By Irish Horse Board / IHB
Photography: Shannon Brinkman; FEI Benjamin Clark
Nobody knows the formbook of sport horse breeding pedigrees better than Inishowen man Gary Doherty, who saw his Ballyshan Sporthorses program come to fruition when talented US eventing rider Liz Halliday finished in the top 20 in Paris 2024 at the Chateau of Versailles.
Gary is the man to know, both as the Credit Union’s loan expert of Inishowen and now both as an Olympic three- day-event horse and international showjumping breeder. He stated: “It was the most amazing feeling to have a horse at the Paris Olympics this year. Last year my brother Paul flagged up that Nutcracker had won a four-star in Kentucky 2023. Paul said ‘this horse is doing great things in America’ and that Nutcracker finished eighth in this year’s Kentucky five-star.”
Gary is better known as a showjumping breeder and believes in “going with what you feel is right. I am great friends with Alan Robertson who had Tolan R, the sire of Nutcracker. I went to see Tolan and he was a smashing stamp of a horse, both pedigree and blood, and ticked all the boxes for my Cobra mare Ballyshan Cleopatra.”
When Nutcracker arrived as a foal Gary revealed, “he was not a commercial foal but one to hold onto, he was an athlete and like his sire Tolan R, was black in colour and also had the X factor.”
Nutcracker during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Like many Irish breeders, Gary makes the annual pilgrimage to Lanaken without fail, and is a renowned encyclopedia of new sires and mare lines. Together with his dad Brendan and brother Paul, the input into choosing stallions comes after great debate. Gary explained; “My dad Brendan has an incredible feel for a stallion and knows exactly which will suit our mares. If he doesn’t know the history he makes it his duty to investigate.”
Gary is delighted that AI has had such a huge impact in choice. “Certainly AI opened up the whole breeding industry. Thirty years ago it would have been difficult to breed a horse like Nutcracker. It has opened up every possibility, and offered great choice.” With pride he added; “Nutcracker is a star, finishing 19th individually on the best dressage score since 2008 for the USA. He’s only 10 and is the third-best 10-year-old eventer in the world.”.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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