FOR many young men leaving school, choosing a career path can feel daunting, but for Oisín Dillon there was never any doubt - show jumping was his future.

The only question that remained was how he would carve out his path in the sport and would he remain in Ireland to build his career. Based now with Billy Twomey and competing in England and on the European circuit, his career is certainly on the right path. He kicked off 2026 on a positive note, winning the Under 25 Grand Prix at the Arena UK show centre, before heading off to Spain to compete.

While horses are his passion, sport also played an important part in growing up. He competed in many different sports through his secondary school days at St Mary’s College, Galway, but hurling was his favourite. He won an All-Ireland with his club, Annaghdown, when winning the Feile Final and proceeded to play at underage level for Galway in the Celtic Challenge series for two seasons.

A Galway native, Oisín enjoyed a great pony career, with his parents Pat and Geraldine Dillon both involved in the sport. “Mum never show jumped, but showed a lot of young horses and inherited the show jumping bug as we grew up. She is now an SJI senior national show jumping judge, so she said it’s been both enjoyable and nerve-wracking to watch us compete from the judge’s box.

“Dad came from a home full of horses. As a family growing up, they hired hunters to the Galway and Clare Hunts, often having two lorries on the road on a hunting day. Dad competed in show jumping, point-to-points and cross-country. My young brother Tadhg also show jumps. I campaigned many young ponies, which in time Tadhg got the benefit of, enabling him to win many 148 classes. None was more well-known than the terrific pony Ballagh Shannon, owned by Donal Mitchell, who is a supporter of both of us.”

At home as a pony and even a young rider, there was enough to keep Dillon on Irish soil, and he admits that it gave him great grounding for the future. “There were always lots of shows with different competitions. This gave me a chance to do Ponies, Children on Horses, Juniors, Young Riders and then move into seniors. Training shows and coaching chances are there for everyone. Local and regional leagues in Connaught give a good platform for competing and learning. I was lucky to have good animals throughout the grades. I’ve had many nice horses and ponies to compete with, but my favourite pony would have to be Charlie (Ballygawley Blitz), a 12.2hh that we had.

”The horses would be Rhonda, Ballybeg Loui, SMC Molly and Pablo Van Het Geinsteinde (Pablo). I am thankful for the training and the chances that I got, but I felt to go further that I would have to spread my wings.

https://foto.ifj.ie/fotoweb/archives/5006-Irish-Horse-World/Irish%20Horse%20World/2020/cavan%20young%20rider%20national%20champioships%202021%20%20-%2037.JPG.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5006-Irish-Horse-World%2F%3Fq%3Doisin%2520dillon

Oisin Dillon (YR) SMC Molly winners of 1.10m JNR/YR Grand Prix at Cavan \ Enda Daly jumpinaction.net

Home base

“While at home, Paul Duffy was my trainer. He gave me lots of guidance and opportunities and thanks to him and Kathryn for the chance to compete at all levels, while training and learning all I could to improve at every step. With this training and along with the support of my parents, I had the confidence to pursue this career.”

In 2019, Oisin was crowned National Junior Champion at the Young Rider Championships in Mullingar, which further cemented the career path he would take. 2020 came in with a bang and many sports suffered, so Oisin put down his hurl and took up the reins full-time.

Before heading to the UK in September 2021, August saw Oisin win the overall young rider 1.10m championship and the 1.10m grand prix at the young rider championships in Cavan, both with the aforementioned SMC Molly, competing alongside Tadhg who had now progressed into Children on Horses. He also competed in Dublin that year - a strange but satisfying experience even though there were no crowds allowed.

Sussex calling

In September 2021, he secured a job with Michael Drea and his daughter Jessie in West Sussex, and this was the start of his travels outside Ireland. “The Drea’s gave me an opportunity to ride some very nice young horses at shows over there, as well as competing my own horse, Ballybeg Loui. I worked with them for about a year, riding young horses, but I didn’t get much competition experience, which is what I really wanted.”

After he came home from Drea’s, he worked in his home base in Ireland, and it wasn’t long before another door opened and he was given the opportunity to go and work for Billy Twomey. It was while with Billy that he gained invaluable training and knowledge travelling to Europe to compete.

“While working with Billy, I got to ride a lot of different horses, which helped my riding skills. Along with this, I got to travel to lots of different shows across the UK and Europe, which were very good experiences and learning curves.”

He returned home for the summer of 2025 and was very prominent on the Connaught Grand Prix circuit. He also had success with young horses, winning the five-year-old final at Mullingar International. He was prominent in the young horse classes with animals such as Chipmunk Bc Z, Toleen St, Red Lottie Brigade and Harvey By Hsh.

“I came home to see what it would be like and again it was a learning phase, but I missed the hands-on experience of the bigger shows and the ability, even if not riding, to watch the elite of the sport compete, which is also very valuable when learning your trade.”

Since leaving Ireland to pursue his career, he had clocked up results in European and English events, such as Harthill Bolesworth, Chepstow, Vejer de La Frontera, Sancourt and Pernay. In Vejer de La Frontera, he had a top 10 finish in 1.40m CSI3* in 2024 with Ballybeg Loui. He was also consistent in the young horse classes at the same show with Tangilo Wi RO Z. He finished fourth in the 1.45m big tour in Valencia.

Twomey time

Although he enjoyed spending the summer months in Ireland, he chose to go back to Twomey as he relished the expert coaching and tuition from him and the different experiences along the way, different shows and venues and the details of caring for the horses and how to develop their routines. He returned to Twomey’s last Autumn and is on his way to Spain for the sunshine tour on the back of a win in the U25 class at Arena UK’s Winter classic show last month.

“It’s experience away from home and outside Ireland where you learn lots, as it broadens your ideas and you see things that aren’t normally or easily available in Ireland.”

When asked if he felt that the new HSI levy would affect him in his entries he said: “I don’t think that the new levy will affect the larger yards, who have sponsors.

“But for riders paying their own entries, it becomes just an added cost. For the likes of me, with one horse of my own, and trying to entice owners to give a young rider a chance, I think it’s a disadvantage that could hurt the Irish young rider.”

From a childhood steeped in horses on the west coast of Ireland to competing on some of Europe’s biggest stages, Oisín’s journey has been defined by patience, ambition and a willingness to step outside his comfort zone. His recent successes, including victories at home and standout results on the international circuit, are a clear reflection of the experience he has gained along the way.

At just 23 years old, Oisín continues to balance opportunity with hard work, embracing the challenges that come with building a career at the highest level.

As he heads into another season of top-class competition under Billy Twomey’s guidance, his trajectory suggests a young rider very much on the rise, with his best days in the sport still ahead of him.