THE ADVENTURE OF ASHFORD FARM

The story of Ashford Farm is like a fairy tale told from a storybook. With a few shillings in his pockets, the Irishman Enda Carrol went out in the world to build his own kingdom: This is the story about the Adventure of Ashford Farm.

Text and photo: Therese Alhaug

It’s calm when we turn in through the enormous gate of oak at Ashford Farm. We are in Bocholt in Belgium – the centre for the Equestrian sport in Europe. Within a few kilometres radius we find several well-known sport and trading stables like Zangersheide, Stephex Stables, Stal Philippaerts and Stal Tops. Most of them participants with long experience in the business. The Irishman Enda Carrol is still a newcomer when considered the elite, but he is certainly not just anybody. In a few years time he is established as having one of the most successful sport-stables in Europe. Behind the cheerful and convivial appearance there is a hidden motor with a lot of horsepower.

Movie from ASHFORD FARM produced by EQUILIFE:

Enda Carrol is standing in his office stowing away a silvery Mac. The office in Ashford Farm is bustling day and night. Three other gentlemen are busy with their mobile phones and discussions while Enda greets us with a warm welcome. It is Monday afternoon and most of them are gathered here at home after the competitions of the weekend. The riders at Ashford Farm have excelled themselves well since they started, especially the Brazilian Marlon Zanotelli who has jet-setted up the world ranking. Marlon and the other riders work in one of the busiest trade stables in Europe, but are all the same in a unique position to be able to focus on the sport. That is important motivation for both Enda and the riders. Plans are already laid out for the next weekend, with two competitors: Liege and Lyon. Enda follows on the journeys as often as he can. The Irishman lives and breathes for the greatest sportive moments, as well as the business of it all. With a well-functioning business model he is fortunate enough to be able to combine the two.

Good References
The fact that Enda was to finish up as one of the world’s busiest horse traders, he, on the other hand, knew little about when he as a 14-year-old packed his bag, left school and took on a job as a groom for the Irish rider Cian O’Connor. Today he is 28 years old and manager for one of Europe’s most successful sale- and sport-stables. He is living proof of the lad in the fairy tales that went out in the world and succeeded without schools and education.
At Ashford, showjumping horses develop and are sold to the international showjumping sport, and the references speak for themselves. Major rider names like Ben Maher, Bertram Allen, Rodrigo Pessoa, Penelope Leprevost, Kevin Staut Cameron Hanley and Geir Gulliksen are all on the list of riders that have found their four-legged companion at Ashford Farm. Horses that do good in the sport, is the best PR we get, says Enda. In just a few years the trademark Ashford Farm has set down as a respectable player on the market. An industri that has increased considerably in the latest decade. Matters have developed quickly since Enda started his horse trade about eight years ago – and the stable has increased its capacity from 5 to 50 horses, from 1 groom to 25 employees. But success doesn’t come by itself.
– It’s not just about finding the right horses, but also to grant good customer service, lead a professional business and build up a well functioning team. In the basics lie the passion for the sport. Five decisive factors, says Enda, who does not leave anything to chance.
Regarding Enda it is told that he represents a new generation of horse traders. Built on trust and good business practice. Frayed “cowboy trading” is absent. – I run a modern factory – based on four-legged athletes, he says. Enda, who went by way of hard-working groom to manager gives him some evident advantages. He knows the work that go on behind the scenes very well and knows how to appreciate his employees for the job they do – one and all. A factor of success that possibly has given him a good precedence. He knows that a good team is invaluable to build a solid platform on – and that a good team consists of the right people, who are acknowledged for the work they do, as well as excellent horses and a sound basis for the clients.
– We are like a family, everybody has his or her own tasks – everybody is just as important, says Enda about his 25 employees, who daily look after the property, the administration, sales and horses. Enda is obviously proud of his colleagues – a pride that rubs off further on in the team.

It’s not just about finding the right horses, but also to grant good customer service, lead a professional business and build up a well functioning team.
Enda Carrol

From Groom to Rider to Manager.
The story of ASHFORD FARM started when the young boy Enda Carrol found an ad in the local paper at home in Ireland. A job announcement for a “groom” for the Irish national team-rider Cian O’Connor. Enda didn’t know much more than his love for horses and equestrian sports. He didn’t like school and as a result he threw himself into the world and travelled to Dublin to begin his first equestrian job.
With Cian I got paid 120 Euros a week. People said I was crazy, but it was a fantastic time. Even though it was too soon to assert that I would become a top rider or horse dealer, I knew that I liked it. Cian taught me much and I have much to thank him for.
The journey continued to the big event “The Sunshine Tour” in Spain. There awaited another six weeks from home and a thousand more experiences for a curious and eager to learn 14-year-old. But Enda’s story changes again as quickly as everything else he carries out. From grooming for Cian O’Connor he took the road to Switzerland to work for Niall Talbot. Not for long obviously, for this man is pressed for time, and is quite unstoppable with many irons in the fire. A short while after this he took on a new job in England for 8 months, and had the opportunity to ride and compete with the young horses of the stable, and all of a sudden, a new engagement awaited in Ireland. There he participated internationally and he won his first victory in Grand Prix. His new boss then arranged for him a three months work placement with the great American star rider Beezie Madden during the Wellington Horse Show in the USA.
– Beezie is a marvellous lady of horses, so patient – and a top trainer. One of the rare “horse ladies” in the world. I got to ride some 1.50 classes before I went home to a new equestrian job.
Enda was a focused and ambitious man in accordance with a sports career and acquired a lucrative job with a Belgian family next, where he could focus on the sport for 2 years. That resulted in participation in the European Championships twice, before he put his sports career on the shelf as a 21-year-old.
– This was a fantastic time, with fabulous people, where I got the opportunity to develop as a rider, says Enda with urgency in his voice, and states further that he quit his sports career to concentrate on horse trading. – One has to have such a big talent today to assert oneself. I realized I didn’t have what it took to be the best, therefore I changed my course, he adds.
Enda’s ability to appreciate the people he meets on his way may have been a contributing factor when today he has succeeded in cultivating unique connections consisting of job relations and friendships all over the world. One of them is the Norwegian Geir Gulliksen.
– Geir has been tremendous to me. He believed in me and helped me in the start. His top-horse Banyan he bought unseen over the phone. A success story. I have to thank the people around me for much of my success – for having believed in me and come with excellent advice underway.

It gives me a lot to follow horses we have sold in the competitions arenas – it’s almost as if I ‘m watching my own horse win. That’s what this is about – that’s our story of success. It gives me enormous pleasure! There is no bigger “dreamer” than me.
Enda Carrol

The Start
Enda started his business on a small scale. He was then 20 years old. He used his savings to buy two promising young horses in Europe, travelled to Wellington in Florida, sold both horses, went home again and bought five new ones. In this way the business developed further and further. In the USA he met his ex-partner and business associate, the experienced rider Courtney Vince. Together they bought horses in Europe and travelled to New York in the summers and Florida during the winters. The business model became a success and their network of contacts built larger and larger. This formed the basis of establishing their own starting point in the heart of Europe. They chose Belgium – the central core of the Equestrian Sport.
– The first years I rented a stable with an acquaintance. From there on the business grew bigger and bigger. Six horses quickly became ten, and ten became several more.
The pressing need for a larger stable and more people gradually became precarious. Later when Courtney incurred a fracture in her shoulder that kept her from riding, the need for new labour was called for immediately.
– That summer I met the Brazilian Marlon Modolo Zanotelli. A young and very promising rider who at that time was engaged at Stephex Stables. I had for a long time admired his talent, and his courteous, modest and fine manners. The timing was ideal. I proposed an offer to Marlon to help us with the horses – we had twelve horses that all were attending the Sunshine Tour that spring. He accepted.

Praises his Riders
Marlon came to the stable four years ago, and is today ranked as no. 35 in the world. The long partnership between Enda and Marlon has been an important piece for the success of Ashford. Together they have built up a stable with better and better horses, which also has given Marlon the possibility to succeed in the sport. Today two additional riders are employed at the stables, and Enda describes them as very hardworking, polite, calm and modest persons, with enormous talents for the sport: The Swede Angelica Augustsson and the Belgian Pieter Clemens.
– Pieter I had observed for a while from the outside, he was the same type as Marlon. Highly respected, calm and dedicated. So when we needed another rider, he was the first I thought of. Angelica I had already known for many years and knew what she stood for. She as well has the same strong qualities I look for. All three of them are serious, modest riders with extensive sporting ambitions. Perhaps three of the world’s best riders in my opinion. They are all fantastic, says Enda enthusiasticly.
Enda does not make a secret of that a big part of the business also is directed towards the sport.
– The whole business is built on sales. But we are also a sport-stable, with big ambitions. Angelica is building up a new team with very good younger horses – they will be very strong next year. Pieter the same. Marlon had a goal this year to get inside the top 50 of- the-World-ranking. He did. Even though horses are sold and the business operative on this, we are all driven by a passion for the sport. We buy a horse to compete, and one day it gets sold. That’s how it is.

Important with Teamwork.
Enda is obviously proud of his team. With 50 horses and lots of events and activities there are many roles to attend to for the wheels to turn and for Ashford Farm to live up to its stamp of quality. Beyond the daily farm- and stable-work he has employed persons in accounting, sales, market, transport and horse passports – yes, to mention a few. And the riders, of course.
– All my employees are just as important to me – if Marlon wins a world ranking class or my driver delivers the horses on time, they’re both of them equally important. We are a team – a family – where everybody is just as significant. I know perfectly well how slogging and demanding the work all my employees do. Even if I today can get into the car after the last class on a Sunday in the competition arena, I know what jobs remain for the rest of the team. Horses to groom, equipment to pack before a long drive. Then everything at home has to be okay. You do not leave your post because it’s midnight.

Enda repeats:
– My people are extraordinary – the job they do is indispensable. They deal with the most important things I’ve got – my horses – which indeed are my whole business. Every weekend they travel to events, and then come home to unpack until the next journey. Incessant new 12 hours in the truck.

The Dream Ashford Farm
Ashford Farm also offer good facilities. There the horses live like in a hotel all year round. The stable has an original architecture, built in brick and woodwork with a charming thatched roof. Some of the boxes measure full 7mx3m and most of them have double windows as loose boxes do: The windows are cased in by nostalgic shutters of oak. Outside lies rows of green pasture paddocks. A big outdoor arena, bridle paths, round pens and an indoor arena are also part of it all. The fallen leaves are cleared away daily in the autumn. The outdoor areas are raked, mowed, weeded and fertilized. Nothing is left to chance at Ashford Farm.

The buildings are considered thoroughly well done and sturdy and they have had a flair for exclusive details. If you take your time and study every little detail, you will discover that the wrought-iron holders on the window shutters are formed as small figureheads. Enda Carroll has not only built a stable, he has built his dream and everything in just four month’s time. He bought the property in December of 2013. Four months later everything was ready. The 100-year-old main house is still in its original state, while most of the stable buildings are newly built. What was supposed to take a year, ended in four months of intensive work. Enda explains:
– You have to understand one ting about me; in my world nothing goes quickly enough – it has to go faster. Everything should have been done yesterday. I then booked three times the number of the planned workforce.
-How did you end up precisely here?
– The story is quite funny, actually. I first rented a stable from a friend. So, one day we went around and looked at five-six farms. Mostly to pass the time. Ashford was the first farm we visited and I loved it after five minutes. I bought the property the same day. Afterwards I started to draw a sketch of the facility.
-And the architecture?
– I travel a lot in my line of work. I have been fortunate enough to have seen some of the most fantastic places in the world. Underway I have gotten new ideas, you know: Dreams. I jotted them down on paper and made it happen. On the other hand I must have been a nightmare of a proprietor. I think I changed my plans a 100 times – I woke every morning with a new idea and drew at least 10 different solutions, says Enda while he smiles modestly. He continues: – It happened once that a finished wall had to be torn down. I had been on a show and came back with a better idea. But I am pleased I did that. I wanted it perfect – this is surely something one does only once in a lifetime. But I was certainly not easy to work with.

At the moment this business is growing in a speed you don’t want to believe – the market is exceptional.
Enda Carrol

Loves this Life
Enda characterizes himself as impatient and is happy to have people around him that may hold him back a little when his brain and eagerness runs away with him. Yet, any sign of negligence is conspicuously absent. I would like to call him efficient. Rarely efficient. The phone is never silent – nevertheless he politely asks permission to answer an incoming call during our interview. He is at home three days a week. The rest of the days he travels all over the world. Last year he counted 180 travels by air, this year he estimates around 250 by the end of the year.
– Yes, it is busy, but I love this. I don’t need holidays and days off. I love every minute of it. If I am not on the lookout for new horses, I travel and call on existing clients. This is as important a part of the business. I like to see the horses I have sold succeed, I’m happy to give advice and look out for my clients and see to it that they are satisfied. If they’re not, we always find a solution. This is very important and it builds trust.

To be able to watch our horses succeed in the sport is my whole motivation.
Enda Carrol

– Do you have any role models?
– Of fear of excluding many this is difficult to say. But, Ludger Beerbaum is one of the ones that have inspired me. He is not just a fantastic rider, but he is also very professional in the business-part. Everything is organized and well-planned. That is the way this line of business ought to be run.
– Where will your fairytale end?
– Well, nowadays I have in fact a challenge at times of finding enough horses for my clients. I sell quality not quantity, and there are many contenders for the good horses. At the moment this business is growing in a speed you don’t want to believe – the market is exceptional. But to me the most important thing is to find the right horse for the client.
-The value of the horses increase admittedly concurrently with the demand, and what the market is willing to pay. Do you see any challenges of the new interest for the sport in affluent countries as the Arab Emirates and Russia?
– That is a very good question. Yes, there is certainly a little growing sense of uneasiness just there. But at the top luckily the best riders still ride the best horses. Thanks to strong sponsors. But it goes without saying; at some point in time it may be talk about so much money that the sponsors no longer can match this. As of today this is fortunately not so.
– You do some breeding as well?
– Yes, a bit. We have 20 mares and foals standing at a breeding farm nearby. But I don’t want to call myself a breeder – more I “dream of being a breeder”. It started when some of our mares got injured. That’s the way it happened. I will rather call it a hobby, he says and smiles.

Horse trading is a risk as well?
– Certainly. I will say I probably hit bull’s eye 90% of the times. 10% of the horses we buy don’t live up to the expectations. These I sell at a loss. We sell about 100 horses a year, so there’s always a certain risk associated with this, but that’s the way it is. We look for horses with great capacity, good technique and manners. They must also be alert and airy. Most of the horses we buy are about six or seven years old. Some are eight as well. But never older and rarely younger than five. We have clients that want them to be ready for the sport.

Enda Carrol is deemed as being very successful, like many are, but he himself never dreamt that it was to grow this big.
– I don’t know if I want to call myself successful, but the fact is we have developed a strong trademark based on respect and trust, that I believe. We run the business properly – and try to have the best horses available, that’s a good start. In the beginning the goal and the dream was always to buy the best of everything. I didn’t want to manage a low-priced horse trade. I rather buy two really good horses than four half good ones. That is probably the foundation for a big part of my success.
Enda believes much of his success is also due to the people around him.
– I have been lucky to meet people that have supported me all the way. I use to grab hold of things too quickly. I am ambitious and perhaps a bit rash at times. A bit too bold if you know what I mean. At that time it is nice to have people who believe in your ideas, give advice and support you. We have developed a good company and I hope that we the next years will be as successful as these.

A lot of the joy he values is in watching his riders succeed.
– I have also a goal of building up my riders for the sport. That they remain in it for a long time. The sport is still my great passion – and the source to all this. I myself couldn’t reach the level I wanted to and being as competitive as I, that was perhaps the reason I quit being a professional horseman. But I love to watch my riders win, they are like my family. We all have our hearts in the sport – that’s why we work so hard. When all is said and done, we do this for those two minutes in the arena. You know, all this is about dreams. When Marlon started with us, we shared this dream. Then when he jumped his first double zero – yes that was fantastic! My clients’ success with the horses is also my passion – I want to sell dreams. When or if they succeed it gives me great joy. It gives me a lot to follow horses we have sold in the competitions arenas – it’s almost as if I ‘m watching my own horse win. That’s what this is about – that’s our story of success. It gives me enormous pleasure!

He continues.

– There is no bigger “dreamer” than me. When I own a good horse, I am happy – but when big money comes, I have to sell. That’s the way the wheels turn. To be able to watch our horses succeed in the sport is my whole motivation.

Translations Ann Karin Bye

Therese Stub Alhaug

Editor

Therese is the editor of Equilife, and is truly dedicated to equestrian sports and horses. She started riding as a little girl, and enjoys her free time with her two horses back home. Portrait interview is her favorite topic, as it has the gift to inspire others through peoples stories, knowledge, training and general life-philosophy, and certainly, their lives with horses.