MEN'S HEALTH: 'Exercise is a great release'

Cathal Ennis is a very busy man. That has been the case ever since he turned his father’s Quill Farm, which initially had cattle and pigs, into a stud farm where he now has 20 broodmares. It’s a full-time job in itself. Yet he also commutes from Castletown-Geoghegan to Dublin five days a week to work at The Sunday Business Post, selling advertising.

“It can get a bit crazy alright,” he admits. “Initially I worked full-time at home but I was on my own quite a lot. I enjoy the social aspect of working in an office.

“It is very hard to rely on horses and the job in Dublin provides a steady income. If I gave it up, I wouldn’t get another job like it.

“But it can get very stressful, especially around this time of year when you’re trying to look after foals, get mares covered and get grass growing to get them out in the field. It is a lot of things happening at once.”

By all means Ennis is giving both jobs a right go. His achievements as a breeder were commended at the 2017 Point-to-Point Awards where he received the leading breeder prize. He has bred a host of well-known National Hunt horses, not least Identity Thief, who scored his second Grade 1 win at Aintree last month. But holding down two jobs would be a fair test to anyone and Ennis admits things can get very difficult.

“I suffer a bit from anxiety,” he says. “No doubt it has to do with juggling the two jobs and how stressful things can get with the horses. I took a course on mindfulness, which is designed to calm you down, but I realised it wasn’t for me. It could put you to sleep. So instead I go to the gym at lunchtime in Dublin nearly every day.

“I find it a great release. I’d usually do a spinning class and I’d go hell for leather for a half hour or so. I’d feel a lot better then going back to the office.

“At home I also play a bit of football with my local club Ballinagore, and that’s another form of taking your mind off things.

“With everything on, it’s hard to get to training but I’m keeping myself fit and I came on as a sub there the last time we played so it is worthwhile.”

Ennis admits his eating could be better but that it is the victim of his all-out busy days.

“My diet wouldn’t be great. I’d often be eating pastries and snacks to keep myself going. I’d go through a lot of coffee as well. I do manage to get a decent dinner in each day which is important and I have my wife Orla to thank for that,” he says.

Ennis is not in it alone as his cousin Michael Ennis manages the farm day-to-day while Orla also helps out where she can. He gets extra help during the breeding season but after that he is very much hands-on.

“Look, it’s all about balance,” Ennis says. “I love breeding and I don’t want to give it up. Exercise just gives me a boost every day and I find it really important.” ?