Why Is Ireland So Mad About Horses? History, Racing and Breeding

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Ask anyone in Ireland about horses and you’ll get an opinion, a tip, or a story about a cousin who “knows a fella” at the Curragh. For a country of just over five million people, Ireland’s love of horses is out of all proportion, and it shows up everywhere: in the economy, on the sports pages, at country fairs and in the language itself.

So why is Ireland so mad about horses?

The land is made for it

Ireland’s mild, wet climate and limestone-rich grassland are close to perfect for raising horses. The limestone feeds calcium into the grass, which is said to help young horses grow strong bones, and the soft ground and long grazing season do the rest. It’s no accident that Co. Kildare, home of the Curragh plains, became the heart of Irish racing and breeding.

Horses run deep in Irish history

Horses appear all through Irish myth and history. The old Irish law texts set out rules for horse ownership, and horse racing was part of the great assemblies (aonaigh) of early Ireland. Kings, warriors and the heroes of the sagas all rode, and Cú Chulainn’s two great chariot horses, the Grey of Macha and the Black of Saingliu, are among the most famous animals in Irish legend.

Irish horses were prized abroad too. Medieval traders sold “hobbies”, small and hardy Irish horses, to armies across Europe, and over the centuries Ireland built a reputation for breeding horses that could jump and stay the distance.

A breeding powerhouse

Today Ireland punches far above its weight in thoroughbred breeding. It produces more thoroughbreds per head of population than any other country, and in real terms it’s the third-biggest breeding nation in the world. Coolmore Stud in Co. Tipperary is one of the most famous breeding operations on the planet, and the Irish National Stud in Kildare is open to visitors.

Ireland also has its own native breeds:

• The Connemara pony: tough, clever and sure-footed, bred on the rocky west coast and now popular with riders worldwide.
• The Irish Draught: a strong, calm working horse that once pulled ploughs and carts on Irish farms.
• The Irish Sport Horse: usually an Irish Draught crossed with a thoroughbred, and a star of show jumping and eventing.

Racing: the big days out

Irish racing is part sport, part social occasion. Some of the highlights:

• The Galway Races: a week of racing at Ballybrit each summer, held there since 1869, and as famous for the craic and the fashion as for the horses.
• The Irish Grand National: run at Fairyhouse, Co. Meath, on Easter Monday since 1870.
• Punchestown and Leopardstown: the big jumps festivals, in Kildare and south Dublin.
• The Irish Derby: Ireland’s most famous flat race, run at the Curragh every summer.
• Listowel Races: a much-loved harvest festival in Co. Kerry each September.
• Laytown Races: run on the beach in Co. Meath once a year, when the tide allows, and the only official beach race in Europe.

Irish horses, trainers and jockeys dominate far beyond home too. Every March, tens of thousands of Irish racegoers cross the sea for the Cheltenham Festival, and Irish-trained horses have won the lion’s share of its big races in recent years. Legends like Arkle, who won three Cheltenham Gold Cups in a row in the 1960s, and Dawn Run, the only horse to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup, are still talked about in Irish pubs.

Fairs and urban horses

Away from the racecourse, horses are part of everyday life in many communities. The Ballinasloe Horse Fair in Co. Galway, held every October, is one of the oldest horse fairs in Europe and still draws huge crowds. The Smithfield Horse Fair in Dublin has a long history too, and the Traveller community in particular has a deep tradition of horse ownership, trading and sulky racing.

The urban horse culture of Dublin’s estates has been the subject of documentaries and films, and while it’s now more tightly regulated for animal welfare, the bond between young Dubliners and their horses is still strong.

It’s in the language

Horses have galloped into everyday Irish speech too. A tip is “straight from the horse’s mouth”, a dark horse is never to be trusted, and for many Irish people “the races” means one thing only: a day out with a hat, a few euro on a horse, and a long debate on the way home about the one that should have won.

Do you have a favourite Irish racecourse or horse? Tell us in the comments. And for more about Ireland, see our facts about Ireland.

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