Info on Current Irish Sport Horse Breeding

[xitmom]

I have been watching the Irish sport horse auctions in hopes of finding a nice young prospect to import. I am not interested in the traditional Irish bred horses (ID x TB) but more the European breeding with maybe some ID back in the pedigree. I don’t know much about the temperament of the sires that are more commonly seen at the Monart and Goresbridge sales though. Is anyone familiar with stallions such as HHS Cornet, Sligo Candy Boy, I’m Special de Muze, OBOS Quality 004, Vivant van de Heffinck, Dignified Van’t Zorgvlet, Future Trend, or the Cavalier Royal line?

I am looking for a show jumping or eventing prospect that not only is a nice mover and has a nice jump, but also has a very easy workable temperament. Does anyone know these lines? Has anyone bought from a high quality auction over there?

[beowulf]

All very different stallions with different type, but Sligo Candy Boy and OBOS Quality have consistently sired some of my favorite horses. Not a single horse you listed in that stallion roster is poor quality. At this point I am convinced you could breed Sligo Candy Boy to a donkey and get a nice type. He crosses incredibly on a traditional Irish type, but also does well with TBs. About every year he has one of the top selling – if not the top selling – horse at the Goresbridge Oct Catalog.

The Irish really take a shining to Sligo Candy Boy. They use him quite heavily on their traditional breds and TBs. I think the first three you mentioned are better for SJ, but Im Special de Muze and OBOS Quality are both fantastic stallions in their own right also.

I don’t have personal experience with OBOS Quality but he has been on my roster for a long time if I could find the right mare; several of my favorite UL eventers were by him.

[Willesdon]

The various Irish Stud Books are all available on line www.horsesportireland.ie. All stallions are assessed for conformation, movement and athleticism using linear profiling and the results are published, making informed comparison easy. The stallion’s studbook page will also list successful progeny, in all disciplines, and there is a rating system according to suitability for each Olympic discipline.

Temperament is especially important in all the stallions because horse sport is now so international: no one can travel and compete a horse around the world with a less than good temperament and character.

Also, British Eventing and Irish Eventing publish an annual list of the top stallions which you could look up. OBOS Quality 004, Sligo Candy Boy and Cavalier Royal usually feature. Unfortunately Quality is now deceased.

A friend purchased a three year old ID potential Heavyweight Show Hunter via an online auction, for the first time ever, two years ago. It was straightforward, the horse was just as he was described, the video of sufficient quality to see his movement, the shipping was handled by the Auctioneers. He is proving to be a very good horse, winning at top shows in his first season, with potential to become very special as he matures - he is very tall and taking a bit of time. The Irish high-end sport horse auctions seem to have learned from the TB auctions and offer quality horses. The advantage is many preselected horses to see with no travel required. Many, many good horses in Ireland sell by word of mouth or through a network of connections, which can be a problem for a person not “in the know”.

[grace61271]

FWIW, I have a stallion by Flexible out of a Welt Hit II mare that jumped up to 1.45 M herself. I’m an amateur and started him myself, he lives at my house, he flats and trail rides in a side pull and jumps in a hackamore. He’s fun for me to show as well as a professional. He’s sound, barefoot, easy to care for. He’s a jumper with plenty of scope, huge stride, careful and brave but also I’m sure he’d be a beast on cross country. He’s been the best trail horse I’ve ever ridden - gallops through water, handles rocks, no spook at wildlife, super super surefooted, smart, agile, etc. He has the movement and jumping technique to be a hunter but prefers to go fast lol I absolutely love this horse. I’ve put children on him and given pony rides. I’m all for introducing new bloodlines to each other to get the best of both worlds.

As far as where to find and ISH x traditional WB cross, I’m not sure who’s actively breeding them, but I think they are great horses.

[Janeway]

Does anyone know what the OBOS stands for in OBOS Quality’s name? I’ve always been curious. Tried googling but got nothing. He sure has sired a lot of good competition horses!

[Willesdon]

@Janeway That is a question that has puzzled me for many years and I have never found the answer. OBOS Quality 04 was a European-bred Oldenburg, an interesting mix of Hann and SF bloodlines, but stood all his stallion career in Ireland. His breeder, apparently, was Paul Schockemohler. Heaven knows when and where OBOS arrived. Various stupid suggestions have been made such as O’Brian’s Obstetric Service, the result of too many days watching his offspring leaping over Eventing obstacles.

[Beannacht]

Hello All! We breed Traditional Irish Sport Horses and Irish Warmblood crosses in America. We also have imported young Irish bred horses.
Currently we have homebred a coming 3 year old Cornet Obolensky x Cruising x Coile Mor Hill (Clover Hill) x Chair Lift xx X Laughton filly, a Heartbreaker colt coming yearling out of the same mare, a Kilfani Flying Irish x Cruising (same mare) coming 3 year old colt, two coming 5 year old Normann Gii x Cruising mares, and a 7 year old gelding Kilfani Flying Irish x Cruising.

Normann Gii is Irco Mena x Norson (Nordlys x Water Serpent) x Imperius x King of Diamonds x Highland Flight xx X Ben Purple and he stands in USA. Irco Mena sired Wega, Individual Silver Medal 2012 London Olympics in Eventing and Sultan V, Team Bronze London Olympics Show Jumping.
There is lovely 2023 colt by Normann out of a Quaterback x Davignon I mare bred for eventing for sale in Minnesota at WoodLoch Stables and another foal by Normann on the way 2024 out of Bon Balou mare.

Kilfani Flying Irish is by The King of Hearts RID, a Grand Prix jumper who placed in top ten in the 7 year old jumpers at Lanaken. His dam is Gone Tomorrow xx a Gone West grand daughter who is dam line TB 13c, same as Gutte Sitte, Bronze Medal Team Show Jumping 1976 Montreal Olympics and is regarded as one of the best show jumper dam lines in the world. Kilfani Flying Irish has a coming 5 year old daughter out of a Comet Shine mare who is line bred to Princequillo and Mahmoud in first 5 generations. This is the classic 3/4 TB 1/4 ID cross favored in eventing. Comet Shine sired 2008 Beijing Olympic eventer Courageous Comet (Team USA) who was also 2nd and 3rd at Rolex.

We also have an imported coming 3 year old HHS Cornet x Cruising X Diamond Lad colt whose half brother is Dassetts Olympus currently competing 4* eventing with Liilian Heard.

So yes you can buy in Ireland and you can also buy in America and save on the importation fees which are significant.

Cheers!

[Cooley]

Hello, we have a 7yr old gelding from OBOS Quality and Ballyduch.
He is our first horse and we have had him since Oct 2023, his prior owner purchased and had him shipped here when he was 4 from Cooley farm.
He just happened to fall in our lap, he wasn’t advertised for sale and he lived right down the road from us. My daughter went and did a trial ride on him and said “I want to ride him again!” They sold him to us because they are a big eventing barn and he said “Nope to dressage!”
This horse can jump!!! This horse wants to jump!!! He loves to jump!!! He is young and can be spicy!! He’s a chestnut!! We never heard of this breed so this was new to us.
We were told that he takes time to trust and he does. We had a month trial on him and the horse my daughter wanted to ride again she HATED him when he came to the barn. She said he has a sweet soul but he’s crazy, somethings wrong with him. We had ppe and scoped for ulcer and he came back perfect! We took him to two shows and he got in there and did what he was suppose to do. We purchased him and she still didn’t like him but he could jump to the moon and took care of her at the shows. Here we are Feb 2024 and she loves him!!! He loves everyone at the barn, loves other horses always wants to make a friend, loves kids, loves to trail ride and loves to eat!!! He is an ANGEL at the shows and they always place. Now my daughter has been riding 4 years and went from hunters to jumpers in Feb 2023 and is currently at a meter/.05. He can easily do a 1.20, our trainer said he can def go higher. We do have our trainers adult child ride him to keep him doing what my daughter’s not ready to do. My daughter rides him 5 days a week and he needs it.
He is smart, spicy, loving, bold all wrapped up in one. My daughter is a young teen and does not like push button ponies so for her he is great!
This also sounds crazy but he has grown since we got him. He measured at 16.3 when we got him and now he is 17, don’t know how that can happen but it did.
Now, would I do this breed again, if they all jump like this absolutely!!! BUT we would also want the horse that my daughter connects with. He was a diamond in the rough. He didn’t work for his first owner but was just who we needed. And now that his personality is finally coming out he is a good boy!!! Not a mean bone in his body!!! I think the right breed is YOUR BREED, what works for you, who you connect with. We bought Theo for an amazing price and people have already said he is going to be worth so much more but that doesn’t matter to us bc he is now our family forever. You can find a $2k horse and it can turn out to be your million dollar horse!