Based in County Meath, the newly built state of the art Karlswood Stables has been a major project for owner and Olympic show jumping medallist Cian O’Connor.

Setting the John Deere machines at Karlswood Stables to work

These grand equine facilities extend to 20 stables for his own horses, and another 24 are under construction for others. On top of that the complex boasts its own indoor arena and outdoor grass ring, sand ring, gallops, hacking trails and spa facilities for horses.

With the grounds extending to a total area of 68 acres, the Karlswood team required a reliable range of machinery and equipment to maintain the grounds and keep the grass well-trimmed. Being familiar with the benefits of the John Deere brand, Karlswood farm manager Derry McIntyre contacted Noel Bennett of local professional turf dealer Dublin Grass Machinery with a shopping list of the equipment required.

The John Deere equipment delivered to Karlswood Stables in County Meath by Noel Bennett from Dublin Grass Machinery

The machinery now supplied includes a new John Deere 4066R compact tractor, 1600T wide area rotary mower, X950R commercial rear-discharge, rear-collect diesel lawn tractor and an electric TE Gator utility vehicle.

Derry explains the purchasing decision by highlighting brand reliability and ease of use. “As this is a brand new complex, we have a lot of lawn and grass areas that have to be kept meticulously presented to maintain the high standards synonymous with Karlswood,” he says. “The self-propelled X950R and 1600T rotary mowers are superb tools to cut the grass around our all-weather arena and lawns.”

Derry and his team have already been putting the tractor to good use, and praise its ease of use and versatility. “The 4066R carries out a number of tasks all over the site,” he says.

“For example, we spend around one and a half hours a day raking the arena, and there is a front-mounted mower attachment to provide extra grass cutting help around the hacks and the outside of the farm. We also have a scarifier for maintaining the grass areas, so the tractor has a real multitude of uses."

Gary Deakins and Derry McIntyre from Karlswood Stables with the new John Deere Gator

Derry continued, “The Gator is a fantastic tool to transport various pieces of equipment such as grass strimmers, hedge trimmers and other hand tools to various parts of the farm. This vehicle makes it easier for us to travel around the site, and with the load bed space on the back to carry materials as well as tools, it is another reliable workhorse here at Karlswood Stables.”