I LIVE in Glasson, Athlone, and work in the construction industry, so horses are very much a hobby for me.

My family all live close by and my niece Chloe is also involved in show jumping. She has two smashing ponies and just last weekend qualified Burdal Miami for the RDS 148cm six/seven-year-olds at The Meadows qualifier. So, a first for many of us this year in the RDS!

I’ve always had a love for horses, even from a young age and eventually persuaded my dad David to buy my first pony when I was nine years old. She was half-Arab, half-Connemara, probably not the most suitable first pony for a young kid, but once I got the hang of her, she was a phenomenal pony to jump and super-fast.

I spent my weekends going to shows around the country and this was the start of a lifelong passion for horses.

We’ve never really been big showing people, so to qualify a mare and foal for the Breeders’ Championship is something special. It has always been a dream of mine to compete in the RDS and, this year, luck has been on my side. Whatever the outcome at the Breeders’ final, to qualify for the RDS is just magic.

It was only by chance that I entered my mare and foal, as when Joanne Maguire had seen the foal, she thought she would be a good type and that I should take a chance in the Breeders’ qualifier.

So, we entered Mullingar Showing Show of the Year on the Saturday with great success and, on Sunday, took the short trip to Athlone Agricultural Show and claimed one of the Breeders’ golden tickets.

Very special thanks to Joanne, she is a proper horsewoman with no end to her knowledge and has always been at the end of phone to help and give advice.

1. Congratulations, you’ve qualified for The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship show jumping section at Athlone. Tell us more about your mare/foal?

Joanne sourced Galway Bay Amele for me and I liked the mare from the start. She is by Mermus R and was bred by the Burkes, who stood him at Galway Bay Stud.

Both sire and dam have good show jumping performance history. Unfortunately, two years ago she had an injury, so I decided to make plans to join the breeding programme again.

When sourcing a match for my mare, I was looking for a stallion with similar traits: good step and athletic jump. Dominator Z has always been one stallion which I have followed and his brother, All Road Z, has all the traits of Dominator and is a serious athletic stallion.

I sourced All Road Z through Elite Stallions; they provided a phenomenal service with door-to-door delivery in less than 24 hours.

This is Galway Bay Amele’s first foal, and I’m very happy with her, I think she has taken the good traits from both the dam and sire. I guess I am a little bit biased as I bred her!

2. What’s your aim as a breeder?

My aim is to breed the best competition horse, ideally to show jump, but there are many stars that need to be aligned for this to happen. I think, as a breeder, you have to consider the mare that you have and their best traits, and breed to a stallion which brings the best traits out in the foal.

3. Favourite bloodlines?

Aganix Du Seigneur, Kannan and Dominator, a phenomenal stallion in his performance and progeny. All Road Z, obviously, I hope he does get to compete to the highest level, as I do think he is something special.

4. Prefixes - your view?

I think they’re important for the breeder, so that the start of any horse’s career can be sourced back to where it all began.

5. How many mares/foals do you currently have?

I have only the one breeding mare at the moment. There’s aways been a few ponies and then horses in our family since an early age, mostly to compete and hunt on.

We’ve had a few National Hunt and show jumping broodmares, with varying success with their progeny.

I stopped breeding mares about seven years ago; one mare was too old to breed and the second mare and foal we spent the summer trying to keep the foal right and my heart wasn’t in it any more.

6. If you could have bred any horse?

Historically, Milton was everyone’s dream horse. Currently, it would have to be Explosion W.

7. Paris Olympics - medal predictions?

Ireland is such a small country, when you consider who we compete against all over the world.

The Irish show jumping results that have been coming through over the last 12 months on the international stage have raised us to the next level in show jumping.

I have no doubt that we are in medal contention this year.

8. It takes a team - who’s on yours?

First and foremost, my family. They have had to listen to me going on about horses and buying yet another horse for so long. They really deserve a medal! Especially my sister Deirdre, who is always there to feed and take care of the horses any time I am travelling for work. She is the best sister.

9. Best advice you ever got?

Time is the key to any success in training a young horse, there should be no set timelines.

10. Six people, past or present, you’d invite around for dinner?

Robin Williams, a legend who left this world far too soon; Barak Obama, who would not invite him; Johnny Cash for the craic; Graham Norton for the craic and giggles; Micheal Whittaker for the stories, as I am sure there are many; and Cian O’Connor for his talent and determination to sit with the best on the world stage.