The Launch of Stock Horse Ireland
A new society has come to life – Stock Horse Ireland, for “all things Stock Horse. APHA, AQHA, and ApHC.”
Meet the board members:
Director: Crysta Brown
Sorcha Fitzpatrick- Treasurer
Maddie Munns Parker- Youth Director
Annamariea Dardis- Secretary
Learn more about why the organization is blossoming under enthusiastic leadership, and what Irish stock horse owners thirsty for knowledge can expect as we hear from Director Crysta Brown, a lifelong horseman and trainer who relocated to Ireland in 2022 after meeting her fiance Chris Thomas, a “sweet and handsome Irish fella.”
Q: The “about” statement for Stock Horse Ireland says it is a new society in Ireland for all things Stock Horse. APHA, AQHA, and ApHC. Why did you and the other founding members see this organization as a need?
A: Ireland as an island has a huge enthusiasm and curiosity about the western disciplines, but unfortunately, without good information coming from an organization, the interest is widely untapped. Myself and my co-leaders quickly noticed upon getting involved that the current population of stock horse owners and breeders are divided from years under poor leadership. We thought if we could organize ourselves together, there was no reason why we couldn’t create a new and welcoming society to better these breeds and offer high quality, current information to the community from the kind professionals at the top of the industry.
Q: What are some outreach events you’ll be offering for the inaugural year, including online and in-person events?
A: As a new organization we knew it would take us time to build trust from the community and show them who we were. Unfortunately, in-person events are challenging when you live on an island in the Atlantic and most of the professionals are from North America and Mainland Europe! Additionally many of our members have no connection to the breed organizations and wouldn’t know what our horses and shows have to offer. So it made sense to our board members to start with webinars, as many of our talented friends abroad were willing to donate their time and it would allow us to bridge the knowledge gap with less barrier to entry for curious folks. The plan would be for the webinars to build excitement and also prepare members for our future in person clinics and demo, and hopefully eventually build into shows! Unfortunately, there has not been all-around, breed type show in the country in two years!
The first of several upcoming webinars begins January 16th.
Q: Who are some of the pros who will be assisting in promoting education in the organization?
A: We are so excited to have Coltin Crystal for our first webinar, his experiences on the race track and in the jumping world I believe will connect directly to our members who many come from a background of Showjumping, Eventing, and Racing!
We also have Judge Mark Kuhlwein booked for February who I think will offer an expertise and overview of what our stock breed horses and shows have to offer.
Also looking forward to Parelli Trainers and my favorite colt starters Chris and Sarah Brady offering a webinar and hopefully an in-person clinic!
And I can’t wait to bring Drew Hayes on for a webinar on everything Western Hats! As that will be new and awesome info for members!
Q: What would you like our readers in the US and beyond to know about stock horses and horse culture in Ireland?
A: I think a lot of my US friends involved in the industry are seeing that growth for the breeds in the international markets is a win for EVERYONE. Ireland and Northern Ireland are now importing horses from the US benefitting American owners and trainers. We’ve also had a few kids lease horses for the major US shows, benefitting the shows, trainers, and horse owners! To support our growth in Ireland has and will continue to grow the American industry!
Q: What do potential members need to know about joining/participating in this organization?
A: We will be opening up membership in January, and we cannot wait to serve our members. I encourage membership to be active in sharing what they would like to see from the organization and we will do our best to accommodate! We all get what we give and if folks are happy to support by paying into a membership and rolling up their sleeves to volunteer along side us, then there is no limit to what Stock Horse Ireland can offer!
AND! We have THREE sponsored buckles for year end awards in 2025 that we can’t wait to release details on!
Q: What have we missed you’d like to include?
A: We’re looking forward to building up funding for in person clinics and shows, but these things take time. This year’s year-end awards program will allow members to submit points from any local competition! Including eventing and showjumping, hopefully we can show Ireland the value to owning Quarters, Paints, and Appaloosas!
Q: How do we stay connected to Stock Horse Ireland?
A: Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram as Stock Horse Ireland, the easiest way to support us is to comment, like, and share our posts to help as many folks as possible see them! And I hope some industry leaders may consider donating time and expertise through webinars or clinics/demos!
