Not everyone’s mum becomes their business partner, but for 26-year-old Megan McOuat and her mother, Gillian, the transition from family to colleagues has proven to be remarkably uncomplicated. Together, they have opened a new equine centre just outside Saintfield in Co Down, now home to championship-winning horses. The equine centre opened last September as part of a €409,000 investment supported by Ulster Bank.
Moorestown Equine Services specialises in breaking, schooling, and producing youngstock – some of which have taken numerous championships across the UK and competed at some of the biggest shows in Northern Ireland. The company is named after Flynn, Megan’s first horse.
“Moorestown is his registered name. It’s all based around him. His face is the logo and everything,” she explains.
Despite her proven track record in handling horses – Megan holds an equine management degree with distinction from CAFRE in Enniskillen and was an Equine Awards NI Finalist in 2023 – she did not grow up in a horsey household.
Passion for horses
“It was just through a friend that she ended up being around horses, and it went from there,” says Gillian. “As the years went on, Megan’s passion for horses and riding continued to grow.”
After years of riding lessons, attending pony clubs and pony camps, and working in stud and competition yards, Megan wanted to go out on her own, adding: “a desk job and desk life was never going to be for me”.
“Megan was determined to start her own equine business, but finding the right property was a real challenge. We’d probably been looking in the area for two years. We wanted to find the right set-up,” says Gillian. Some properties were completely dilapidated and would have requried an awful lot of money, others had issues with shared laneways and access.
“When this one came up, it fitted all the criteria,” says Gillian, with a smile.
The equestrian centre is situated on a 10ac plot and offers livery services, spacious, well-ventilated stables, year-round turnout and a sand school complete with a range of cross poles, upright, and spread fences for showjumping.
Stables
Gillian and Megan built the sand school themselves: “It saved us about €17,000 doing it ourselves,” says Gillian.
When the mother-daughter duo found the site, the stables were already fitted out but had never been used. There was no electricity so the pair got solar panels installed and they also fitted a tack room, a bathroom and kitchen in the barn.
Their care and their welfare are paramount. It’s the most important thing
Megan and Gillian also re-seeded the fields and have been seeking help and advice from farmers in the area. Initially, they thought they would use the large field at the front of the site for summer grazing: “but one of the farmers advising us said, keep that for your haylage cut this year,” says Gillian. “So we’re going to get that, which is a bonus, really, because we weren’t really expecting that. That wasn’t in our initial plan. In the next couple of weeks, we’re going to get our first haylage cut done.”
Personal touch
Megan and Gillian filled the livery spaces within two weeks of opening Moorestown Equine Services. Their success reflects a growing trend that Megan has noticed where clients want more personalised services rather than bigger stables. “We focus on a maximum of 12 horses here,” she says. “We keep it small to focus on each horse’s individual needs and care, and each customer.
Megan McOuat photographed at their Moorestown Equine Services horse care facility, located on a 10-acre plot at Monlough Road outside Saintfield in Co Down.\ Claire Nash
“I come up here for 7.30 in the morning and feed them, and then during the winter, they would get turned out in the grass in the afternoons, whereas now a lot of them are living out full-time,” says Megan. “We have lots of grass turnout, which is very important for a horse’s mental wellbeing and for them to be in a routine.
“My clients have all noticed a massive difference in their horses from coming here. They say they’re a lot more relaxed because they’re in a regular routine,” she says.
“Their care and their welfare are paramount. It’s the most important thing.”
While Megan oversees all the yard operations, Gillian, an accountant, manages the finances. “Megan does her bit, and I do mine basically,” she says. “I can’t do what Megan does. I don’t have the knowledge. Megan doesn’t do what I do, because I have years of experience of business. So that way we work really well together.”
Gillian also owns Peartree Cottage Cattery, which she has run from the family home for the past 18 years, and is the managing director of Classic Blinds Belfast Limited. Both women are also keen to stress the help that they get from their friends and family, with a special mention to Megan’s partner, Sam. “He puts in a lot of hours,” says Megan. “The two of us go out showing together, competing, driving, we work together. He’s brilliant.”
Traditional gypsy cob
Out of the 12 horses in Moorestown, six are traditional gypsy cobs and all of them are registered and approved by TGCA [Traditional Gypsy Cob Association]. The traditional gypsy cob is a sturdy horse with a flowing mane and a breed native to the UK and Ireland. Both Megan and Sam are motivated by getting the traditional gypsy cob recognised in shows.
“This is the third year that my partner Sam got the TGCA introduced in Northern Ireland. It’s a showing society that is specifically for the traditional gypsy cob and the park-bred cob. We’re promoting that breed here.”
Megan McOuat photographed at their Moorestown Equine Services horse care facility, located on a 10ac plot at Monlough Road outside Saintfield in Co Down. \ Claire Nash
“The TGCA has been a great success,” Megan continues. “Sam has been contacting a lot of the agricultural shows to try and get them in the classes. Armagh Agricultural Show and Saintfield Show had classes this year.”
This year, Sam took the win in the Under-13.2hh Private Drive at Balmoral with Applejack, a traditional gypsy cob. “It was great to have a traditional cob in Balmoral, because they don’t actually run the classes for them. So we try to get them in as much as we can into the driving section,” says Megan.
One of Megan’s clients Chloe McComb on Ocean Breeze also won Reserve Champion of Private Driving this year at Balmoral. “It was brilliant because it was Chloe’s dream to get Ocean to Balmoral and since September, we’ve been them,” says Megan.
Clarkson’s Farm
Megan juggles a lot: early mornings at the yard, working part-time in a tack shop in the afternoon, back up to the barn in the evening as well as competitions on the weekend. Gillian also splits time between her businesses. Yet somehow, both women make the time to unwind with a bit of Clarkson’s Farm – from which they draw inspiration and a few laughs. “It’s interesting just seeing what he does,” says Megan, “and I’d like to see his take on the inheritance tax in the next season!”
Not everyone’s mum becomes their business partner, but for 26-year-old Megan McOuat and her mother, Gillian, the transition from family to colleagues has proven to be remarkably uncomplicated. Together, they have opened a new equine centre just outside Saintfield in Co Down, now home to championship-winning horses. The equine centre opened last September as part of a €409,000 investment supported by Ulster Bank.
Moorestown Equine Services specialises in breaking, schooling, and producing youngstock – some of which have taken numerous championships across the UK and competed at some of the biggest shows in Northern Ireland. The company is named after Flynn, Megan’s first horse.
“Moorestown is his registered name. It’s all based around him. His face is the logo and everything,” she explains.
Despite her proven track record in handling horses – Megan holds an equine management degree with distinction from CAFRE in Enniskillen and was an Equine Awards NI Finalist in 2023 – she did not grow up in a horsey household.
Passion for horses
“It was just through a friend that she ended up being around horses, and it went from there,” says Gillian. “As the years went on, Megan’s passion for horses and riding continued to grow.”
After years of riding lessons, attending pony clubs and pony camps, and working in stud and competition yards, Megan wanted to go out on her own, adding: “a desk job and desk life was never going to be for me”.
“Megan was determined to start her own equine business, but finding the right property was a real challenge. We’d probably been looking in the area for two years. We wanted to find the right set-up,” says Gillian. Some properties were completely dilapidated and would have requried an awful lot of money, others had issues with shared laneways and access.
“When this one came up, it fitted all the criteria,” says Gillian, with a smile.
The equestrian centre is situated on a 10ac plot and offers livery services, spacious, well-ventilated stables, year-round turnout and a sand school complete with a range of cross poles, upright, and spread fences for showjumping.
Stables
Gillian and Megan built the sand school themselves: “It saved us about €17,000 doing it ourselves,” says Gillian.
When the mother-daughter duo found the site, the stables were already fitted out but had never been used. There was no electricity so the pair got solar panels installed and they also fitted a tack room, a bathroom and kitchen in the barn.
Their care and their welfare are paramount. It’s the most important thing
Megan and Gillian also re-seeded the fields and have been seeking help and advice from farmers in the area. Initially, they thought they would use the large field at the front of the site for summer grazing: “but one of the farmers advising us said, keep that for your haylage cut this year,” says Gillian. “So we’re going to get that, which is a bonus, really, because we weren’t really expecting that. That wasn’t in our initial plan. In the next couple of weeks, we’re going to get our first haylage cut done.”
Personal touch
Megan and Gillian filled the livery spaces within two weeks of opening Moorestown Equine Services. Their success reflects a growing trend that Megan has noticed where clients want more personalised services rather than bigger stables. “We focus on a maximum of 12 horses here,” she says. “We keep it small to focus on each horse’s individual needs and care, and each customer.
Megan McOuat photographed at their Moorestown Equine Services horse care facility, located on a 10-acre plot at Monlough Road outside Saintfield in Co Down.\ Claire Nash
“I come up here for 7.30 in the morning and feed them, and then during the winter, they would get turned out in the grass in the afternoons, whereas now a lot of them are living out full-time,” says Megan. “We have lots of grass turnout, which is very important for a horse’s mental wellbeing and for them to be in a routine.
“My clients have all noticed a massive difference in their horses from coming here. They say they’re a lot more relaxed because they’re in a regular routine,” she says.
“Their care and their welfare are paramount. It’s the most important thing.”
While Megan oversees all the yard operations, Gillian, an accountant, manages the finances. “Megan does her bit, and I do mine basically,” she says. “I can’t do what Megan does. I don’t have the knowledge. Megan doesn’t do what I do, because I have years of experience of business. So that way we work really well together.”
Gillian also owns Peartree Cottage Cattery, which she has run from the family home for the past 18 years, and is the managing director of Classic Blinds Belfast Limited. Both women are also keen to stress the help that they get from their friends and family, with a special mention to Megan’s partner, Sam. “He puts in a lot of hours,” says Megan. “The two of us go out showing together, competing, driving, we work together. He’s brilliant.”
Traditional gypsy cob
Out of the 12 horses in Moorestown, six are traditional gypsy cobs and all of them are registered and approved by TGCA [Traditional Gypsy Cob Association]. The traditional gypsy cob is a sturdy horse with a flowing mane and a breed native to the UK and Ireland. Both Megan and Sam are motivated by getting the traditional gypsy cob recognised in shows.
“This is the third year that my partner Sam got the TGCA introduced in Northern Ireland. It’s a showing society that is specifically for the traditional gypsy cob and the park-bred cob. We’re promoting that breed here.”
Megan McOuat photographed at their Moorestown Equine Services horse care facility, located on a 10ac plot at Monlough Road outside Saintfield in Co Down. \ Claire Nash
“The TGCA has been a great success,” Megan continues. “Sam has been contacting a lot of the agricultural shows to try and get them in the classes. Armagh Agricultural Show and Saintfield Show had classes this year.”
This year, Sam took the win in the Under-13.2hh Private Drive at Balmoral with Applejack, a traditional gypsy cob. “It was great to have a traditional cob in Balmoral, because they don’t actually run the classes for them. So we try to get them in as much as we can into the driving section,” says Megan.
One of Megan’s clients Chloe McComb on Ocean Breeze also won Reserve Champion of Private Driving this year at Balmoral. “It was brilliant because it was Chloe’s dream to get Ocean to Balmoral and since September, we’ve been them,” says Megan.
Clarkson’s Farm
Megan juggles a lot: early mornings at the yard, working part-time in a tack shop in the afternoon, back up to the barn in the evening as well as competitions on the weekend. Gillian also splits time between her businesses. Yet somehow, both women make the time to unwind with a bit of Clarkson’s Farm – from which they draw inspiration and a few laughs. “It’s interesting just seeing what he does,” says Megan, “and I’d like to see his take on the inheritance tax in the next season!”
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