Name: Jack Conlon Gateau

Age: 12

Parents: Valerie Gateau and Ciaran Conlon

From: Ennis, Co Clare (Born in Burgundy, France)

Your five top animals?

  • Pony stallion Blaengwen Kato Star
  • Uquam d’Emery PFS (now sold)
  • River de La Courance
  • Sienna
  • Gateau Mr Blue

    • Trainer: My mum and Michael Blake.

    Who has influenced your career so far? I am very lucky to have my mum who has always had ponies at the yard. She has played a huge part in my career so far, training me every day and so much more.

    The rider you most look up to and why? Marcus Ehning is the rider I most admire. I like his free way of riding and how his horses are always so well schooled.

    Major achievements and/or wins to date? Being the first rider to qualify two ponies for Dublin at 2018 Cavan RDS qualifiers was a dream come true!

    Winning the 128cm in Simmonscourt Dublin with Kato Star was just amazing, this was a magical moment for me. Jumping in the RDS main arena on the Friday night in that amazing atmosphere and taking reserve champion will be a memory of a lifetime.

    Going triple-clear in the five legs of the 2018 Coolmore 128cm Pony Premier Series and taking the leading pony title with my stallion Blaengwen Kato Star and being reserve leading rider was my best achievement – these series are by far the most difficult!

    Finally, bringing Home three Home Pony medals with the Irish pony team fellow riders is another great memory of 2018!

    Your goals for 2019? For Dublin Horse Show, I am hoping to qualify two of the three ponies I will be jumping this year. I hope to also qualify a horse for Children on Horses. I have two good 138cm ponies which I have been jumping last year already, River de la Courance, is one of them. Together we took Team Silver at Southview EHPI, he will be my main 138cm this year. Riding him, I am hoping to make the top three at the RDS. I also think he has a good chance to win the Pony Premier Series. He is a pony with a lot of scope.

    I also have Gateau Mr Blue, a good six-year-old that I will be campaigning. I will try to qualify a new mare, Miss Souri, for the COH. It is a bit of a challenge taking this mare on board, as she has not been ridden for years and had a foal, but I think she could have a good chance in Dublin, as she is careful and very fast. I am hoping also to start jumping overseas and I hope to qualify for BIP Fontainebleau. I would also like to Southview again and try get a golden ticket for Liverpool.

    Jack Conlon Gateau was in conversation with Emer Bermingham