About Us
The West Cork Horse Breeders cooperative society is located in the south west corner of Ireland and has been in existence since 1993. It is a voluntary organisation dedicated to the support and promotion of the horse breeding industry in the Cork area. Various seminars and competitions are organised each year to support these goals. A jumping competition for young horses held annualy is proving to be a hugely successful event, attracting interest from all over the country. Cork, world renowned for the breeding of top quality competition horses. Tough indigenous mares helped by some wonderful Thoroughbred sires Bassompierre and Edmund Burke to mention but a few, have all contributed to the success. Don't Step Back, Supreme Rock, Custom Made and the latest winner Balladeer Alfred are all world class horses. The West Cork Horse Breeders under the leadership of Kieran O'Gorman has embarked on an ambitious programme of events for this year.
Our most recent notabilty for breeding quality stock was shown this year at the Royal Dublin Horse. The cream of the crop had qualified from regional shows during the summer months where the final group consisted of 18 exhibitors to line up in front of an international panel of judges. The aim of this highly competitive class is to give recognition to breeders who breed from suitable mares to produce top-quality foals with performance potential and we were excited and proud to see that the coveted prize was awarded to one of our members Kieran O'Gorman. He took the top prize with his prolific nine-year-old bay Cavalier mare 'Kildysart Royale' (by 'Cavalier Royale') and her filly foal 'Brookfield Miss Lux' (by 'Lux'). Kieran attributed his success to his breeding of both mare and foal for versatility and athleticism, qualities that we as members of the West Cork Horse Breeders strive to achieve. He also described this achievement - in the one competition that every breeder aspires to win - as the culmination of years of selective breeding for performance.
Our Breeding standards are in line with Horse Sport Ireland's recently announced Breeding Policy. The West Cork Horse Breeders hold very strong views on how to promote and attain the high international competition standards demanded now and for the future.
At present we have over 130 members in our society. Our breeders are fast becoming International known on the performance circuit for quality bred horses. In 2009 alone, our breeders achieved great success. In the Thoroughbred Stallions Class at the Royal Dublin Horse Show, one of our memebers, Raymond Cahalane, Union Hall, was awarded first prize for his wonderfully turned-out stallion, 'Painters Row' (by 'Royal Academy'). We expect great stock from this stallion in the future.
To Our Committee members: who deserve a huge thank you for the dedication and time spent in the organisation and planning of all our events. They have always been on hand to offer support and advice to any of the West Cork Breeder's members and associates. If you would like to become a member of our society then please let us know via the contact us page and we will be happy to answer any queries that you may have.