My mare is by Killea Island out of a very very smart AID mare.
I don’t know much about Irish breeding to be honest, and mine is about 33% blood so how much of him rubs off on her I’m not sure.
She is super hot, super sharp, super sensitive. She has been both the most challenging horse to train and the most giving in her temperament. I bought her as a 4yr old and she’s 14 now and I wish I could have my time again with her as now I understand her and have learned so much from her, I would do it all so differently.
That said she is trained to Ad Med, touching on the more advanced work and has scope to burn. I’ve jumped her round a courses at 1.20 training but she’s very strong and tricky and to be honest I’m just not brave enough to have ever got the best out of her jumping. I think if you asked her she’d like to have been a 1.30 speed horse, she’s as careful as a cat!
Bravery is not her strong point and it’s taken a long time for her to learn to process her emotions. She would not be a xc horse as although she’ll pop a big roll top, she is wary of anything out of the ordinary - incredibly ditchy, won’t go near water and refuses to step off anything. This is despite being the most goat like horse I’ve ever ridden and I’d happily ride her down the side of a mountain!
Despite all that, I have achieved so much with her and she has taken me to every dressage championship I’ve wanted to do. I used to get so frustrated with her trickiness but now I have much greater perspective and can appreciate just how much she tried and gave with her heart even when the tension got too much. I decided to stop competing her about 3 years ago for this reason and we’re both much happier for it.
I’ve had a lot of horses and in terms of temperament on the ground, I’ve never had one like her. She has the most loving and gentle nature. She’s got a very happy go lucky outlook to life in general and will always greet you with a smile over the stable door or in the field. I can hand on heart say she has never nipped, kicked or done anything untoward. She’s has been utterly beloved on any yard she’s been on.
I’ve just realised how waffly this all is without probably being that useful to you, but I just adore her. She’s my horse of a lifetime
