The road to the Dublin Horse Show can sometimes be a tough one when not everything runs to plan.

Just over eight months ago a fall out hunting left teenager Elizabeth Cooke with two fractured vertebrae in her back. She faced months on the sidelines and feared missing an entire season in the saddle. It was a worrying time, but the 16-year-old was 100% determined to be ready to compete at her favourite show.

Through sheer grit, and unwavering support from her parents Dara and Emma, her siblings and friends, her aunt Katie Tobin, and coach Louise Lyons, the Co Kilkenny native got back riding in late April. In early July she qualified for two competitions in the space of just a few days. Next week at the RDS she lines out for both the pony workers and Connemara performance with her fabulous 11-year-old grey gelding, Tawnagh Lad. It is an incredible story.

As Elizabeth now prepares for the biggest week of the year, she shares with us her career in ponies – which began in lead rein – right up to the day of the accident, and the months that followed.

“One of the first ponies I rode was IHWT Kitty, a rescue pony my aunt Katie got from the Irish Horse Welfare Trust. I was three when we started lead rein. She was just 11hh and we had great fun. “Then came Aidy, also known as IHRP Adrian. He was a 12hh roan and another rescue pony from Carrie Keogh. I did pony club with him as well as minimus and lots of jumping. He was a bit of a monkey though and liked to run out at fences! Another pony was Dora, a part-bred Welsh mare. She has since produced some foals.”

Tawnagh Lad was sourced from the Donworth family in Limerick in 2022. He had previously competed at the RDS with his former rider Mairead Donworth and has since proven to be truly versatile. “He has done tetrathlon, pony club eventing, workers, a bit of everything.”

Elizabeth Cooke (aged five) riding IHWT Kitty in the lead rein at Ballyfoyle Gymkhana in 2015, led by her aunt Katie Tobin

Team travel

In 2024 they were members of the Irish team that competed at the Junior International Tetrathlon in the UK. The combination returned there in 2025 when they were members of the winning Irish team after again providing one of only a handful of clear jumping rounds.

Just a few weeks earlier at Balmoral they had won the coveted open working hunter pony championship, although Elizabeth said the warm-up didn’t go quite so well. “He was very bold before we went into the ring! Thankfully Louise (Lyons) was there to help me get him ready. He loves his jumping, but he does get a bit excited. He’s a character so you must ride him a special way,” she said of the Hugh Walsh-bred son of Classiebawn Black Jack.

That stallion also produced Busy Bee, winner of Connemara performance for five to seven-year-olds in 2022.

Tawnagh Lad’s dam Bruckless Hester (by Linsfort Boy) produced 12 foals, including the year-younger full-brother Redpark Jack who is currently jumping in Sweden.

After a busy summer on the Irish and UK circuit, Tawnagh Lad was on a well-earned break last December when Elizabeth was doing a bit of hunting. “I was on a four-year-old while out with the Tipperary Foxhounds on December 6th and suffered two falls. I had remounted and hunted on for the day but that evening my back became very sore. I was due to go swimming as part of my tetrathlon training, but I did just half a length and got out. I nearly passed out with the pain and was feeling sick.”

Elizabeth was taken to hospital that evening for a check-up. “I was there with my mother Emma (Katie’s sister) waiting for the x-ray results and they told me I had fractured my T11 and T12. I couldn’t believe it. They told me I’d have to be in a back brace (chin to tail bone) for six weeks.”

When Elizabeth returned home, she was confined to bed for three long weeks. She had to lie flat and needed help to move and to use to the bathroom. “I was only able to get up for a little while on Christmas Day. After four weeks I went to hospital for further x-rays and was told I’d have to stay in the brace for another while as there was no improvement. They just kept pushing it out which was hard.”

Elizabeth missed five weeks from Kilkenny College in the run-up her Junior Certificate. “I returned to school in mid-January while wearing the brace and was able to sit my mock exams.”

“It was mid-March before the doctors told me I could wean myself off the brace – for a few hours each day. I was just dying to get back riding.”

Elizabeth went through weeks of intense rehabilitation and physiotherapy, not only to get back in the saddle but back to even walking.

In February, her aunt Katie came ‘out of retirement’ to bring Archie back into work after his winter holidays.

While Elizabeth was recovering, her pony was also ridden by her older brother Sean (18). He was a member of the team representing Ireland at the recent Pony Club Tetrathlon International Exchange in Australia. Elizabeth also has a twin brother Matthew and a younger sister Ella (13).

Elizabeth Cooke and the rescue pony IHRP Adrian competing at the IPC Minimus Championships in 2021

All-clear

Elizabeth was finally given the all-clear to get back in the saddle at the end of April, but she was only allowed to walk for 10 minutes a day for the first week. Over the next three weeks she slowly got back into her stride. “I jumped my first fence on May 26th and headed to the first working hunter pony qualifiers at Raheen-Na-Gun on May 31st. I had a few fences down, but it was great to be back. It was thanks to Louise (Lyons). I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without her.”

Elizabeth often rides young ponies for Louise, and they have produced over 10 ponies between them over the years.

Elizabeth missed some qualifiers in early June as she was sitting her exams and another two other qualifiers clashed with a holiday in the south of France. “I came home from France on a Thursday night and went to Forth Mountain for the Connemara performance qualifiers that Saturday (June 20th). “He did good flatwork but sadly we didn’t qualify.”

On July 1st Elizabeth was back on the road with Tawnagh Lad, this time for the intermediate working hunter qualifier at Sceilig. “This was our last chance. I needed two completions to be eligible and had the one from Raheen-Na-Gun, so I was delighted to place fifth that day and qualify.”

Elizabeth was able to join her family on a holiday in Cork briefly that week, but it was back to business on July 4th for the final Connemara performance qualifiers at Rincoola. She was hopeful of gaining one of only five ‘golden tickets’ and was absolutely over the moon to win the class on a phenomenal score of 244.5 points.

“I had competed in the same performance class for older ponies at Dublin last year and finished out of the top 10 so it’s great to be going back now to do two competitions.”

After Dublin it will be then on to Clifden where she will make her debut riding a pony for Mary Hayden.

As we have all learned in this feature, Elizabeth’s tenacity is truly admirable for someone so young, and her place on the RDS start lists are more that well-deserved.

Throughout her journey she has received immense support from a wide circle of friends, especially from her equestrian circles. “Her tetrathlon, showing and hunting friends have cheered her on every step of the way – which is heartening to see in this day. “While the tetrathlon won’t be on the cards for this year as running jars her back, she plans to get back to it in 2027,” her aunt Katie concluded.