![]() ![]() I got better horses initially the dream had been to ride at Badminton and once I’d done that, I knew that competing a championship horse was what I wanted. The more success I had, the more the goal posts kept moving. Getting to the top of the sport was always the goal. “He also gave me the ambition to look for a horse which could take me further. When it came to my first horse, I was very fortunate that mum and dad were able to stretch the budget a bit and buy Genuine Article who was able to take me places as a junior. I never really bought a made pony more often I had brought it up through the ranks myself. “I always rode a few ponies for other people alongside my own and that way, through the years, I learned that I could make a living from producing. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without her drive and support. She has always been there with advice, training, and driving to and from events. I learned a huge amount from my mum and she is still a huge part of the business today. When I was about 10, I remember starting to try and help her a bit. “When I was very young, Mum often had a few young horses about the place and used to break them in and produce them a bit. That is really how I got my start competing. He was like the dream junior horse and ended up being selected for junior teams. He was a 15.2hh thoroughbred-Connemara cross gelding named Genuine Article. “John said to mum and dad that he had friends who were selling a horse that may suit me to start eventing. The late John McNally evented and he actually competed one of my dad’s hunters who was quite smart so he went eventing. I had the use of their facilities which was fantastic because we only had a small arena at home. I grew up in Richhill, Co Armagh and we used to go to the equestrian centre a mile away from us, and Mum and Dad became good friends with the McNally family that ran it. “I began hunting in the basket saddle on the lead rein when I was about two years old and grew up with show ponies and hunting, doing working hunter and pony club competitions. ![]()
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