AHEAD of next week’s Northern Ireland Festival, which is set to take place from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd of April at Cavan Equestrian Centre, we caught up with well-known showing producer and hunting enthusiast Amory McMahon, who will be competing at the festival with her 2016 Dublin champion Inis Faith.

When asked where it all began, Amory said: “My parents, Kate and Gerry, both have a background in horses.

“My mum was born in America and grew up with horses, she was on a hunting holiday in Ireland when she met my dad, a farmer, who has always been involved in the breeding and training of racehorses.

“After relocating to Ireland my mum became involved in showing Irish Draughts and she got me started. I took part in lead-rein classes and then progressed through the pony showing ranks and pony club before going on to hold an amateur racing licence – I rode in a number of point-to-points.

“When I came out of ponies though I was so lucky, my parents bought me my future Dublin small hunter champion, Teddy Star. He brought me to all the big shows and that’s really when it all kicked off.”

Amory has gone on to become a three-time RDS winner, she was RDS Champion in 2016 and Balmoral reserve champion on three occasions – to name just a few of her many achievements. Amory is a Horse Sport Ireland Level 1 Coach, a qualified ISA Judge and she also breeds and produces her own horses at her base in Athenry, Co Galway.

And, just as a side note, she does all of this on top of being a full-time dental nurse who works a 40-hour week!

As Amory says herself: “People are often surprised to find that I produce horses to a professional level but it’s not my occupation.”

RIDER TURNOUT

Amory has just finished up coaching at two showing clinics ahead of the Northern Ireland Festival, the first was a junior showing clinic held at Drakerath Stud in Kells Co Meath and the second was a showing and working hunter clinic held at Ower Equestrian Centre in Galway.

“There was a total mix of people, from newbies to seasoned showing competitors. The one thing they all had in common was their interest in showing horses and a desire to learn and improve,” said Amory.

“The main focus of the clinics was polishing off ring craft and turnout. We did a lot of work on trotting up the horse and etiquette in the ring.” When asked about some of the most important advice she had given to the riders, she exclaimed: “No bling in the ring!”

“Keep it all nice and simple,” she added before explaining that showing came from the hunting field and so it must be kept classy, yet understated and simple. “I’m not a fan of bright shirts, hair bobbins or tweeds,” stated Amory.

Having dark string or a shoe lace to tie your number around your waist is also recommended, the use of twine or white string that’s provided at the show does not give the right impression. Also it’s important to ensure that your groom is suitably dressed – no flip flops and shorts. Ideally grooms should have their head covered, and this is absolutely essential at royal shows.

GROOMING AND TACK

When it came to turning out the horses Amory’s advice was as follows: “Horses should be neatly trimmed and plaited where applicable. If you are able to stitch your plaits into the mane that’s excellent. If you are using plaiting bands make sure that they match the colour of the mane.

“I’m against black hoof paint because it goes stale and gives a dull effect. I prefer standard hoof oil, also if the hoof is white you are supposed to show that it’s white.

“Above all, tack should be immaculately clean and ideally made of plain leather. Have a lip strap fitted to the curb, wear a neat numnah that is fitted to the saddle and always ensure that there are enough holes in the stirrup leathers so that the length can be adjusted for the riding judge.”

RING CRAFT

We all know that planning and organising yourself before a show can be stressful, but nothing compares to the stress you will feel if you arrive at the show with very little time to get ready and warm up.

Amory’s advice? “Get to the show early, keep an eye on your ring throughout the day and make sure that you are well warmed up and on time for your class. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”

When it comes to the ridden show, the gallop, or extended canter for show ponies, is make or break. As Amory says: “The gallop is huge and I find that sometimes people are nervous about it and hold back, but gallops win championships so practice, practice, practice and don’t be afraid to trust your horse. When you are standing up your horse for the judges to assess their conformation make sure to keep your horse alert.”

During her most recent clinics Amory worked a lot with the junior riders on their individual show and her main piece of advice to those who took part was: “Don’t have too much fuss. Keep the show simple and nail it. Be sure to show your pony on both reins in trot and canter and to show an extended canter or gallop.”

One piece of advice Amory gave to all of the riders was not to ride past fellow competitors in front of the judges and to always maintain and be aware of your space, but above all her message was to enjoy the class.

BUILDING CONDITION

One thing that Amory was keen to get across when it comes to feeding show horses is that the type of condition you want on a show horse is muscle, not fat. You must feed your horse according to their age, size, workload, temperament and the time of year. All horses are individuals and must be treated as such when planning a feeding regime.

If a horse is overfed it can cause a variety of problems such as obesity, laminitis and behavioural problems.

“I’m really traditional in my methods when it comes to feeding,” declared Amory. “I feed high-quality forage adlib. Good quality hay or haylage is very important. As I am at work during the day all of my horses are out from 8am to 6pm and I ensure that they always have plenty to eat.

“I feed Connolly’s Red Mills conditioning mix to all of my horses and when needed I add boiled barley, chaff, carron oil and seaweed. Boiled Barley is a real traditional feed for helping horses gain condition.”

Amory is a huge advocate of roadwork and getting show horses out of the arena and into the field or surrounding countryside.

“All my show horses get plenty of roadwork, especially now when they’re coming back into work and getting fit for the season ahead. I do a lot in the field and minimise the amount of time I spend working them in the arena, the horses are happier and roadwork is great for building up muscle.”

“When in doubt, ask for help,” is Amory’s parting words of advice. For those of you who might be interested, Amory is gearing up for a number of showing clinics in the coming months, where all questions are welcomed, you can follow her on Facebook for more details.

FACT FILE

Hunting

Amory hunts regularly with the Galway Blazers.

Influencers

Kate, Amory’s mum, Aoife Sheridan, Mary and Dessie Corr, Jane Bradbury and Leslie Webb are just some of the people who have had a big influence on Amory and how she produces her horses.

Broodmares

Amory has four broodmares including the prolific show ring winners Black Tie and Bal Du Jour. Amory’s 2016 Dublin champion, Inis Faith, will eventually be kept as a broodmare.

Grooming kit essentials

A bottle of water, a cloth, baby oil, wipes and spare plaiting bands.

Biggest achievement

At age 17, winning the two-year-old class at the Dublin Horse show with a homebred called Currantarmuid Moondancer. Nobody was expecting a young girl to win.