On our farm we've had three generations of a lovely old mare family whose first registered ancestor was foaled in County Mayo, Ireland. Our foundation mare Bonnie was part of the 1993 McGinty importation. Bonnie, Maggie's Last, and the late Misty River Lass, form a historical trio as the very first RID mares ever imported into North America from Ireland (Misty arriving a few months before Maggie and Bonnie). Bonnie also had the distinction of being dam of the first purebred Irish Draught foal born in North America, a 1995 Grey Macha colt called Easter Rebellion.

Bonnie was a superb example of the quintessential "West of Ireland" mare seen in 1930s and 1940s photos from the Connaught region of Ireland. Irish family mares were mare power in a very literal sense. Very often a farming family would own just the one mare. She had to be strong enough to pull farming implements, gentle enough to be handled by the children, thrifty so she didn't eat the family out of house and home, hardy with a good work ethic so she didn't miss any days of work, and have enough quality to impress the neighbors. She would work all day at her various jobs - tilling the fields in spring, threshing seed corn, planting and harrowing, and drilling the potatoes and root crops into the earth. In the summer, her work would consist of mowing and raking the hay and then pulling the heavily laden hay bogeys back to the farm. She might also collect seaweed from the shore and haul turf from the peat bogs. Families that kept milk cows would use the mare to haul milk to the creamery in town every day as there was no way to refrigerate milk on the farm. A round trip might be 30 miles or more. All of this work was performed on a modest diet of grass and gorse, with the occasional mangold (turnip) and evening meal of oats. The autumn saw harvest of all the fruits of the previous seasons' labor, and perhaps a few days out hunting for the sporting farmer. Year round the family mare drew her precious cargo to Sunday mass in a dogcart.

But a mare's contribution was not limited to her work in chains, harness or under saddle. The mare also contributed of her own body. Her hair trimmings were sold to fill mattresses and she bred a foal each year to supplement the family's farming income. Irish Draught mares were very often bred to a Thoroughbred sire as half-bred foals found ready customers in the overseas dealers buying for the hunt fields, and later the showjumping arenas, of Europe. In the fall of the year the farmer would ride the mare to one of the county horse fairs with the foal trotting along side his dam. These horse fairs were an integral part of the social calendar, not only bringing buyers for the foal but opportunities for farming men to trade stories and show off their stock...for a fine mare was (and still is) a source of great pride. The Irish saying, "You would criticize your man's own wife before you'd criticize his mare!" comes to mind!

It is plain to see that the Irish Draught mare was an essential part of rural family life in Ireland. We have been blessed with a remarkable horse that literally and figuratively carried the history of Ireland on her back. We have a huge responsibility to preserve this history and the incredible legacy given to us by the horsemen and families of Ireland.

Our own Bonnie was a mare of immense strength and quality. She was an exceptional example of the type of Irish Draught mare bred to multi-task on the Irish family farm. Her depth of body, her strength and correctness of quarters and limb, and her classic Irish head were just a few of the visual qualities that told you at a glance she was an Irish Draught mare. She and her daughters were/are extraordinarily prepotent for these qualities, making them very valuable to us. In addition to these physical breed qualities, Bonnie and all of her daughters and granddaughters have had the temperament and athleticism that makes them intelligent, sensible, trainable, and versatile riding and driving horses. Unlike many breeders, we ride and train all of our mares to ensure that they have the inherited temperament and rideability we have bred them to have. Bonnie and her kids have been found turning hoof to foxhunting, breed shows, recognized dressage competitions, trail riding, and combined driving events - all with equal enthusiasm and panache.

With Bonnie as our inspiration, we have developed a breeding program based on the stewardship and preservation of this one extraordinary mare family with which we have been blessed. Using our mares as a foundation, we seek to do our part in conserving this rare breed by vigilantly guarding breed type and diversity of sire lines to ensure the survival of the horse a handful of farsighted Irish breeders snatched from the jaws of extinction. We want to make very sure the Irish Draught will be around bringing pleasure to many future generations of horse lovers, who we are sure will be, like ourselves, enamored of the history and magic of this very special breed.

NEXT PAGE | BACK TO PHILOSOPHY INDEX

© 2001-2007 Lionwood Stud/Flying Harp Farm