Scarteen Equine Farm

02/04/2026

29/03/2026

🤣🤣🤣 Too funny not to share
🚨 Breaking news 🚨
The “fuel crisis” has officially been deemed irrelevant to horse people.

Petrol prices could hit £5 a litre and we’d still be out there at 5am, hitching up the trailer like it’s a completely rational financial decision. Because let’s be honest… fuel is a necessary evil, but those two glorious minutes in the ring? Absolutely priceless.

Economists: “You should reconsider discretionary spending.”
Horse people: “Is it discretionary if it feeds the soul and justifies 6 weeks of overthinking a distance?”

Also, let’s not pretend we don’t all live by the sacred, unspoken rule of horse ownership:
✨ Never. Ever. Add it up. ✨

Not the diesel.
Not the entries.
Not the lessons.
Not the “quick trip” to the tack shop that somehow equals a small mortgage repayment.

Because the moment you do… it’s game over. The illusion shatters. The spreadsheet wins. And we simply cannot have that.

So no, the fuel crisis won’t impact competition entries. We’ll just cut back on luxuries… like groceries, electricity, or basic financial responsibility.

See you all at the next show 🐎💸

14/03/2026

Darcy feeling good in himself and enjoying the Spanish sunshine while blowing off the cobwebs after his winter break.

11/12/2025

🇮🇪 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 — 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍’𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐃

There’s a lot of emotion online about hunting.
But here are the facts backed by Irish and European wildlife research — and they completely change the conversation.

☘️ 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐱 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 — 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

Ireland eliminated wolves, lynx and bears long ago. With no predators left, fox numbers rise beyond what the land can support.

As a result, foxes now live at unnaturally high densities, confirmed by NPWS & DAFM.

High-density fox populations mean:
✔ More disease (especially mange)
✔ Starvation and slow death
✔ More roadkill
✔ More pressure on endangered wildlife

𝑫𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 “𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆” 𝒇𝒐𝒙𝒆𝒔 — 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈.

🐶 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝 &
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬:

Hunting with hounds is the only fox-control method that 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫, natural and selective.

𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤, 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝.

Healthy foxes are the most likely to escape — just as they are designed to, as they would from wolves in a natural ecosystem.

This means:
✔ The weakest foxes (mange, injury, illness) are removed quickly
✔ Prevents slow deaths from infection, exposure or starvation
✔ Disease spread is reduced
✔ Strong, healthy foxes remain
✔ The overall population stays fitter and healthier

No other method — can guarantee this natural selective effect. This is wildlife management at its most natural.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐱 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬
𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬.

No suffering.
No lingering wounds.
Nothing like starvation, poisoning, snares or untreated disease.

This is why VAWM - Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management consider it one of the most humane control methods available

🦊 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞: 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 ‘𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬’

This is the uncomfortable truth:

❌ 𝐈𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 — 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬
• Shooting
• Emergency culls when bird populations collapse

Meanwhile:
✅ 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲.

🔄 A ban simply shifts control from selective, natural predation to other alternatives

🌿 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 🐤

NPWS, Teagasc and BirdWatch Ireland all identify predation as the #1 cause of breeding failure in: curlew, lapwing, snipe, hen harrier and other endangered ground-nesting birds.

When predator pressure is reduced, results are dramatic:
📈 Areas with management such as predator control and fencing saw curlew fledging increase 221% in a single season.

Predator management isn’t optional — it’s essential for saving these species.

This is what real conservation looks like.

🌍 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨
UCD-led research found 74% of Europe’s ground-nesting birds are declining, and predator pressure is a major factor.
Across Europe, conservation bodies and governments work with hunters to protect vulnerable species.

Many countries still regulate hunting with hounds because:
✔ It is selective
✔ It benefits wider ecosystems
✔ It mirrors natural predator behaviour

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 (𝐔𝐊), 𝐟𝐨𝐱 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 — it simply switched to alternative, less selective methods.

🐄 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝
• Supports rural businesses
• Retains hedgerows and habitats
• Monitors wildlife disease
• Connects communities and generations
• Operates under strict regulation and welfare oversight

This is a functioning rural ecosystem — social, economic and ecological.

🔥 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 🔥

𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐞 — 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲-𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬.

𝐈𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐞 — 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬.

If you care about wildlife welfare, you should care about doing what actually works. Not basing opinions on uninformed emotions, or click bait, rage materials. 📢

𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬
BirdWatch Ireland (2019–2023) Breeding Bird Survey Reports. BirdWatch Ireland, Wicklow.
BirdWatch Ireland (2021) Curlew & Wader Conservation Status Summary. BirdWatch Ireland, Wicklow.
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2019) Wildlife Unit Annual Ecology Summary. DAFM, Dublin.
Environmental Protection Agency (2020) State of the Environment Report: Biodiversity and Habitat Fragmentation. EPA, Wexford.
FACE – Federation for Hunting and Conservation Europe (2020) Biodiversity, Rural Communities and Hunting: Policy Position. FACE, Brussels.
FACE – Federation for Hunting and Conservation Europe (2021) The Socio-Economic Contribution of Hunting in the EU. FACE, Brussels.
FACE – Federation for Hunting and Conservation Europe (2022) Hunting for Conservation: Overview of 430+ Hunter-Led Conservation Projects Across Europe. FACE, Brussels.
McCarthy, T. (2022) The Role of Predation and Habitat Fragmentation in Irish Upland Ecosystems. PhD thesis, University College Cork.
McMahon, B., Bolger, T., Irwin, S. & Sweeney, O. (2020) ‘Generalist predators and biodiversity decline in fragmented European landscapes’, Journal of Applied Ecology, 57(4), pp. 743–756.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (2018) Conservation Evidence Review: Ground-Nesting Birds. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Dublin.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (2019) Curlew Task Force Report. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Dublin.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (2021) Red List for Birds of Ireland. NPWS, Dublin.
National Parks and Wildlife Service & Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2017–2023) Curlew Conservation Programme: Annual Reports. NPWS/DAFM, Dublin.
National Parks and Wildlife Service & Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2017–2022) Hen Harrier Programme: Ecology and Conservation Reports. NPWS/DAFM, Dublin.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (2019) Wildlife Disease Surveillance Reports. NPWS, Dublin.
Teagasc & National Parks and Wildlife Service (2020) Agri-Ecology Report: Causes of Wader Breeding Failure. Teagasc, Carlow.
UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science (2020) Carnivore Ecology & Predator–Prey Dynamics: Field Notes. University College Dublin.
Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management (2011) Understanding Life in the Wild. VAWM, London.
Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management(2018) Hunting, Wildlife Management and the Moral Issue. VAWM, London.
Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management (2020) The Natural Chase. VAWM, London.
Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management (2025) Position Statement on Hunting with Dogs. VAWM, London.

24/11/2025

Our Field Master’s thoughts on hunting.

What is Hunting?

Typically a hunt club keeps a pack of hounds and meets up once or twice a week from mid October to mid March.

Preparations are made in advance of the days hunting, whereby a route is planned and farmers and landowners in the vicinity are contacted and asked for permission to cross their land.

For a top class hunt to happen you need the following:
To be fit and able to ride - and take a tumble!
To have a fit horse that is able to cross country. (15-20km over 3-4 hours).
To have plenty of country “open” (15-25 square miles).
Weather conditions must be suitable for good scent- cool and damp tend to be best - but sometimes you have to rely on the Scent Gods to provide scent.
Quarry- if the shooters have been out the previous weekend - there won’t be a hunt.

Generally participants will be delighted with a 5-10 mile point with fox out witting hounds by finding safe haven in a drainage pipe or within the roots of a tree. A Good hunt will happen on average on 10% of days spent hunting. The other 90% will be affected by either the absence of scent or quarry or simply running out of real estate!

The exhilaration and excitement of hounds in full cry transfers to horse and rider and both Fear and Favour are temporarily suspended and magic happens. This is the forge where the world renowned bravery of horse and rider is tempered.

There is no other riding discipline where riders can get the opportunity of a day in the saddle going over natural country - it traditionally has provided a nursery for riders and horsemen and horsewomen for which Ireland is famous worldwide. Most top class riders whether in horse racing or showjumping will have started out on the hunting field. If this is lost it is gone forever - with increasing urbanisation and depletion of rural populations, hunting in the countryside needs protection and nurturing, not undeserving demonisation from people who are uninformed and have never experienced a hunt.

The Irish Hunter (horse and pony) is also sought after for their 5th leg, bravery, soundness and temperament.
Many Hunt supporters and members earn a living producing such horses for sale to the UK, Europe, USA and indeed Worldwide.

This sport is enjoyed by men and women, boys and girls from 7 to 70+ who love animals, care for their horses and hounds and are deeply appreciative of the privilege of riding to hounds through our magnificent countryside.

Hunts are run on a completely voluntary basis,are regulated by government, take place in open view and plain sight of the public and have nothing to hide. Hunt clubs are obliged to have liability insurance, health and safety compliance measures, child safety measures etc. so the arguments that the sport is anachronistic do not stand.

What about the fox?
It is also a privilege for participants to observe the craftiest and most Wiley of creatures in their natural environment. The fox knows if scent is good or bad and on a bad scenting day can be observed casually preening himself while bamboozled hounds fail to find scent in the next field.
On a good scenting day the fox can be seen at the top of his game, crisscrossing a stream will certainly slow down or stall most hounds, he might head for the nearest field full of sheep to avoid the incoming pack and the Huntsman will be forced to call up his hounds!

Hunting brings people outdoors in an active pursuit, it is a social activity, it takes place in the dark months of winter in the rural countryside. The health benefits are obvious for participants, whether mounted or on foot.
The time spent hunting, caring for horses, getting them fit lessens time on sofas and screens and provides an active example to future generations.