Our thanks to all who attended the screening of this film on the 13th December and our apologies for the shortage of handouts.
The article in the Irish Examiner by Colman Garrihy can be read HERE [2]
A paper prepared by Joe Burke for the Old Kilfarboy Society, screening of ‘A Horse’s Tale December 2011
Working Horses
Mechanization brought an end to the working horses of urban and rural Ireland. Most of these horses evolved from the small fleet footed 'Irish Hobby'. Centuries of interbreeding with various British and continental horses produced the distinctive Irish working horse, the Irish Draught and the Irish cob.
The Land Acts of the 1870's and an extended depression in agricultural prices caused many good draught animals to pass to the new tenant proprietors, perhaps the Vandeleur and Morony families. Stock of good quality hunting, carriage and draught horses influenced the undoubtedly high standard of horses produced in West Clare in the last century. Kilrush horse fair was one of the leading sources of top quality three year old horses in the country. Buyers could realistically hope to find an international show jumper at these fairs -- bred from the humble working mares, crossed to the thoroughbred. Miltown Malbay was also an important horse fair nationally.
British military buyers coined the phrase Irish Draught to describe the particular type of working horse found in Ireland. Uniquely for a working horse it could canter and gallop cross country jumping with surefootedness and bravery. These horses were second only inimportance to the Shire in the Allied war effort. Access to supplies of American horses tipped the scale in favour of the allies in winning the war. After the war the Government opened the Irish Draught studbook in 1918 to avert a decline in standards after the great losses of animals during the war. This studbook excluded coloured, cold blooded common types - hairy legged Clydesdale and Shire types. Those purebred Irish draught animals crossed with thoroughbred went on to rule the world of showjumping and three day eventing over the following decades. Showjumping began in Ireland when army officers who hunted in their spare time were asked to compete against the various European countries in showjumping. When an Italian cavalry officer was appointed to run the army equestrian school, standards improved dramatically.
The more common draught horse or cob remained popular in farms and on urban streets throughout the century until the 1970's. They were mainly bred and dealt in by the travelling people. Pedigrees were recorded orally by horse dealing families. They remain particularly popular in Britain as riding cobs for less adventurous riders. They are ideal for jarvey work trekking because of their intelligence and unflappability.
Locally, draught mare owners bred their mares to thoroughbred, draught and half bred stallions at Mc Mahons in Coore, Burke's in Leeds and Barrington's in Moy. These foals provided valuable income to the farmer. The mare happily worked on throughout her pregnancy and while rearing the foal. Up to 90% of horses sold in fairs were exported,undoubtedly many of their owners were sad to see them replaced by Massey Ferguson's and Fords: Michael Barry, llaune, trotted his mare 'llaune Imp' to the creamery daily her colt foal won the county show in Ennis. He was bought by the Dept. of agriculture and later passed as the important draught station 'Lahinch'.
Michael Darcy, Mullagh bred the legendary Hickstead winner “Mr. Softee” from his working mare.
The Moroney family of Spanish Point kept a pack of hounds and ran a hunt called the Miltown 
Chase as early as 1785. Over the following century they built the Atlantic hotel with stabling for 75 horses. They ran the Miltown races. Prize money was 30 soverigns for the better races, with these race meetings being just as important as Galway and Listowel in the racing calender.
Vincent O Brien rode as a 19 year old in 1936 before going on to better things in Ballydoyle and Coolmore!
The Prendergasts trained many winners here also. Farmers races for local horses and riders were a feature of these race meetings.
John Hanrahan and Tom Malone ran flapper meetings in the late 1940's and 1950's.
European horses have evolved to surpass the abilities of the Irish draught types in competition yet the innate intelligence and the ‘fifth leg' of the Irish horse is acknowledged worldwide – a legacy of the Irish working mare- the type featured on this film.