In conjunction with Bourns Sports Horses, Lisbeg Farms in East Galway is an exceptional, self-sustaining mixed farming enterprise, which develops premium quality sports horses, beef and sheep. We caught up with proprietor Richard Bourns via a transatlantic phone call to find out more about this outstanding family business.
Four generations of the Bourns family have contributed substantially to the extraordinary success story of Lisbeg Farms / Bourns Sports Horses. The genesis of the business as it exists today can be traced back to cattle exporter Harry Bourns, who grazed his heifers at Lisbeg but fattened them in Summerhill, County Meath before exporting to the port of Birkenhead, near Liverpool
In 1974, Harry’s grandson, Richard took over. It was a disastrously wet year, so bad that a lesser man might have thrown in the towel. Richard persevered. The first slated cattle house went up in 1977; over the course of four decades, the Galway man oversaw the development of Lisbeg Farms into a globally-recognised, high-quality enterprise, producing premium beef cattle, sheep and show-jumping horses.
Lisbeg Farms comprises a massive 1,400 acres – all in one block, including some 700 acres of grassland (560 of tillage). Working hand in hand with sons Christopher and Andrew, Richard and his wife Deirdre are also involved in developing high-end show-jumpers.
Between all of these activities, it’s a vast, multifaceted operation that demands long hours of dedication, hard work and expertise from the Bourns family and their professional team. We interrupted Richard’s incredibly busy schedule (he spends his time between Ireland and the USA) to get an insight into the current state of play.
“I started Lisbeg Farms in 1974, having inherited a sizeable piece of land from my father. It was cattle, sheep tillage and horses at the time and that’s what I continued to farm,” Richard reflects. “Today, I farm in East Galway together with my son Christopher and wife Deirdre, while Andrew is based full time in Wellington, Florida.”
Each year, Lisbeg Farms / Bourns Sports Horses produces some 1,500 beef cattle, sells 2,500 lambs and exports 50 high-end show-jumping horses. With barns in Ireland and North America, they provide an international showcase for horses sourced in Ireland but produced on a global stage. The Roll of Honour includes successful horses such as Cristobar, Casper (now heading to Rio for New Zealand) Ballyquirke Tip Top, Roundthorn Madios, Lincourt Gino, Glencento, Good News II, Gowran Park, Gatsby , Madam Butterfly, Mark Q and Venadium R.
“We mainly sell the horses into North America but also serve markets in South Africa, China, Sweden the UK and Europe,” Richard notes.
Beef is supplied to ABP Food Group; lambs predominantly go Keepak, Dawn or Kildare Chilling Company. Christopher takes care of the tillage – winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley, fodder beet, maize and oats, all gown as part of a self-sufficient farming model.
“Andrew moved to the US in 2007 and has established a significant farm in Florida, where he showcases and sells our horses into the North American market,” Richard continues.
Is it a bit of a lottery when it comes to unearthing the best-quality sports horses?
“I wouldn’t use the term lottery – there’s a bit more to it than that,” Richard points out. “You have to select the right horses and nurture them to be as good as they possibly can be. They are very sensitive animals and you have to be cautious with them and take a very precise approach to maximise their potential. We buy foals and young horses up to five years old, sourcing as many as we can here in Ireland – up to 50% – and importing the rest from Holland, Germany, Belgium and Sweden.”
Before being relocated to Florida, each animal spends its formative years at Lisbeg Farms – an ideal training ground to bring the horses on to the next level and maximize their chances of competing at the highest level: “It’s good limestone land which is good for growth of bones to make them strong,” Richard confirms. “ We have invested heavily in facilities for the training of our horses. World class arenas, both fiber -sand and grass have been installed. And we have two of the best riders in Ireland heading up our team. In the past year our horses won four showjumping competitions at the RDS, the Young Irelander in Millstreet and many more high-profile classes around Ireland.
The amount of experience the directors have accumulated over the years is another major plus: “My wife Deirdre and I have both been involved in the production of show-jumping horses for over 40 years and both of our families were involved as well, so there is a great tradition there. We’ve also built up significant contacts worldwide and we’re now selling horses to the children of people who bought from us in the 1980s and ‘90s.”
Between the sports horses, beef, lambs and tillage, a massive amount of work is invested into sustaining Lisbeg Farms. “Each of the enterprises is seven days a week,” says Richard.
“We’re fortunate to have a team of very young, enthusiastic and motivated staff, who all have a great love of animals. There aren’t many countries left in the world where you can find dedicated stock people and we are very lucky to have found people like that in the West of Ireland. Most of our staff who work in North America are also Irish.”
Gainful employment is currently generated for a team of 15. “We are constantly in touch with the agricultural colleges and equestrian colleges looking for dedicated livestock people coming through their systems,” Richard adds. “For the past 30 years, we have also been taking on veterinary students and a lot of them have done their practical training on our farm.”
How challenging is it to run the overall operation as a viable commercial enterprise? “Each aspect of the business – sheep, cattle, horses in Ireland, horses in America and tillage – has to stand on its own two feet and justify its existence. We have a key person in each department making sure that this is the case. There are a lot of overheads and a lot of logistics and variables, so you have to keep on top of everything and try to make each enterprise as profitable as possible.”
Looking to the future, Richard will continue to place a huge emphasis on quality: “I’m hoping to expand the beef production, but sheep are at the maximum our facilities can handle. We’ll continue to strive to produce better and better horses,” he concludes.
“Beef prices are back 10% from last year but you are totally committed to it with staff, machinery, cattle, tillage and your place in the market. You can’t jump in and out of it as you please. You have to hang in there and hope that prices in the stores will come down, which they will. When there’s a good year, extra people pile in and drive prices at the store rings up and when they sell the same cattle as beef, they depress beef prices. After a bad year, the opposite happens.
“A lot of beef farming is down to efficiency because you have very limited control over prices. This means you are constantly working on trying to improve your efficiencies and keep your costs down.”
Bourns Sport Horses / Lisbeg Farms,
Lisbeg House,
Eyrecourt,
Ballinasloe,
County Galway.
Tel: 087 2558226
Email: [email protected]
Web: bournssporthorses.com
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
