About the Irish Sport Horse
The Irish Sport Horse is essentially a cross between the Thoroughbred and the Irish Draught Horse. Varying proportions of these breeds result in the production of Irish Sport Horses. In recent years there has also been an infusion of Warmblood breeds into the Irish Sport Horse. The term 'Irish Draught' in fact is due to the Irish Army supplying its 'horse draft' to the war!
Horses such as Ben Along Time ridden by Clayton Fredericks of Australia, Ringwood Cockatoo ridden by Bettina Hoy of Germany and Tankerstown ridden by Sharon Hunt of Great Britain all ISH currently excel in Three Day Eventing. Others are successful in Show Jumping: Royal Charmer ridden by Marcus Fuchs of Switzerland, McGuinness ridden by Rich Fellers of USA, Gerry Maguire ridden by Robert Smith of Great Britain, & not forgetting Special Envoy ridden by Nelson Pessoa, the beautiful Mill Pearl's many accomplishments, as well as being the winner of the Irish Indoor Derby at the age of seventeen!) are all fine examples.
About Us
At Cottesbrook Park we run a boutique stud with a small number of quality young Irish horses available for sale.
We aim to follow the 'breeding goal' for the Irish Sport Horse and produce horses that are correct and sound, athletic horses with good paces and
a level head for you to enjoy your ride. Horses that can be used as a
pleasure or performance horse, capable of competing in the show ring, or
on the event circuit, as a showjumper and even be competitive in the higher levels of dressage on a National or International level.
We place a great deal of emphasis on the mother lines of our horses and nearly all our mares have been ridden and competed or will be. They are handpicked for type and temperament, no matter whether they are Irish, TB
or Warmblood.
Our foals are handled daily from birth and right from their early days are taught to lead, load & tie. Our aim is to get them as used to as many
different situations as possible, this provides the foals with a good solid foundation for their future life, resulting in a happy calm and willing
young horses.
Stallion
Coleraine Redemption (Red) was purchased from Coleraine Sport Horse Stud in Oxford, New Zealand, and as a 6 month old weanling he was imported into Australia.
By Coalman's Touch RID (imp) out of a NZ Steeplechase mare by Imperial Seal TB. Red was a true 50/50 - RID/TB cross, however I saw alot more TB qualities than one would normally see in such a cross. His he was tall and elegant, more show hunter than a heavy weight Irish hunter that his breeding would belie. He only ever entered two shows, both Royals winning ribbons in both shows. His temporary box at both shows was testament to his presence and friendliness being swamped by admirers wanting to know all about him.
He was growing up to be everything an ISH stallion should be tall, athletic and good looking with superb conformation, he proved very trainable and had the most amazing temperament, nothing seemed to faze him.
Sadly we lost Red in a paddock accident in March 2007. We were fortunate to have been able to have him for just two breeding seasons, his foals have inherited all their father's great attributes and are growing into promising young horses.
