‘Mol an Óige agus tiocfaidh sí’– ‘Praise the youth and they will flourish’. An Irish seanfhocal, turned personal motto, that’s taken on more meaning in recent times.

My interest in horses and the showing world has been imbued from a young age. On mam’s side, my grandfather, Michael Keena and his brothers from Creggan near Ferbane, kept Irish Draughts on the farm.

They used the Creggan prefix for horses they bred, most notably the stallions Creggan Emperor and Creggan Diamond.

My parents always wanted to have a foal or two running around the fields and so the hobby rubbed off on myself and my older brother David, whose mare, Derradda Mist bred him RDS winning foals and the Class 1 stallion, Cloncastle Silver Squire.

I’ve my own Connemara mare which I bought as a yearling: Sea View Pepper. She’s now five and as a broodmare, brings great power, movement and bone to two lovely Bunowen Paddy foals and now this year’s filly, Clonmore Bláithín, a winner of four filly classes and two foal championships.

Pepper may not be a top show pony, but if she continues to breed true to type, that’s all that matters.

Early memories

My earliest showing memories were in young handler classes at IDHS breed shows with Clonmore Cailín, our foundation mare. She’s what I’d call the ‘Traditional Irish Draught’ mare; a workhorse of 15.3hh with a short cannon, strong bone and free movement. S

he’s the type I want to breed in the future, displaying traits I feel we’re losing in the Draught and Connemara breeds of bone and substance.

Showing has brought me to Balmoral, Clifden and the RDS, each a phenomenal experience; there’s no better feeling than walking into Ring 1.

To me, showing is about going and presenting an animal, that you like, to its best, trying to savour the moment. At the end of the day, the judge’s opinion is their own.

Some days you agree with them, some days you don’t. I show for the pure enjoyment of getting out and meeting new people. I have gained far more life lessons from the social side of showing than from winning itself!

Going to shows has now turned into helping run one. I became involved with Moate Agricultural Show in 2019 after I was asked by a committee member if I’d get involved and help with the equine section.

I never hesitated or flinched at the idea. Personally, it was about giving back to the wider community and an event that had given me so many days out. I was curious to see what positive steps I could take by being involved.

2022 saw my first show as secretary. I’ve always been one of those people who just takes on a job and does it to the best of my ability.

As a younger member of the show committee, it was daunting taking on some responsibilities, but help from members, plus my own determination to not fail, kept me on the straight and narrow. I will always give 100% to what I do and when I can no longer do this, it is time to bow out of the ring.

The work of the secretary can be all-consuming, feeling like a puppet master, holding onto all your strings for dear life, but then, times like show day, when you see everything in action, makes it worthwhile.

I’ve been blessed that our committee are generous with their time and experience and have always been there to help. I’m most thankful for their willingness to embrace younger members, their ideas, and passion to help, as ultimately, we are the future of our shows.

No person or group is the owner of a show. We are simply caretakers and us younger people just want to help preserve the heritage, legacy and succession of our shows.

I’m also delighted to be part of a group of young people who go around and provide a helping hand to shows, but also to have fun, be social and meet new people.

Colin Doyle: "It was about giving back to the wider community and an event that had given me so many days out." \ Susan Finnerty

International experience

Summer ‘22 was very special for me, not just on the show front, but it also brought me abroad.

As part of the Young Breeders course I was chosen to be part of the Irish team of eight, who travelled to the World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses (WBFSH) International Young Breeder Championships in Ermelo, Holland, to represent the Irish Sport Horse (ISH) Studbook.

This competition brought 139 competitors, representing 20 different studbooks in the world together to assess sport horses in areas of conformation and athleticism, whilst taking part in a theory exam and also presenting horses in-hand.

We, Team Ireland, were thrilled to take home the World Champion title and it was an experience I will never forget. It also brought a lap around the RDS main arena during the final Parade of Champions.

While it was great to get abroad with the team, I cannot understate how incredible the Young breeders programme is in Ireland.

Jointly-run by Teagasc and Horse Sport Ireland, the programme is a major asset to any equine enthusiast interested in assessing, exhibiting, and/or breeding horses and ponies.

As someone who deals only with native breeds at home, it was an eye-opening experience to travel to so many yards nationally, learning from experienced industry professionals on what does and doesn’t work.

Recommended

I’d recommend the programme to everyone between the ages of 15-25. The countrywide friends I made alone is testament in itself.

It’s simply a programme championing the breeders, riders and producers of Irish-bred horses and also encourages youth involvement to the highest degree.

My message to anyone involved with young people is that most young people want to be involved in something; give them a task, support them, but celebrate their success.

No-one has only succeeded; our failures are what makes us learn.

Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders, praise them and they will flourish.