Meet Our Horses

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The horses and ponies at Slieve Aughty Centre are a part of our family. We treat them with respect and value each one for their strengths. From large Irish sport horses to small Connemara ponies, they are chosen based on their gentle temperment, experience and ability. Most were trained here on the farm and have a foundation in groundwork, starting on the lunge and long rein with voice commands. They are then brought along with a kind and firm approach, given time to develop their characters and enhance their natural ability. When they are ready for our guests, we are certain they will be safe and are well suited for the task.

When they are not being ridden, our horses live in a herd in big fields, where they can move and socialise as is their nature. This also keeps them happy and mentally sound, and many people comment on the friendliness and contentedness of our horses and ponies.

It is important to us that our horses stand quietly for grooming, tacking, mounting, washing, shoeing, vetting,clipping and everything else they might encounter in their daily lives. All of our horses can be led by children and beginners alike and regularly engage in pony games, bareback rides and other activities. All of our horses are confident on the cross country course and would be excellent partners for riding club or pony club members.

Sometimes we offer our horses and ponies for sale as we bring young ones on to join the family. We invite you to take a look at who is for sale right now. Any horse or pony we sell must go to a good home, and we encourage buyers to keep in touch and let us know how their new friend is doing. We will always truthfully share our knowledge of each horse and pony's character, ability and history, and we'll let you know if we see the horse you have fallen in love with as a perfect match! For us, it is rewarding to see one of our hard working horses go to a good home where he or she will be loved and cared for.

Billy is a large pony. He is 16 years old and has been at Slieve Aughty Centre for 10 years. Billy is a great jumper and very gentle and quiet to ride.

Frisky is one of the first ponies purchased for the riding centre. He is 19 years old and is still 'Frisky'. He loves the children and gives lots of pony rides. He is also fearless and is great to do pony games with.

Tessa is a 16 year old Irish Sport Horse mare. Esther has owned her since she was 4 years old and purchased her from Gerry Moran, who also found Jack, Harry and many of our other horses and ponies. Tessa has always been enthusiastic on the cross country course and is a great leader.  Tessa had a foal 4 years ago, Manray, who is in training and will be joining the team soon.

Stormy is one of the first ponies ever purchased for the riding centre, bought as a foal from the Ballinasloe horse fair. Stormy is 18 years old now, so his days of long treks and cross country are over. Stormy will always have a job though. He is incredibly quiet and gentle, and he is often a favorite for pony rides, birthday parties, pony painting, vaulting, pulling the trap or beginner lessons.

Slieve Aughty Riding Centre purchased Blacky from Michael Moran, Gerry Moran's father, in 1998. Blacky was trained to saddle and harness, so he can pull carts and traps as well as be ridden in lessons and jumped. As you can see, Blacky doesn't mind being painted either!

Bilbo is one of our most athletic horses with great jumping ability and a nice flowing stride for dressage. Bilbo is a 9 year old Irish Sport Horse. Bilbo's favorite thing to do is sleep, and almost every morning he takes a long nap, stretched out in his stable, after a night of grazing.

Poser is a large Connemara pony. He is extremely gentle, and everyone falls in love with his big dark eyes and long wavy mane and tail. Poser is quiet enough for beginners, can do the cross country course, and is just the right size for adults and children. The kids love to plait his mane on Saturdays, our weekly lesson day.

Dalin is the riding centre's only full Arab. He is 14.2 hh with long slender legs and the beautiful dished face characteristic of Arabian horses. Dalin is 10 years old and has been with Slieve Aughty for 6 years. He was a stallion until he was 4, right before we bought him. Merel Zyderlaan trained him, and now he is one of the favorites for treks and lessons.

Jack is a 16 year old red roan thorougbred gelding. Jack has a big stride and plenty of energy, with a big springy trot and long lopy canter. Jack is one of Esther's favorites, probably because he is a sensitive guy with a big heart.

Jako is our smallest pony, standing all of 10 hh. He is lots of fun for the kids and gives lots of pony rides. In this photo, 2 girls on holiday from Italy have some fun dressing up Jako and themselves in a costume contest.

Born and bred at Slieve Aughty Riding Centre, Collin is the star of the stable. Collin is a 17.1 hh 9 year old gelding, the youngest of 3 siblings owned by the centre. Merel Zyderlaan trained and competed Collin in eventing until 2006. Now our more experienced riders are fortunate to be able to ride him in the forest and on the cross country course.

Woody is a flashy roan pony who originally belonged to Gerry Daniels. Although Woody is small, he can jump with the big guys and loves it. As you can tell from this photo, he can also relax and let the kids dress him up.

Harry is a 15.2 hh tinker horse. He is built like a draft horse and has lots of long hair on his legs called feathers. Gerry Moran found Harry as a recently gelded 5 year old in 2000. Harry is a big part of the Slieve Aughty family and can do anything, including jump the cross country course!

Robin is a large Irish pony. She is one of the few ponies that the centre keeps on livery, owned by friends of the Zyderlaan's who visit her regularly. Robin is quite a jumper, although she had a year off 3 years ago while pregnant and nursing her filly, Lily. Robin enjoys the pony games as well, as you can see her clowning around in this photo.

John Willy is one of Slieve Aughty Riding Centre's donkies. He lives a great life, wandering about the pasture with Gina, the dark brown female donkey in the background of this photo. John Willy loves people and always visits the picknickers during our weekly summer day tours. He is the proud father of two donkey colts, Hero and Spike.