EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY PROFILE: ALAN LYNCH

Name: Alan Lynch

From: Co Cavan

Job title: Movie extra

What is your equestrian experience? When I was younger, I worked as a groom/rider for Nicola Griffith, Kieran Rooney, Erina Yariabi and then for Jack and Edward Doyle, so I have a lot of experience with horses. In later years, I went to work in Cavan Equestrian as a course designer. I still work as a course designer in Cavan and in other locations.

How did you get into this line of work? It was through my partner Simone Klinkert. She was competing at a dressage show on her Connemara pony. A woman called Lynn Williams from Ballyjamesduff approached her and asked if she was interested in making some money with her animal. Simone explained that the pony was a gelding and Lynn said that it wasn’t for stud duties she wanted him, it was for display work. The only catch was that he had to come with a male rider. That’s how I became involved. Now we do this work to subsidise the keep of the horses, rather than it being a full-time job.

What roles have you have worked in? We started doing displays and then we went on to being movie extras and doing jousting. We have worked on documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4. We did the Channel 4 Time Team. In this, scenes of history are being reinacted, using the likes of us with digital imagery. We have also acted as doubles for actors in roles in some bigger productions.

How many horses are in the team? Altogether we have nine animals, only three of which are used in these roles. I also work in forestry and I have a logging horse which I use to extract timber.

What do the horses need to be able to do? They need looks and good temperament. We do training with them to get them used to crowds and loud noises, such as muskets. Really, we found that the horses take your energy, so if you are nervous so are they!

What do you most like about the job? Really it is meeting people, you meet all sorts of characters. People may secure roles because of how they look and they all have their own stories. I also like the diversity of the job. One day you could be in a period drama and they next you are being chased by an imaginary dragon. The variety of the directors also makes the job interesting. Finally looking at the finished product is amazing as we only see stages.

What are the challenges in the job? Locations! One day you could be in Belfast and the next day you could be shooting another scene in Cork. A lot of the filming is done in three-week blocks and it’s hard to get that time off. There is also a lot of waiting around. I am lucky that Simone and I do it as a team, so if I am filming, she is on site to look after the grooming and vice versa. The horses are the most important and they need to be well looked after. I am also a senior national course designer and I need to be available to do this too. I also plan to move up the ranks in course designing.

What’s your most memorable role? The Games of Thrones display at the Winterfell Festival. This was put on by HBO to showcase the series. It involved some of the actors and the extras and attracted huge crowds. The special effects made for a huge entrance and it was pretty spectacular. It was great to be a part of this.

Alan Lynch was in conversation with Emer Bermingham