SINCE I was a child I have grown up in a life filled with horses. As kids we all had ponies and spent summers at the Ward Union Pony Camp at Fairyhouse Racecourse. We lived for those six days where we would set up camp and run riot.

As I grew up, I used to ride show ponies for my neighbour Ann Grimes; every weekend I would come home with a haul of rosettes and trophies and managed to win the 138 Show Pony class at the RDS in 1993 with Rendeen Carmen Rose.