Enniskeane CountessA Irish Maternal Dynasty Enniskeane Countess, a full Irish Draught mare born in 1961, became the champion mare of 1967. This mare was then able to establish a breeding and performance dynasty, which few mares can match. With only a partial pedigree of her available we are still able to locate the source of maternal power in her lineage. With 50% of her pedigree "unknown", what remains is still powerful for great filly factors and broodmare success. Studying Warmblood or Sport Horse pedigrees can be difficult because often the mare line is incomplete or a mare might be named but not breed identified. With only half her pedigree visible, this mare still has plenty of potent punch. Enniskeane Countess carries three different lines of Woodranger, an old and highly successful Irish line, a proven producer of quality horses and great broodmares. Two of Woodranger's daughters are here: Maud Allen and Woodranger Mare. Glen Lad the sire of Enniskeane Countess, is linebred x3 to Woodranger Mare through a son: All Moonshine and two daughters: Molly Grey and Plover. This is a powerful filly factor and a rare thing to see in Irish horses. Yet, even with such a partial lineage there is this extraordinary filly factor in the Woodranger Mare lines. The dam side enlarges on this by bringing in a sister to Woodranger Mare: Maud Allen. Enniskeane Countess carries another very potent maternal duplication with the Young Arthur II lines in her sire Glen Lad being both by daughters: Molly Grey and Dandy. This is surely one of the reasons Glen Lad himself was successful as a sire. Good stallions need filly factors.
Enniskeane Countess produced two good stallion sons: Enniskeane Prince, a show jumper and good sire, and his full brother Enniskeane Pride. Her greatest fame however, comes through her daughter: Kildalton Countess, who by building on her dam's strong genetic base became one of the greatest foundation mares in the Irish breed. Kildalton Countess' record as a broodmare can start with the fact that she was barren only twice in twenty years. She had 6 stallion sons: Glidawn Diamond, Diamond Lad, Diamonds are Trumps, Kildalton King, Kildalton Gold and Pride of Kildalton. This puts her in the BIG TIME of famous broodmares. Plus she had some good daughters too: Kildalton Rose, Kildalton June and Kildalton Merrygirl. Kildalton Countess and her dam, and brothers, are a linebreeding resource for Irish breeders. How do you get great horses? You build up the great genes the horses carry in their lineage. How hard can it be with this many superior representatives of this mare and her dam? This Irish family is a genetic gold mine for Sport Horse breeders. The strengths of this family are an illustration of the explosion of potency and talent that can happen when the female side of the gene pool is developed. Kildalton Countess obviously received maternal power from her dam. But her sire: Ben Purple contributed as well. Ben Purple is a key sire in the Irish Draught and an exceptional broodmare sire. He is linebred to Galty Boy, a line known for jump ability, but unless there is a daughter or sister in the "unknown" part of his pedigree, then Galty Boy is represented by sons only. The practice of breeding back to the male representatives of significant ancestors causes a loss of ability and potence, usually completely by the third generation. As a side thought on this, the Irish Horse used to dominate in world standings in show jumping, but it does not now. Could this practice of valuing only the male be behind this loss? Ben Purple is also linebred to the great Kildare 3x6, and Brian Og 4x5. And these lines are helpful to his lasting stallion legacy. Kildare is a famous foundation stallion himself, champion of the Dublin Horse Show in 1920, he had 17 stallion sons and was dam sire of 11 more. This an incredible record, and in addition he is known as a performance transmitter. Kildare is here by a son, Pride of Cork (his best son) and Magic Float, a daughter. This is a colt factor. Kildalton Countess enlarged on this gene power by adding another son line of Kildare: Kilglass Guardian, through her dam.
Brian Og is represented by 2 daughters: Blue Pearl and Newtown Wonder, this is a very strong filly factor. The Kildare and Brian Og duplications close up would account for Ben Purple's success as a stallion. Plus every time he met the Kildare line in a mate, his daughter line of it would bring balance and allow the full genetic power to come through to the foal. Both Enniskeane Countess and Kildalton Countess carry a rare Irish Mail daughter: Perilla. Irish Mail, another foundation sire, had 14 stallion sons. Whenever one of these sons shows up in a mate, the Countesses' daughter line balances and improves it. Breeders of Irish Horses can target lines of the Enniskeane Countess family through her sons and daughters to build sport and breeding greatness into their herd. |
