IN a couple of weeks’ time, there will be a host of young girls wandering around the RDS with pictures of ponies on their T-shirts, soaking up the atmosphere and staring, in awe, at the winners as they receive their rosettes, dreaming of a day when it could be them.

Two such girls that have made this dream a reality are Chloe and Sophie Marks. With no family background in equestrianism and with ponies and horses they found on Done Deal, the duo have been very patient and have realised their dream of competing at the Dublin Horse Show.

Sophie works with horses full-time, while 23-year-old Chloe is currently working as an insurance administrator and is also a dancer, despite wanting to work with horses full-time at some stage.

The sisters explained their road to success and the horses that helped them get there. “As young kids, we were always taken to the watch the Dublin Horse Show and that is where the interest began. I had my first riding lesson when I was eight at our local riding stables, Laura Snow’s Drynam Stables in Swords, Co Dublin,” Sophie explained.

“Four years later, I was lucky to get the chance to lease Laura’s former Grade A jumping pony Bobby. He was a complete school master and gave us both a lot of confidence.

“Bobby was really the best thing that ever happened to us. He taught us both how to compete, and boy, did he know how to go against the clock. Bobby is now the grand age of 33 and loving his retirement.

“We have been in Laura’s yard for 16 years now and she has been the biggest influence in our riding lives. She started us off in the best way with Bobby, taught us and has always been on hand to advise us in absolutely everything to do with the horses.”

Show jumping was the plan but the Marks sisters ended up in the showing ring and that is where they really flourished.

“When we started to ride, all we wanted to do was show jump. Like many kids of the time, we were watching Jessica Kurten, Cian O’Connor and the Whitakers and riders like them and dreaming of success.

“As it turned out, we almost accidently began working hunter and showing classes. Chloe still had a pony that was 148cms but had gone over the age of being able to compete him in SJI pony classes so she began to enter working hunter classes locally.

“I soon followed suit. Laura has bred a lot of successful Irish Draughts so I had developed a love for the breed early on and when it came to the time for me to buy my own horse, I knew that it was the one I would go for,” Sophie said.

Barbervilla Lilly

“Most of the Irish Draughts I had worked with had proved honest, genuine, reliable and versatile. I tried several but none of them stood out to me until Lily (Barbervilla Lilly).

“I found her on Done Deal and went to try her. When we arrived, we saw her – hairy with a big bushy mane! We tacked her up and rode her around a small lunge arena before heading out to a field to give her a jump. She hadn’t done much the year before and her willingness and overall attitude was just amazing.

“We took her on a two-day trial and she passed every test she was set with flying colours. Two days later she passed the vet and she was mine. I could never have imagined what was to come. I’ve had her for four years now and it’s her that I have to thank for everything really.

“She is such a wonderful mare always aiming to please and happy to give anything a go. She has won so many competitions for me and created up so many opportunities for me that I never thought were possible.

“Last year she was showing signs of needing a break so we put her in foal to the Registered Irish Draught Scrapman. The result was the filly Lily’s Lucky Penny. I plan to produce her myself and can’t wait to see her mature.

“She is showing great promise already having won the Laois branch Irish Draught Show Breeders Championship class. This was just their second time in the show ring as mare and foal and I was so thrilled as it was a combination class so they were both judged. On the same day Penny finished second her filly foal class and was the reserve foal champion.

“I’m very lucky to have the ride on another Irish Draught this year, Stacey Forsyth’s Granpas Grey Mist. She is also proving to be everything that is great about the breed.

“Having only ever hunted previously, she has turned her hoof to showing, dressage and working hunter and has come home in the ribbons every time she’s been out including winning the Irish Draught class at the Flavours Of Fingal Show recently,” Sophie explained.

Killegar Mist

The sisters are also big fans of Connemara Ponies, who they deem to be safe and reliable. “In addition to being Irish Draught fans, we are also mad about Connemaras. When Chloe was finished in ponies and we began looking for a horse for her, she was very unlucky to have two bad falls which really knocked her confidence.

“Influenced by our very first pony Bobby, who is a Connemara, we set about looking for another one like him.

“Once again we went back online and searched and we eventually we found Paddy (Killegar Mist). We took him for a two-week trial and he proved to be everything Chloe needed.

“Paddy was by no means a ready-made show pony but we took our time with him and after a few shows he began improving week by week and found his calling in the ridden Connemara classes where we began to move up the ranks.

“We’ve had him for five years now and he has proved to be a very versatile pony. He has jumped double clears in AIRC show jumping and is so kind and gentle that he has become a yard favourite,” Sophie continued.

Chloe took up the story, saying: “Last year I got the chance to compete in the RDS with Paddy. We finished in fifth place and I was delighted. I never thought I’d get to do a lap of honour in Dublin and I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard them call out my number.

“I couldn’t smile enough. I came out of the ring and cried with happiness with my family while Paddy enjoyed all the polo mints he could eat.

“Everyone was beaming with pride and so thrilled to see us succeed.”

The girls have their parents to thank for the constant support in the sport they have no past experience in. “Our parents, Alan and Josephine, are the people we have to thank for getting us there and coming to support us.

“We are really looking forward to this year’s show where we have Killegar Mist for the over 16s Connemara class, Barbervilla Lilly for the Irish Draught mares, Lily’s Lucky Penny for the RID foal class and Granpas Grey Mist for the Middleweights.

“We are both so delighted to have the chance to compete at the 2019 Show, and believe that it proves you should never give up on your childhood dreams because we are proof that they can come true,” they concluded.