EVENTING in Ocala, Florida, is growing by the day. One young Irishman who got in on the ground floor, so to speak, is Wexford’s Mikey Nolan.

He spoke to The Irish Field from his base in the States this week and told us how it all started, and his hopes for the future.

“My mom took me to learn to ride locally in the riding school in Butterfly Farm, when I was about three. It was just part of life there, that you would learn to ride.

“She bought me a few ponies as I grew up and I competed in show jumping, but never at a very high level.

“I’ve always ridden racehorses, that’s how I made money when I was younger. I rode for Colin Bowe for about three years and I learned a lot there; falling off, and how not to really.

“We would ride maybe eight lots a day and four of them would be schooling, so you learned a lot about riding over jumps.

“When I left school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. We have a bit of land at home, about 60 acres, and I had planned on taking it on at some stage, so I thought, well I’ll need my Green Cert, so I decided to go to Kildalton Agricultural College in Co Kilkenny.

“I did the Equine part and that’s how the whole thing started. It was the first time I had gotten consistent coaching and I began to get better. Crea English and Rosemary Gaffney were a big influence there. Getting me on the right road.

“While I was in college, a couple of the lads that were there were show jumping at the weekends, and they would come back with stories of all the fun that they were having. I thought that may be something I would like to get into. So I started working with a couple of young horses that my parents had bought when I finished in ponies.

“I pulled them in out of the field and started show jumping with them. That was about 12 years ago now.

“Then I met Suzanne Maguire of Tomgar Sport Horses in Co Wexford, and she asked me if I would do some show jumping for her.

“Katie O’Sulivan competed her event horses for her, and she needed someone to keep them going at home when they weren’t with Katie.

“Before I finished college, Suzanne offered me a full-time job, but the terms were that I would have to start eventing, so that’s how it began.

“I began eventing in the June after I left college, but soon realised that I would have to improve a lot on my dressage if I wanted to do well.

“I had had little or no coaching in dressage, so when the season ended, we decided I would have to concentrate on that for the winter.

Michael Nolan and McKena Knott on their wedding day

In America

“That is how I ended up in America. Katie O’Sullivan had been out and worked for Robin Walker (American International eventer and show jumper) the year before. When she came back, she began working for Richard Shane full-time and couldn’t go back, so I went back, kind of in her place to Ocala to learn from Robin.

“I did about three months, and then returned home and rode for Tomgar and Suzanne for that whole summer.

“I then decided I would like to come out here more full-time, so I called Robin and asked him if he would have a place for me.

“He did, so I came out for a few months and then we started working on a visa for me. I came back to Ireland and got the P1 five-year visa and headed back.

“Robin and his wife Kara, manage and train out of their Maute House Farm in Michigan, and the business moves to Ocala for the winter.

“I worked for them full-time for the next 10 years and last winter, I began, for the first time, to do some stuff just for myself.

“I now do a half day for Robin in the morning, and then I do some freelance work, and I ride for another lady named Shannon Baker in the afternoon.

“I met my now wife, McKena Knott about eight years ago here in Florida. She is also an event rider, and works alongside me in Robin’s.

“We got married in Arizona last month, that’s where her family lives now, she’s originally from Washington State. We got engaged in Ireland in May, and my family flew over in December. It was a lovely day.

Horses in work

“I currently have five horses in work for Robin, and we (McKena and I) have three of our own, and one sales horse in the yard.

“The horses McKena and I have are just youngsters we are producing at this stage. I have a three-star horse Carrabeg Hulla Balou, he’s Irish-bred, by Balou du Rouet out of a Ballinvella mare named Vella Flavour. His owner, Alyssa Cairo, bought him from Paul Douglas in Co Tyrone.

“He’ll go advanced in about one month, and will hopefully do a four-star long before the end of the summer.

“I have an intermediate horse, Shannon Baker’s Fernhill Galavant, who will be stepping up to three-star towards the end of this season.

“Then I have a two-star horse belonging to Robin, Rock Jennings, and a E105 horse Rock On. Robin buys a lot from Paul Douglas in the North, all those Rock horses came from him. Most of the horses we have are Irish.

Mikey Nolan and Carrabeg Hulla Balou were runners up in CCI3*-L at TerraNova, Florida in November

“The plan long-term is to try to build up a string and get our side of the business going. We’d like to have another four or five each for me and McKena to compete and sell on. There’s room for us to expand here in Robin’s, so that will hopefully start to happen.

“One of the youngsters we have I bought from Cathal Daniels. I’m fortunate I have a good few contacts in Ireland, and the Irish horse is so popular here. So it’s nice to have good people to work with.

“The difference here is that in Ireland it seems to be hard to level up. You seem to be stuck with what you, or your family have, growing up. It’s hard to build something new. Here it’s so vast and there are so many clients. It’s possible to go and buy land. There’s space here.

“Since they built the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, it’s really taken off, to the point that people are coming back from Wellington, which was unheard of.

“There’s lots of land, there’s plenty of room and it’s cheaper than Wellington, instead of your million dollar stalls you can buy 20 or 30 acres for the same money. It’s a growing market, no doubt.”