ELATION, delight and plain relief; these words combined are an accurate description of my feelings following a fifth place in last Friday’s 1.40m Grand Prix at the Emerald International EC. When it comes to horses, the highs are vertiginous and the less endearing low points are quickly forgotten! As it was the final Grand Prix of the season with BLM Diamond Delux (Murphy), I was determined to achieve a placing. Lofty ambitions for an event rider you might say, but there is little compared to the power of positive thinking, and a good dose of sheer stubbornness. All of the above, coupled with a great horse and a little bit of luck on the day, resulted in a place in the jump-off.

It was then that the games truly began. As the penultimate rider in the jump-off, I watched from the pocket as my competitors put the acceleration theory of G-Force to the test. Corners and turns merged into arced lines, as fences were met and assailed from seemingly impossible angles. Much respect to speed jumpers everywhere, you all obviously scored well in geometry class!

As a fiercely competitive rider, I knew that just going clear would not keep me happy. With the target time at 36.26 seconds, impressively set by speed-merchant Daniel Coyle, I was ready to take up the challenge.

From an eventing perspective, Murphy has always been fast across the ground. However, it is his innate ability to attack huge fences from very short distances that affords me this successful sideline in Grand Prix show jumping (yes, I am one lucky lady!)

In a show jumping speed class, the blood must be up and the horse thinking forward from the moment you leave the pocket. In other words, I made a swift entrance, making straight for the first fence, a triple-bar of rather grand proportions. This fence successfully behind us, we really started to gather steam. Murphy attacked the fences and thundered down distances like a true pro. Our finishing time was 40.38, not at all shabby considering the distinguished competitive company we were in and our short length of time show jumping at this level.

Murphy is now on a well-earned short break; really a horse’s version of a staycation as he indulges himself in the home delights of green grass and fine dining. This superstar horse has so much more to give and I feel immensely lucky to own and compete him.

This was not my only appearance at Emerald International’s Irish Masters show. Saturday saw me return to the stunning venue to give an eventing masterclass with my sister Nicola Ennis and our good friend and eventing colleague Katie O’Sullivan.

We had done our homework and had prepared a demonstration that blended eventing flatwork and jumping. We decided to use three horses, each at a very different level of training.

Nicola rode a four-year-old, honest and very talented, but green and still learning the ropes. Katie had a very impressive one-star young horse, clearly bearing the brand of a future champion, while I rode Horseware Stellor Rebound (Rocket), my top-level eventer and WEG campaigner.

Our own commentary was seamlessly partnered by Brendan McCardle of The Irish Field, as he engaged the audience with his dulcet tones. Being honest, we riders appreciated the extra help, with this masterclass adventure being our debut, but we all agreed that it was something we would enjoy doing again.

I wish to extend a very sincere thank you to James Buckley and his team at Emerald International for a superbly run show. The team and venue possess all the aspects and attributes of a truly international equestrian venue and I believe that their plans in this direction will prove fortuitous. The only thing I am left wondering is if they might revisit their spectator prices for such events? It would be such a shame if more peoples’ eyes weren’t opened to this venue of undoubtedly global proportions.

NEW ADDITION

A recent and very exciting addition to my yard is another horse bearing the Keogh family’s Westwinds prefix. This Ramiro B three-year-old is a full brother to Westwinds Hercules and will be aimed at next year’s Stepping Stones and Future Event Horse classes. If he is anything like his predecessors, I believe he has the makings of a superstar. Of course, there is somewhat of a journey ahead of us!

While my love of top-level competition is well-documented, I also gain immense satisfaction from starting the youngsters out on their road to eventing success. Young horses give undeniable credence to the adage that ‘every day is a school day’. This goes for both horse and rider.

Anybody who has encountered my husband Niki of late will have been entertained with tales of a different horsepower, those of his beloved Landy (Land Rover Defender). As the autumn evenings rolled into winter nights, Niki has immersed himself in the delicate repair of a damaged chassis, necessitating the entire removal of the cab.

Each time I passed the work-shed and saw the Landy head still removed from its Landy body, I wondered how this could possibly end in anything but tears, and possibly a trip to a surgeon specialising in Land Rover. This week I stand corrected; the Landrover has already pulled the horsebox to two hunt meets and my husband’s smile is as beaming as the headlights. Apparently my tenacity with horses is easily equalled by Niki’s approach to mechanics and horsepower!