'We treasure our close relationship with the Irish National Stud' - extra Gerry Dilger scholarships to renowned course

The board of the Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation has announced Gwen Browne and Shane Loughnane as recipients of two scholarships granted to Irish citizens for the upcoming Irish National Stud course in county Kildare. 

The award includes fully paid tuition including room and board for the 2024 breeding programme.

Browne hails from the outskirts of Tullow in County Carlow and has always found herself drawn to horses. From a young age her spare time was always equine-related and after a week's work experience in a local point-to-point yard in secondary school, it was clear what path she was going to take. 

Over the course of six years she has immersed herself in the thoroughbred industry. From leading trainer Jessica Harrington's stables in County Kildare to Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley, Australia, she has had the opportunity to work under some of the best horse people in the world alongside some incredible horses. 

Her passion for the early development of thoroughbreds was sparked while studying Stud Management at KIldalton College in County Kilkenny, during which time she got to work under trainers Mags Mullins and Pat Foley. This drive and passion have led her to the Irish National Stud course, which offers an exciting opportunity to learn from industry leaders as she pursues a career in the thoroughbred industry.

Prior to being accepted onto the Irish National Stud course, Shane Loughnane completed an Honours Bachelors Degree in Equine Science at the University of Limerick. 

During that four-year period he spent summer holidays and college work placement at the famed Mount Coote Stud, where under the guidance of Luke Lillingston he developed a passion for the breeding industry and gained valuable foaling experience. 

In his final year at college Shane joined Ballyphilip Stud, where he gained further experience in all aspects of stud work, especially yearling prep and sales with renowned breeder and pinhooker Paul McCartan. 

Loughnane's next goal is to gain experience abroad and work alongside industry leaders prior to returning to Ireland with the aim of stud management. He feels that completing the Irish National Stud course is the next logical step to his career progression and achieving these goals.

Erin Dilger said: "I would like to thank all our generous sponsors. We were delighted to be able to award a record number of seven scholarships for this year for our various programmes and could do it only because of their support and contributions. We treasure our close relationship with the Irish National Stud, which counts Gerry Dilger as a past graduate. 

“The calibre of applications for all our scholarships continues to get stronger and stronger, so the board felt it was appropriate to grant second scholarships to the Irish National Stud for 2024 instead of the initial single offerings. 

“Earlier we announced Luis Ettedgui and Grace Hamilton as recipients of scholarships to the stud programme for candidates from an American background. We therefore decided to grant four awards for the Irish National Stud scholarships in total, instead of the two we had initially planned."

For further scholarship details check out www.gerrydilgerequine.com

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