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Shannon Callows Stud Farm, Cloonbonny, Athlone

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Shannon Callows Stud Farm, Cloonbonny, Athlone

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10/11/2024

Callows Trudy, 2020, newly inspected as Class 1 (top photo), and grazing by the River Shannon in photo 2, is available. Entered in Cavan Equestrian Irish Draught Breed Sale on Friday, 22 November, 2024. She will make a super broodmare, with unusual bloodlines, and strong maternal breeding traits.

Sire is Roadside True Blue, a traditional Irish Draught stallion by Touch of the Blues and out of a Powerswood Purple mare. Her dam is Callows Easter by Huntingfield Ruler (last of the Young Arthur RID 9 Foundation Line) and out of Kingstead Emma (RID 141161 with Silver Merit for progeny showing) by Donovan out of a Crannagh Hero mare. Maternal family includes Callows Robin, Reserve Champion Foal at the RDS 2016, Callows Ceili, Champion Foal IDHBA National Breed Show Punchestown 2015 and Mare of the Future at IDHS National Breed Show 2019, and Trudy's dam, Callows Easter, winner of 2 classes at the IDHS National Breed Show 2015. Also several class 1 broodmares, and hunters and show horses in Ireland and the UK. Dam, Callows Easter 2012 has produced 8 foals in the past 12 years, one each year since she was a 4 year old. And second dam, Kingstead Emma 2006 has produced 13 foals, including a filly this year, since she was a 4 year old.

Trudy is not broken to ride, but is well handled and people oriented, first to meet you at the gate and happy for attention. She has not been shown, unfortunately, given her owner's poor health and the Covid pandemic. Trudy was covered by King Alton IDC1 this past summer, and will be scanned just before the Cavan Sale. Sadly for sale due to owner's changed circumstances.

27/09/2024

Callows Stella (2020) gained Class 1 this week at Creagh, Ballinasloe. She's a lovely smaller mare by Callows Comet Gold out of Callows Starfly (Roma Caen Hill Flight x Cork Arthur x Island King). She has her first foal at foot, a c**t by Huntingfield Ruler.

17/09/2024

Callows Georgiana with her c**t foal Callows Normandy at the IDHS National Breed Show in Ballinasloe last weekend. Katie and Diarmuid did a great job of showing them on the day. Georgie is by Young George 1990 ID listed on the 2006 RDS Genetic Diversity Report, as one of the least related to the RID broodmare herd at that time. I had to track him down through 3 owners to finally get a chance to use the stallion at the end of his life in 2012. Georgie is the result, foaled in 2013. Her dam is Athlone Annie by Sir Rivie, a very pretty, more modern type RID broodmare. Georgie's foal here is Callows Normandy by Windgap Reliance. He will make a super riding horse with his easy temperament and athletic movement.

22/04/2024

The goal of Shannon Callows Stud Farm is to preserve rare and outcross pedigree lines for the Irish Draught Herd, and to work towards more traditional type stock for sale to like-minded people.

In Ireland, the people in power, Horse Sport Ireland and their Inspectors, inspect and put some purebred horses into a lower class, because the horse has a fault or doesn't move pretty enough or has a more traditional ID type, an outrage. All horses have faults. Good breeders know how to assess their own stock and choose a stallion to compliment their mares. Breeders will not breed from a mare or stallion, if they cannot sell their foals. The market will w**d out the poor stock. Imagine telling a thoroughbred man that his stallion or broodmare is Class 2! Some of the people inspecting do not even like Irish Draught Horses, but they do like power and control. They want to change the Irish Draught into some fancy, long legged, "scopey" performance horse. They should stick to half-breds.

Those are my strong opinions. I'm entitled to have my own opinions and way of doing business, without someone I don't even respect declaring that my horses are Class 1 or Class 2. I understand the benefit of vetting and a profile of horses, but there is no benefit to putting some purebred ID horses in "Class 2." It just creates a false devaluation of the horses put into class 2. Those horses are used less often in breeding, and we lose diversity in a genetically threatened herd.

Nowadays almost all purebred Irish Draught Horses are related to Milestone, his son Pride of Shaunlara, or King of Diamonds. Line-breeding to those ancestors is rife. In recent years, it's common to find 3, 4, or 5 crosses of Pride of Shaunlara or his sire Milestone in the near pedigree of a purebred ID. The near pedigree is subject horse plus 5 generations going back to the 32 ancestors in the 6th generation (industry standard.) And the most common son of Pride of Shaunlara, Pride of Toames (the sire of Grey Macha,) has a popular full brother, King Elvis, doubling the number of occurrences in closer generations. Yet there is no pedigree assessment performed as part of the HSI or GB inspections. No one considers whether we need yet another great grandson of Pride of Shaunlara to cover the closely related mare population. What about Diversity?

Despite all this, I've decided that I need to bring my broodmares to the HSI inspections to broaden the potential marketplace for their foals. The inspection power play impacts my ability to do business as an Irish Draught Horse breeder. In Great Britain, purebred Irish Draughts are not even allowed to show as Irish Draughts, unless their sire and dam are inspected. Even purebred geldings, with no chance of impacting the breeding herd, are prohibited from purebred show classes. What purpose does that rule serve, except to consolidate power in the breed society?

So here are the 2 broodmares I brought to HSI inspection last week with the immense help of my friends. I must say it was good to hear that the inspectors and veterinarian appreciated the traditional type of these mares, not over-tall with bone and girth. They even commented on the old, diverse breeding. Also pictured is the broodmare I brought to inspection last Spring.

11/12/2023

Agri Aware's second last stop on the Rambling with the Irish Rare Breeds series saw us take in a trip to Co. Sligo.The purpose of the visit was to see and le...

08/07/2023

Here's some photos of Callows Honeybee from this evening. She's our only foal this year, but she's a good one! Her sire is Callows Comet Gold and her dam is our true outcross mare, Callows Starfly. Star is by Roma Caen Hill Flight out of Cork Arthur mare out of a Island King mare. No Pride of Shaunlara, other Milestone, or King of Diamonds.

02/05/2022

The latest, a beautiful filly by Coilldarach Scirocco (Merry Mate X Agherlow X Uibh Fhaili) out of our excellent broodmare, Kingstead Emma (Donovan X Crannagh Hero). Filly was born Easter Sunday morning, so 15 days old in this photo.

20/04/2022

Callows Georgiana foaled last week, a pretty filly by Baltydaniel Arthur.

25/03/2022

First 2022 purebred ID foal is a filly by Comet Gold o/o Callows Starfly by Roma Caen Hill Flight X Cork Arthur X Island King. She will be named after Saint Brigid given that she was born on the very first holiday weekend celebrating our matron Saint of Ireland, alongside Saint Patrick. I'm delighted!

18/03/2022

Callows Starfly ready to foal. She's our true outcross mare by Roma Caen Hill Flight out of Pluaise Leatsa Realty by Cork Arthur o/o an Island King mare. Star is in foal to Comet Gold and we're hoping for a c**t.

19/12/2021

Callows Starfly (2016), our true outcross broodmare, chilling out yesterday She's by Roma Caen Hill Flight out of Pluaise Leatsa Realta by Cork Arthur o/o an Island King mare. She's in foal to Comet Gold, the last active stallion of the Black Comet RID 52 Branch Line of Comet RID 1. Second photo shows her with her first foal, a filly by Comet Gold, in 2020.

07/09/2021

Callows Georgiana (162 cm tall with 22.5 cm bone) looking and moving mighty at mare inspection today in Dublin. She's by Young George a handsome old style ID listed on the RDS Genetic diversity list in 2006. He was not an approved stallion. They obviously did not know what he could throw. Georgie is in foal to Baltydaniel Arthur, another handsome, genetic diversity stallion, for 2022.

23/05/2021

Delighted that 2 nice c**ts by Comet Gold have been foaled this May. One out of my own Kingstead Emma (Donovan X Crannagh Hero) and the other out of Goldsmithcountry Stud's Callows Easter by Huntingfield Ruler. Let's hope they're stallion material.

12/05/2021

I'm delighted to say Callows Annabell (2020) will go to England to an eventing family. She'll get a chance to prove herself. She's a traditional ISH by the young stallion Hugo Bell (Jumbo X Kiltealy Spring)(sadly now deceased). She's out of my former RID broodmare, Athlone Annie by Sir Rivie o/o Cheeky Lass. Annie now lives in Galway.

14/02/2021

Our foundation broodmare Cheeky Lass (RIP) with new c**t foal, Callows Comet Gold, alongside her daughter, Athlone Annie, with her new filly foal by Fast Silver. Taken April 2012.

16/09/2020

Callows Annabell, ISH-TIH by Hugo Bell (Jumbo X Kiltealy Spring) looking for a producer at weaning. She's got natural athletic talent, and she's intelligent and brave. She's out of Athlone Annie RID 14393 by Sir Rivie. (A little dirty in these photos)

11/08/2020

Easter thinking about a new 🏠

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Videos

The River Shannon is in high flood. Thank goodness we have 1 high field for first 2 mares to foal in late April. The flood is covering our hay meadow and summer pasture. The upside is that the hay meadow that gets flooded every year makes good nutritious hay.

Callows Easter (2012) enjoying a little sunshine. Such a super mare! By Huntingfield Ruler out of kingstead Emma by Donovan X Crannagh Hero

Here's Callows Larkin ready to be weaned and find his new home. He's a cracker. I managed to get a short video walking. I'll keep looking for opportunity to catch him trotting. Watch this space

Getting Callows Venus ready for sale. This is her first time working in the lunge ring. Thanks to Gillian. Venus is by Callows Comet Gold out of Callows Easter.