
ability to figure out the sometimes tricky jumps while out hunting, walls,
ditches and drains is amazing and they keep a clear calm mind at the same time
which makes them perfect hunt horses.
Visitors and buyers from
all over the world value them for exactly those qualities.
Bell out hunting with a friend from Germany
Socks with a visitor out hunting
Bellatrix and Alex
In fact all the horses in the photos showing here have already moved on to their new homes and owners and it’s wonderful to get back messages and photos from them being happy with each other, which is always my main concern when selling horses – the best possible match between horse and rider.
The Irish Sport Horse, where the Irish Draught bloodlines mix with Thoroughbreds and Continental Sport Horse breeds are known for their more scopey jumping abilities but at the same time largely keeping the clear mind of the traditional Irish horses. This makes them a great choice for showjumping and higher level eventing.
Daniel with his Irish Sport Horse in Millstreet
Mr Valley Clover out Cross Country with
Sarah
and taking 2nd place in the puissance in Cavan clearing 2.05 m
Miss Mollie Malone (Master Imp x Clover Hill) with Sarah in the Speed Derby in Millstreet
While we got so many photos of the horses we sold with their new owners we can’t really share them all here and wouldn’t be able to ask everyone for permission. But here are some photos of a Connemara Pony who moved to Germany.
When this young lady came
to help for a few month with the day to day riding business, we had just
brought him and the others from that years herd into the stables to start them
off for riding. He was not very approachable at the start to say the least and he
had not gotten a proper name at this stage and I don’t want to write down here what
nicknames he had been given.
But there was Maddie with
her endless patience and connection she was able to build with the Ponies and
when the time came for her to return back home to Germany it was clear she
would not go back without him.
I think if I’m not wrong
it was only a year later we got the most beautiful photos from her and Sherlock
as she had named him.
Maddie is training him in
liberty and natural horseman ship (I hope I say this correct here) and also
rides without bridle a lot of the time.
As I said we get many of
those lovely messages and photos and we are so grateful for all of them who
keep in touch. To be honest, at the end of it all, this is what makes it so
special to run this business – the ability to meet so many different and
wonderful people of all parts of the world and from all backgrounds and to
learn and hear something about their lives from each and every one of them.
We keep a guestbook here
at Dartfield, where on the last day of the holiday people leave a short or even
maybe not so short message and comments with us. It’s heartwarming to read them
and reassuring me over and over again that I’m doing the right thing. If I ever
had a bad day or would get tired on long days all one needs to do is to go
through the books and read
the lovely messages to
keep one going again with new energy.
We also have wonderful
photobooks we got from customers. A lovely lady from Switzerland, Gabi, who
came over 20+ years with her friends even put in all the work to make one for
every year of their stay with us. One week on the Connemara Trail in spring
time and one week here at Aille Cross and Dartfield in autumn every year. So
grateful for those lovely memories to look back at.
I also got a special photo
book from a group of ladies from Colorado. They also came riding with us over a
period of 20+ years and there is some lovely writing put into this book. It
starts off with the older photos from 20 years ago and moves on to the newer
ones now including their now grown up children and they all wrote something
about their stay with us here.
There is one I would like to share with you here, with permission of course. It won’t be possible to read it from the photograph so we will type it out as well.
Dear
Willie,
This
will be the seventh time I have come to Ireland to go on your horse trip. The
first one was 22 years ago with two friends. We saved up for 2 years to attend
the trip. We looked in all the horse magazines for a trip that might fit our
style. We wanted something that had several days of riding and all day riding.
We wanted something in England or Scotland or Ireland because we had read a lot
of romance novels and these places seemed very romantic and had castles and
horses and stuff. So when we saw your advertisement it seemed like a good match
and we signed up.
Little
did we know that your trip, your horses, your country, your countrymen and
especially you, would become so much a part of our lives. I immediately upon entering
Ireland felt as though I was home. The smell of the peat, the friendliness of
the people we met and the scenery, the weather and food all felt so familiar and welcoming. And
then we met you, Willie, and your warmth, your ability to talk to all sorts of
people, your role model behaviour and foresight to counsel all ages and gender
of people is amazing. How you can talk to anyone and make them feel special and
important, even when you may not necessarily like them, is amazing. Your sense
of humour is fun and light hearted and not at anyone’s expense. You are the
example of laughing with someone not at them.
I
love your work ethic and lets just get it done attitude. I love the way you
make the elderly ladies feel special and how you make the men feel manly. I
love the way you have time to stop and talk to people all along the way and how
you figure out ways to share a bit of your blessings and knowledge with
everyone. I love the way people from all walks of life look up to you and
connect to you on an intellectual and earthy level. I love the way you are so
grounded and down to earth. No pretence is allowed around you and no pettiness
or disdain is tolerated. You have a way of presenting real life consequences to
those who misbehave (like the time you made the young boy M…. walk on the
mountain when he was not being so pleasant to us ladies) and made it seem like
you needed his help instead of the reprimand you were really doling out.
I
love your laugh and sense of humour. You are a man of the earth, lover of
animals, lover of people and wiser than anyone I know about the way of the
world. You are a Leprechaun for sure. It is an honour to know you and have had
the tremendous opportunity to spend time with you.
Nancy.L.
To be honest I got very emotional when I read the lines they wrote about me.
But again it tells me that
it is all worth it, every day of hard work and long hours and all the ups and
downs a business like this brings along the way.
We are blessed to live in
a wonderful part of the world and I would not want to spend my life anywhere
else for all the riches in the world.
“It’s hard to explain the
beauty of Connemara in words but you can experience it on horseback” Willie Leahy
This is how an equestrian
holiday magazine quoted me and it is just so true.
Thank you ladies for the wonderful book and writing and thank you to every single one of you all who shared those wonderful memories with me.
Since I loved to have all kinds of animals on the farm besides the Horses, Sheep and Cattle, every so often I would turn up bringing something unexpected back in the trailer or Land Rover. If it was a new Sheep Dog, a Kitten (I always wanted a black cat in the Museum) or Goats and even Pigs, anything was possible.
For a while I had also
kept Deer and had two fields fenced with Deer fence especially to keep them.
However one day the gate was not closed properly and they went out on me.
They surely were still in
the woodlands around or even inside the farm but I didn’t get them back. They
say to put down a trail of oats and they would follow it and I meant to do
this, but this was a prime example of “we do that tomorrow – and then tomorrow
never comes”.
Those fields were
literally the only ones from where the Goats could not escape. In any other
field he stone walls or even wire mesh on top was no problem for them to either
climb or jump. The good thing is that Goats love Horses and so they were happy
to stay around as long as there were Horses in the fields.
However one winter we had
all Horses taken out of one area to let the field rest and only the Goats were
left behind outside with the sheep. Without even trying to come towards the
stables the Goats must have jumped the wall and fence towards the main road,
crossed it thank god safely and moved in with a neighbour further down the road
who kept Race Horses and had some stock outside grazing. He ended up keeping
them for the rest of the winter and they came back to us in spring time when we
had Horses out in those fields again.
We also had two Irish
Wolfhounds besides the Sheep Dogs. They are very friendly and the largest Irish
Dog breed and people loved seeing them around the Museum.
Finn greeting a visitor
Finn and Rhina on their
way into the Museum
What I really wanted to
speak about here though is when I got chatting a man in Connemara who told me
about this Sow he had who just would never get any piglets for him, breeding
with her just didn’t work out and he wanted to give her away as a pet.
So here I come and of
course I brought her home. I can’t really say that anybody seemed too happy
when I arrived with this big sow and it soon turned out she was even harder to
keep than any Deer or Goat. There was seemingly no fence that kept her in since
she either went through it or dug out under it.
She even went through the
stable door at the back of the stable, mind the door was in fact closed – well
it wasn’t closed anymore after and missing a few timber boards too.
I think it’s fair to say
nobody was really too keen on keeping her here and eventually I had agreed to move her on. Another
problem I didn’t expect to happen was that the Horses were terrified of her. It
was so bad that they didn’t even want to go into the stables as such anymore as
one could smell her from afar. Also seeing her around outside or hearing her
caused huge upset and panic in the Horses. Some more than others but all in all
they just didn’t agree with a Pig.
But as life happens, one
morning we came to feed her in one of the horse stables where she was kept
overnight, just to find there was not only herself but 8 little piglets…… so
much for the sow that would not be useful for breeding. Since we have no other
Pigs around she must have been already in young when I got her.
So now where there was one
Pig there were now 9.
As cute as the piglets were when they were small they grew quick and now we had 9 times more upset horses and it really got difficult to run the riding business in a smooth and safe way when it was never sure where our Pigs would suddenly appear. They even went all the way into the woodland and would come running out of the woods etc when we came riding along causing the horses to turn and wanting to run off straight.
One day during the week that
summer while I was on the trail ride in Connemara we had a lovely couple from
the USA visiting the Museum and wanting to go
on a carriage ride. This
is no problem at all normally as we have a carriage and a suitable horse for
this job.
I wasn’t there myself and
a local horse man, Liam Irwin, who helped around the yard on and off since he
came back to Ireland from America was doing the Carriage ride for them. He is
working with horses all his life and there is no shortage in experience and so
on.
However coming back into
the yard after the tour they encountered the Pigs coming out of the hay shed
and Lester, the horse pictured above, normally the most relaxed and quiet horse
you can imagine, started to run off in panic. He run all the way into the
parking lot in front of the Museum where Liam finally could turn him onto a
circle to slow him down. Still Lester kept pulling against the reins so hard
that they eventually snapped and like a miracle Liam managed nevertheless to
stop him in the end with just one rein.
The couple was shocked for
sure in one sense but happy to come inside the Coffee Shop and tell all about
their adventures. After they had gotten some hot port and hot whiskey they said
to Andrea now we can go and do it again, without reins altogether this time.
They stayed in touch ever
since and came back to visit on another occasion and to see the races here but
gave the carriage ride a miss this time. In fact many of the lovely photos
taken around the Museum we showed in the book earlier on were taken by Dennis
and his wife.
It was again what many
people would call Willie’s luck that nothing really bad happened but as I told
you earlier I have my own way of looking at that and explaining it.
However I did take note
the pigs really had to go. They took over the place and started to appear
anywhere anytime and causing safety issues like this was just too much of a
risk.
They even tried to come
into the building and every field we had tried to keep them they dug themselves
out off under the fences. They piglets had grown quite a bit in the meantime
which made it not easier to keep them where we wanted them to stay.
Welcome to Dartfield Piggies
We eventually advertised them for sale and got them sold after a while. I do know that there are Horses that have no problems at all with Pigs being around but given the number of horses we have there were plenty in it that were terrified of them and as you all know, if out of 10 horses in a group 5 or 6 start to panic….. they all join in.
It still makes me laugh to
think when I was riding out with a group of people across the fields in
Dartfield and herding some sheep so we could bring them in for vaccinations and
doing their feet.
There were those 2 or 3
sheep who had escaped into the woods for a while and missed the shearing and
general health maintenance things.
So as a result they had
started to lose their wool in big bundles dragging it behind themselves. One
lady in the group asked me why this is.
I could have explained
this simple enough but whatever little devil got into me there I told her those
are self-shearing Sheep. They need not to be sheared as they lose their wool
themselves. She said she didn’t know we had such special breed in Ireland and
that was it for the moment. I thought to myself I have to tell her the truth
later on.
As we know when things get
busy we easily forget such plans and so the day went by and before I could
explain to her why those sheep were losing their wool the riders were gone back
to their accommodations for that evening. When I came into the Café the next
morning where they already enjoyed tea or even a hot port and were chatting I
overheard them speaking about it.
This lady had already told
the other riders about the self-shearing Sheep and I was stuck for a moment how
to approach this situation now.
When they seen me they had
all sorts of questions and chat for me that I once again said to myself I leave
it to later – later again – and so it never happened.
So please if you should
ever hear people somewhere speaking about self-shearing Sheep in Ireland, just
smile and know where this story comes from. I’m really sorry and do apologise
to the lady I said this to, in case she would read this book.
I mainly keep Connemara Mountain sheep as they are robust and live out all year round.
In Cattle I also like the Black Angus most for the same reason that they calf easy and need very little handling that way. The down side in both cases is they can be fairly wild at times and it takes some experience to handle them safely and efficiently.
Given the large fields we
have in Dartfield the local hunt, The Galway Blazers, would also hold their
Point to Point races here twice per year, in spring and autumn.
It’s a well-liked location
for many racing yards and horses who ran here at the Point to Point in
Dartfield often went on to win big races elsewhere after.
Photos courtesy of Dennis
Kalnicky
The ground conditions have
to be right for this event too and more than once it had to be postponed when
it had rained too much and the field got too wet and deep. When it was too dry
is not good either but one can bring water out with a tank to dampen and soften
the ground.
The turnout is always
great with a good number of entries in each race. I’m not into betting but when
it takes place here at home I would put on a few pound and often got lucky
enough.
Lovely design done by
Carlotta, an artist from Spain who stayed with us for a while helping on the
Connemara Trail and in Dartfield.
While Ireland is known for its mild winter and not too hot summers we do get snow sometimes. Surely we are not prepared for it rightly and traffic comes largely to a standstill and one can even see the shelves in the Super Markets getting emptier when the deliveries don’t arrive anymore. Luckily this never lasted too long so far and everything goes back to normal again.
Except for one winter, or better say spring. Totally unexpected in March 2018 the snow got as high as the fences and stone walls in some places and me thinking I could still drive with the Land Rover got stuck on the driveway into Dartfield and had to walk all the way across the fields down to the Museum in snow that was more than knee high. I had Joe Lyons with me who helped all around the farm and horses for years and so he got caught with me to walk through the deep snow.
I find it hard to believe but in 2019 I really run the Connemara Trail for 50 years.
It is almost impossible to
get a grasp of the vast changes which took place in Ireland – and probably all
over the world – in all those years.
While it in one sense
feels like yesterday when I started it all up it also becomes very clear how
much has changed over time. The development that took place in the rural towns
and villages, the infrastructure and how much the whole population in the rural
areas increased as such. On the other hand, in the real remote parts of
Connemara life seems to stand still, which I do really love I must say.
Once you go through and
leave Galway City on the N59 heading out west it feels like leaving the busy
world behind and arriving in this beautiful area with it’s serenity and calm
that quickly takes over and makes you forget the hustle and bustle of the
larger towns and cities.
Many of our long term
customers joined us this anniversary season and looking back we have to say
luckily so, then little did we know at the time that Covid would come and bring
the travel and tourist industry to a standstill for almost 1.5 years.
These photos below taken by Bette C. are more or less from the last trail I run in September 2019.
Again we were very lucky that we had not all eggs in one basket as they say. While no riding holidays were possible we could still sell horses and given the nature of the Tack Shop supplying items for animal care and also selling horse feed and bedding we were allowed to stay open during Covid and customers were allowed to travel to come to do their shopping.
Horse sales quickly
changed to virtual shopping. Where people once came to try out the horses and
see them close up for themselves we would now produce videos, showing every
little detail from cleaning the horse, tacking up, mounting and riding.
Also how the horse loads
or behaves around children or dogs etc was all shown on video and unbelievably
we sold more horses than in other years.
I often thought it had
something to do with people having more time but that is just my own thinking.
The ask was for mainly
quiet allrounder horses that would be suitable for beginners and mainly for
leisure riding.
Good when you can show the
horse is not easily spooked (Halloween Costume hiding Jessica and Spotty Girl)
During Covid one could
even take part in dressage competitions by sending in your own video of the
test and judges would watch the videos and give their judgment and placings.
Again it makes me think how things have changed, it’s a long way gone since I had to get a Telegram from people to book horses for riding with me and especially now during Covid this whole internet game took off completely.
A strange sight to see the
yard so empty and quiet
Thank god we were also
allowed to drive to anywhere there was livestock to be checked on. So we could
even go to Connemara for drive arounds anytime we wanted and with the Tack Shop
still open there were at least some people coming and going still too.
There was finally time for
things that were left behind like fixing and painting fences and revamp the
Tack Shop and make some additions and changes to the Museum.
There is an old estate not
far from Dartfield, Ballydugan, and the lady who still lives there on her own,
besides her housekeeping personal, had family from the USA coming over during
the summer month in previous years. For the time of their stay we would supply
them with 2 or 3 horses they would keep in the stables at Ballydugan so they could
ride around the estate while they were here.
On one occasion when we
had horses brought to them, Claire asked me over for tea and while I was there
she showed me boxes full of things she had kept from her Father George St John
Burke. He was the oldest man ever to take part in the Grand National
Steeplechase.
I ended up bringing home a
box full of cloth, horse riding jackets, breeches etc he wore and they made a
great fit on the models we had in the Museum and so we put them up together
with the story of his riding life and the history of the Ballydugan House.
The latest addition to the
Museum I’m very happy to been able to secure are the side cart and tub trap
once owned by Lord Mountbatten. He had kept and used them at Classiebawn Castle
in Sligo.
Not only did we get the
carriages but also several saddles he owned.
Naturally the carriages
didn’t look like in this photo anymore after all the years since he had
tragically passed away or to say it as it is, since he got assassinated by the
IRA back in the 80s.
There was some
restauration to be done on the carts and cleaning and oiling on the saddles.
Mainly painting was needed
after the remainders of the old paint had been cleaned off first.
Tub Trap
Side Cart
before and after
I never thought I would enjoy painting much or have the patience to do so but during this quiet time it was a nice change.
Evan, a young man from
Spain who had been here to help on the farm got caught up with Covid and the flights
cancelled and stayed for a lot longer than he had planned. So he ended up
restoring the carriages with us and he was great for the delicate small lines
to paint.
We only learned later that
he had passed away since, seemingly not long after his return home to Spain. He
was a lovely young man to have around and work with.
Side Cart
Tub Trap
It was also nice to have locals calling in for a chat or tea while coming to the shop. And of course our next door farm neigbour Brendan who would come almost every day on his tractor while he was on his way to check on his cattle. He done this all the years, not only during Covid.
Ever since I opened
Dartfield Brendan and his wife Mary would be helping out with anything whenever
needed.
It was unclear when the restrictions would be fully lifted and there were also differences between different countries but in May 2021 it became clear that it would come to an end soon.
However since the exact
dates were still unknown and we would have to be able to book accommodation
ahead of time for the riders in Connemara, we decided to bring the riders
around Dartfield and Aille Cross/Killeenadeema, same as we do during the autumn
and winter months. One could plan better for Connemara from the beginning of
the season next year.
In the second half of July
we finally got the first group of riders back and had another one booked for
August. There were not as many for a start as most people had not really
planned ahead at all for vacations in 2021, given the uncertainty around covid
restrictions.
Willy and
Willie
On the hill in
Killeenadeema
and through the woods
Willy (from the USA) and Joe
During Covid I had time to reflect on the past 50+ years.
I was very
lucky to have only few accidents over the years. Really I can only recall
cracked rips twice which never stopped me from carrying on with my business and
one fall out hunting where my riding helmet, which I wore for hunting while not
otherwise, ended up with a big hole in it.
I'm beyond
grateful for the horses and animals I had in my life and to have had the
opportunity to meet so many lovely people from around Ireland and all over the
world and to be allowed to touch the lives of so many who shared some time of
their lives with us over the years. You might have noticed all along I’m not
great with names and therefore often called yous Miss or Mr France, Miss
Germany or Miss America etc. depending where you all came from. However I can
say for sure I do remember people for who they are even when not so much by
name.
Since I had
decided at a young age that studying was not for me and I also didn’t want to
work for anyone else bar myself I never regretted my decision I had made back
then.
And in the end
everything worked out - we never needed to worry about it.
