ONCE an athlete, always an athlete - Jack Sheedy is living proof. Following a highly-decorated career in the GAA, Jack rediscovered his passion for show jumping and returned to the saddle after many years away. Driven by commitment and love for the sport, he achieved a remarkable milestone by qualifying for the Dublin Horse Show in the amateur ranks in 2025.This was the second occasion that the Dublin man had qualified, the first being in 1975.

On the GAA field, Jack was truly a star. He made his Championship debut for Dublin against Meath in the first round of the Leinster Senior Football Championship in 1991, after having been a panelist on the Dublin team beaten by Kerry in 1984. The series famously finished after four games (three replays), with Dublin losing by a point. He went on to win five Leinster Championships with Dublin in 1984, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995. He won an All Star for Dublin in 1994, the same year that he won his fourth Leinster championship and then an all-Ireland senior football final defeat to Down.

Sheedy was the manager of the Edenderry senior team in County Offaly. He won a Division Two League title in that role in June 2009. He managed Moorefield of Kildare to a Kildare Senior Football Championship in October 2010. In October 2013, Sheedy was confirmed as the new manager of the senior Longford County team, stepping down in July 2015 due to other commitments.

Early days

Growing up in Lucan with his brothers Pat and Conor, Jack’s family was heavily involved in sports, but he recalls a different Lucan from what we see today.

“Lucan was full of green fields and most people had horses. My father, also named Jack, was a small farmer and he kept a few horses on the farm. We hunted, and had some point to pointers. My mum, Maisie, was also involved in our equestrian endeavours, and she would ride the ponies if we were busy in school or on the pitch. As a family, we would go to gymkhanas and it was always a great day out, with the top riders at the time like Paul Darragh and Eddie Macken competing alongside us. The crowds came to watch the show jumping and there was great excitement.”

Jack was no stranger to success in the pony ranks, and it was while he was riding 13.2hh ponies that he first qualified for the RDS. “I remember we purchased my first pony from Ned Cash. He did everything from hunting to show jumping. My success came in the 13.2hh arena, when I rode Darra Moonshine, which belonged to Joe and Jimmy Fortune. It was a beautiful Connemara and we had much success. Ponies did everything in those days, and sand arenas did not exist. We qualified for the RDS in Ballivor in 1975.”

In the 148cm division, Jack continued to compete, but failed to qualify for the RDS again at this level. Once out of ponies, Jack moved on to horses and went on to ride in a members’ race with a horse called Parkbawn, finishing second to Charlie O’Neill.

As his career and indeed his GAA career took off, Jack drifted away from horses, and it was only when his two children, Orláigh and Saoirse, showed an interest that this spark reignited. Both girls were consistent in show jumping, but in time, Saoirse went down the football and hurling route.

Jack also took up coaching in the GAA at this time, another aspect that he really enjoyed. “I loved the coaching element, as I felt I was giving something back to the sport and I really felt that I had a talent for it. Even now with horse riding, I tap into what I have taught players while I was coaching. Important points, such as giving yourself time to get your head clear before a competition, not being influenced by the occasion and remaining focused on the goals.”

https://foto.ifj.ie/fotoweb/archives/5005-Irish-Field/Irish%20Field%20New/2023/JUMX2340.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5005-Irish-Field%2F%3Fq%3Djack%2520sheedy

Jack Sheedy and Dsh Good Feeling at the Dublin Horse Show in 202 \Laurence dunne jumpinaction.net

Beginning again

It was through the children’s interest in horses that Jack’s love of show jumping rekindled. “We had the ponies on livery and one day I was asked to sit up on a horse that was in the yard. That was it, I was bitten by the bug again. Although my wife Adrienne does not ride herself, she is always there to support us, and she is the glue that keeps it together. Thankfully, she was supportive when I went back to show jumping myself. Horses take up a lot of time and the support at home needs to be there. It wasn’t long before I was hacking and back jumping small fences. I then rescued an ex-racehorse, and we had loads of fun, but it was never going to be a show jumper. I rehomed the horse and went in search of a possible show jumper, which turned out to be my current horse DSH Good Feeling.”

This now 15-year-old gelding has all the breeding of a top show jumping animal, by Douglas Cavalier and out of the Olympic Lux-sired dam, Olympic Hill.

From this point, Jack admits he had a lot to catch-up on if he was going to compete in the very competitive amateur ranks. “I knew the horse was up for the challenge, but I also knew that I had a lot of catching up to do! I had the help of people like Grace McHugh and Jim Donoghue, who helped with getting me there.

“The first year back was a learning year for me, but last year I became more technical. The first year back, I was knocking on the door, but last year it just came together.”

From 2023, Jack was consistent at the 1m level and amongst his good results were runner-up in the Amateur Leinster League and Orchard Equestrian /Naps Qualifier in Mullingar and runner-up in the Amateur Farmers Journal qualifier at the same venue. The following year, they moved up to 1.10m, where again they showed great consistency. Growing in confidence in 2025, the partnership took off. “When I qualified in Tipperary, when fastest of the last triple clears, the feeling was amazing. The qualifiers are so competitive and to secure a place is a great feeling. The courses are very technical, and the riders and horses are so just competitive. Everybody wants a place at the Dublin Horse Show.”

Emerald Equestrian

Along with his GAA commitments and getting back in the saddle, Jack also runs Emerald Equestrian. “I just love it,” he explains. “It never feels like work! I am meeting new people every day and people that I grew up with. Thankfully, Emerald is proving very successful and has grown in popularity with people that use the facility for schooling and for the bigger shows.”

Jack’s journey is a reminder that true sporting instinct never fades, it simply finds new ways to express itself. From the roar of the GAA pitch to the precision and pressure of the show jumping arena, the same qualities have underpinned his success: discipline, resilience, and an unwavering love for competition.

Qualifying once again for the Dublin Horse Show, five decades after first doing so as a pony rider, is not just a personal triumph but a testament to lifelong dedication to sport. Whether mentoring from the sideline, managing teams, or flying down to the final fence, Jack continues to prove that passion, when matched with commitment, has no expiry date. Once an athlete, always an athlete and Jack’s story is far from finished and no doubt we will see him at the Dublin Horse Show once again.