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Spend an hour with Longford veterinarian Brian Gormley and you can get a lively 70-year outline of Irish equestrian history.
Competitor, course builder, trainer, show organiser, national chairman, Horse Board member; he has done it all.
Born in 1935, on a small farm in Aughnacliff they were he says, “totally dependant on the horse”.
“They were an integral part of my life and have been all my life.”
Brian recalls 12 July 1945 at Mullingar Show where he fell at the last fence with a 13.2hh class won.
At that time we rode cowboy style and just tried not to fall off.
But having passed through the crucible of St Mells and then gotten some serious coaching from the likes of Iris Kellett, Major Joe Lynch and Bert Denemethy he was able to rid himself of what he calls the “bad habits”.
Dublin circuit
Even before qualifying from UCD in 1958 Brian became well acquainted with the then flourishing Dublin circuit of Sunday shows at places like Kimmage Manor, Manresa, Rathgar etc.
“There were no Sunday shows in the Midlands back then. So it was a matter of being up at 6am doing a bit of warm-up, going to 8 O’Clock Mass and then getting the old car and trailer on the road for Dublin."
His constant companion on these trips was young Eddie Macken.
“Not only then but later when myself and my wife Anne began the Midland Cub Hunters circuit in the 1960’s Eddie was my most faithful helper at setting up the fences”, Brian recalls.
What I learned from Iris and Denemethy I was able to pass on to him so that he did not begin his career with those ‘bad habits’.
Brian and fellow show jumping enthusiast Anne McKeown married in 1959.
They competed together at the Spring Show and Horse Show. “She loved jumping the banks”, he recalls with a grin.
“There was no warm-up ring at that time. So, you came in to circle and wait your turn. That was the loneliest place on earth.”
Brave decision
Encouraged by show organiser Seamus O’Reilly, Brian took the brave decision to bring some of what was going on in Dublin out to the Midlands.
Brian, Anne and a small group of volunteers including Eddie began what became known as the Midland Cub Hunters.
Sheepishly, Brian admits that Anne did most of the hard organising work.
She recalls that for 50 years they ran shows at such diverse places as Ballinalack, Granard, the Mullingar Army Barracks, Coole Hospital, Rathowen and Grover House.
After a slow start, it just mushroomed with up to 250 entries on any given Sunday.
Like many more, Macken relished this opportunity to hone his talent.
With Brian’s horse Serenade he reached a Dublin Cub Hunter final but was beaten into second by one Mary McCann.
He also qualified for the Guinness Novice but did not get to the RDS because his ride Rinroe was sold to future Olympic Champion Graziano Mancinelli.
Leadership
Having shown this kind of leadership on home ground, it is no wonder that by 1970 Brian was called upon to take on the SJAI Leinster Chairmanship.
In that role he spearheaded a drive to improve course building and the application of rules.
This in turn led to his election as national chairman in the early eighties.
Again he took a lead in matters like a national insurance plan and the creation of an amateur circuit.
Nine years later he was elected Chairman again and this time was deeply involved in the developments that led to the establishment of the current Irish Horse Board.
Honesty
Either in the SJAI or Horse Board he declares that he valued “honesty” above all else.
With a degree of sadness he recalls instances where some individuals put their own interests before the benefit of the sport or the breeding.
Right now, he would like to see a greater degree of rectitude in the measuring of ponies.
“They should be conducted by totally independent personnel from the Veterinary College,” he says.
Among his regrets is the fact that Dr Noel Cawley was denied the opportunity of continuing in his role as chair of the Horse Board.
“His first rule was that no one should benefit by one penny from being a member,” he says.
"With exemplary voluntary discipline both Brian and Anne have lived up to that dictum. We could use more of it.
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