I DIDN’T have the start that most people have in Ireland with their parents or extended family being involved with horses. My older brother Eoin was quite sick as a child, so when he recovered, my parents said they’d get him a present and he asked for a pony.

After having a lot of fun riding around the farm, he joined the Iveagh Pony Club, and it went from there. I hunted with the Newry Harriers for a few years, but it wasn’t until I was in my last year of ponies that I really started getting into competitive show jumping.