Brooke Brogan and Molly Dempsey looking after Blue Ivy
Horsing around – in a good way!
The people of Clondalkin got a glimpse of what goes on inside one of the most unique resources their community has, and indeed the only one of its kind in Ireland recently.
The Clondalkin Equine Club held an open day on Friday, June 20, as part of the Clondalkin Village Festival, with a “huge turnout” on the day, according to Derek Denton, chairman of the club board.
“We probably had up to 300 people across the door for the open day, and anyone that came seemed to stay for hours,” he told The Echo.
Demonstrations of horse grooming and farrier skills such as shoeing horses, as well as riding displays from the young people who keep their horses at the club, along with a visit from the Garda Mounted Division, were some of the events the club ran, for a “hugely successful day, Derek said.
“It was just a really good community feeling on the day, we’re hoping we made a stamp to get the future of the club secured,” he added.
Derek has been involved in Clondalkin Equine Club since it opened in 2017 as the first community stables of its kind for young people in Ireland.
“There’s been a long-standing tradition of horse-keeping in Clondalkin – it would be one of the largest horse-keeping areas within the country,” he explained.
“But we also identified that there was an awful lack of knowledge in the area around keeping them, especially with the younger kids. They think that horses are like a push bike.”
Paulina Plewik,
Clare Rowe.Bobbi Doran with Robyn and Sarah
Derek and a group of others worked with the Department of Agriculture and South Dublin County Council to build stables that can be used by young horse owners aged 12-18.
“We have a 20-stable facility, with 15 kids,” he explained.
“The kids own the horses in the yard; it’s not a riding school. They’re supported by the board and supported by their parents and supported by each other in keeping the horses.
“When you hit the age of 18, you surrender your stable and move on then, so there’s a cycle of the younger people coming in getting skilled.”
Young horse owners are not permitted in the yard when they should be in school, and two part-time staff look after the horses in the mornings.
The club has recently been granted charitable status, so Derek and the board are now working to get funding for a full-time manager “to try and bring the project up to the potential we feel it can reach”.
“We’d love to have the capability of doing the Equine Assisted Therapy along with Stewarts Care and any other agencies,” he said.
“We’re hoping in the next few weeks to put together some good core plan to approach either local businesses, the public sector, or wherever to see could we get somebody on board to sponsor a manager.
“We’re optimistic, that’s the next step we feel for the club.”
Derek spoke with pride of the levels that former club users have now reached in their work with horses.
“One girl has gone on to join the Irish Army Equine Division, she’s now travelling around Europe,” he said.
“One other member became a fully qualified vet, and we’ve some British Horse Society equine trainers.”
There is no pressure put on young horse owners to achieve such heights though.
“For those who don’t want to go into the careers in it, just to spend time with their family and the horse in the yard, there’s no pressure, we try just to be as inclusive as we can, to provide for all aspects,” he added.
If you want to get involved with Clondalkin Equine Club, contact them at londalkinequineclub@gmail.com.
