A BIT ABOUT BRAGGS

Branigan's Pride is a Registered Irish Draught stallion and he was bred at Suma Stud near Dublin in Ireland. He is by the prolific showjumping sire, Pride of Shaunlara. He was imported to Australia by the Lamperd family from Victoria as a yearling in 1986.

He won the Australian Novice Dressage Championship in 1995 and he has competed and won at Medium level. At the same time, he also performed in the showjumping ring. He is a B-grade showjumper and was a prominent six-bar competitor in Victoria. In ridden stallion classes over 15hh, he has not been defeated.

In 1997, Sargent John Newton of the South Australia Mounted Police approached the owners and secured his services and presence in South Australia. They are impressed with the trainability of his stock and have requested his frozen semen for the next 10 years of their breeding program. They use large Thoroughbred mares of any colour to breed their Irish Sport Horses and he is homozygous for grey (so if you get a foal of any other colour, Robyn will find you a million dollars). When Robyn left South Australia last year, the owners asked if Braggs, as he is affectionately known, could come as well. He now stands at Max Wilson's Equine Breeding Centre, near Pittsworth.

His progeny have won in hunt classes at Melbourne Royal, dressage, showjumping and horse trials throughout Australia. He is the sire of Barastoc Tullamore (2001 Australian Showjumping Derby winner and placegetter at the Adelaide International Horse Trials in 2000 and 2001) and Branigan's Flying High (Victoria's 2001 Young event horse of the Year).