I SUPPOSE I have been around horses from the get-go. I probably was riding a pony before I could run. Mam (Annie) and Dad (Jarlath ‘Foxy’) were both amateurs and my grandfathers on both sides trained.

My dad’s dad trained pony racers and my mam’s dad (Michael Croke) always had National Hunt horses and pointers. I learned to ride on ponies at home. Hunting, pony club, side saddle; anything to do with horses we were thrown at it. I also evented with the Tipperary Pony Club.