IT was perhaps an inauspicious start to a glittering showing career: “I was in the first ridden class and we finished last!” Alicia Devlin Byrne said about her Irish Pony Society debut at Lambertstown with Fara, a four-legged present for her fifth birthday.

Since that character-building result, the Wicklow schoolteacher now combines the classroom with the showring, criss-crossing the country’s show circuit during summer holidays and hunting at weekends during school term.

If you were to ask her to pen an essay about showing highlights, then Balmoral, Clifden, Dublin and that oh-so special Horse of the Year Show win with Blackwood Fernando all rank up there.

And just like Jessica Burke’s story last week, supportive parents are another key factor.

Bernard and Claire are a vital part of their daughter’s success story. “I grew up around horses; both my parents were jockeys. They worked at Séamus McGrath’s yard in Glencairn, Sandyford. Dad broke the yearlings for the McGraths and rode National Hunt. Mum rode on the track as a flat jockey.

“I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing without the support of my parents. From a very young age, they supported me in everything I wanted to do and achieve with the horses. Both of them play a huge role in keeping the yard going; Dad does all the riding when I’m not there, he does all the breaking and it’s his knowledge and experience that has been the building block for everything we do.

“Mum is the glue that keeps everything together, she does the yard when we’re away at shows, makes sure we have enough food with us and that I have everything I need to compete.

“I was sitting up on ponies at home probably before I could walk. For the first few years I rode Gonzo, an old pony that Dad had hand-reared. I don’t remember learning to ride as such, just hacking out with Dad and jumping little drains and banks in forests, before I got Fara.”

Fara was a very young Alicia’s choice. “After a trip to the RDS, I decided I wanted to ride there. So, my parents went looking for a show pony for me, preferably a black mare. They found a lovely, experienced one and when we went to see it, I refused to get up on it!

“I fell in love with the next pony we went to look at, a grey 11.2hh four-year-old gelding with no breeding or experience. Fara was the best pony, no show pony but we did everything together from my first RDS to Pony Club and side saddle. I started hunting regularly with the Bray Harriers and going to shows in the summer so I could build up the points on him to go to the RDS because after that first visit, I was definitely bitten by the showing bug.”

“I was a Bray Hunt Pony Club member until I was 10 or 11 years old and always attended my local show, Kilmacanogue. Fara was my Pony Club and cradle stakes pony but I got Pip, a first ridden pony, who taught me all my ringcraft in the early days.

“I’ve been so lucky to have many great horses and ponies over the years, all of which have challenged me and taught me something along the way. I don’t think anyone forgets their first pony and Fara will always have a place in my heart for starting this amazing journey I have been on. He had the biggest heart and would do anything for me.”

Bernard, a huge support to his daughter’s career and Alicia Devlin Byrne with the multi-Clifden champion Blackwood Fernando at last year’s show where ‘Fred’ won the High Performance final \ Susan Finnerty

Fred

On this amazing journey, could she narrow down the highlights and four-legged cast members?

“There have been several horses and ponies that I will always remember; Selor Minetsky gave me my first RDS win and championship in junior side saddle; Ralph DJ, a rescue pony who represented Ireland in the international working hunter championships; King Flagmount, the first horse I competed in the RDS, who went on to win both the Irish Draught performance and working hunter there, as well as Balmoral; Grey Smoke and Brock Blizzard, both Connemara ponies we produced from unbroken youngsters to win the RDS performance class and Gem, my hunter, who would put the heart crossways in you but is a machine!

“I really enjoy hunting and I think my years spent hunting at a young age really made me as a rider. I also try to hunt all my youngsters at least a couple of times because it’s very educational for them.”

Last but not least there is Blackwood Fernando.

“‘Fred’ is without doubt my pony of a lifetime. He has given me some of my biggest wins over the years and has consistently been at the top of his game for the last 15 years. Like I said, I’ve been very lucky to have great ponies but none of them has ever come close to his love of the showring. Every time he sets foot into the ring, he gives me everything he’s got - the bigger the crowd, the better for him.”

How did one of the showring’s best partnerships begin? “I started riding Fred when I was 13 for his then-owner Gill Glynn, he was nine at the time. I competed him for the season in both ridden and working hunter Connemara classes. Gill’s daughter Charlotte had won the RDS ridden class on him the year before that but it was his first season competing in working hunter.

“We had a fantastic season, winning in the RDS, Clifden and being inducted into the CPBS Hall of Fame as a performance pony. I rode him once the following season to win the Powers Quarry Championship in Oughterard and we bought him that winter.

“Every win means something different because of the different journey it takes to get there with each horse. It’s always great to have a win at the bigger shows: the RDS, Balmoral and Clifden. In 2019, I was lucky enough to be invited to compete in the team chase in the main arena for the centenary of women riding in the RDS. At the time, I had an amazing team of jumpers and any one of them would have been up to the challenge but it was never a choice for me. I was always going to bring Fred back to the RDS for that, we were both too old to compete in any of the jumping classes we would have previously.

“To win in the main arena with him was an amazing feeling. I have had so many memorable wins, but nothing could top the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).”

Several years before that 2021 landmark, there was a career choice to make. Alicia opted for teaching. “I was tempted to work full-time with horses, but teaching allows me the best of both worlds. I have the time in the summer to enjoy the horses, without having to rely on them financially.”

Dublin-bound: Chesterfield King Curtis and Alicia qualified at Charleville Show last June for the RDS side saddle class \ Susan Finnerty

HOYS highlight

“I studied Science in UCD straight after the Leaving Cert. This was a four-year degree and I specialised in Zoology and Botany. After the degree, I took a year out to decide what I wanted to do. During this year, I worked at home with the horses but applied for the PME (Professional Master of Education) to begin my Masters in teaching.

“I did my first placement in my old school, St Gerard’s Bray and my second placement in CCM Wicklow.”

Alicia now teaches locally at ETSS Wicklow. “It’s a new Educate Together Secondary School in Wicklow Town. I’ve been there since the school opened four years ago and they’re extremely supportive of me competing.

“I enjoy my job and the opportunities it allows me to compete, I wouldn’t change it.”

Back to that landmark win. “Competing at HOYS was only ever a distant pipedream for me but to go win it on my first attempt with 24-year-old Fred…words can’t describe that feeling. To win in HOYS is an occasion only a few people are lucky enough to experience. No matter what pony I was on, it would have been a favourite memory, but to do it with Fred made it extra special. It was the only thing we hadn’t won together.”

Before the Ferdia gelding, bred in Milltown near Tuam by Patrick McNamara, qualified for the Mountain & Moorland working hunter final that October, there was a lull in his public outings.

“He is a true showman and loves performing for a crowd. During Covid, he missed having spectators at competitions. When he went to HOYS - the scale of it is like nothing we have here in Ireland - he knew it was different. Outside the ring he is a big softie and walking from the stables up to the arena, he was worried without Dad by his side, so he would stop and wait for him to catch up!”

“The ride-in the night before we jumped was a strange experience, I have never ridden in a ring so full of ponies. Despite Fred’s vast experience, he couldn’t believe how many were around him but he just put his head down and flicked his toes, making sure he didn’t get lost in the crowd.”

The HOYS nerves even spread to his usually unflappable pilot. “I was nervous the morning of the competition, walking up from the stables and walking the course,” Alicia admitted.

“I was first to jump so I warmed him up early and waited to give him a jump after the course walk. When I jumped him in the warm-up, all my nerves disappeared because I knew he was in good form and was going to rise to the occasion.

“My aim for him in HOYS was not to win; that was an added bonus. I wanted him to show everyone what he was capable of. He went into that ring and did exactly that, he didn’t put a foot wrong and he loved showing off to the crowd. He was so focused throughout the competition; he didn’t realise how big a crowd there was until his lap of honour. He actually got a bit of a shock when he looked up into the stands!” Alicia said, recalling the sight of their flag-waving fan club.

Unlocking potential

Fred hasn’t retired just yet. “He’s in good form; still on his holidays at the moment but will be coming back into work over the next week or two. He is king of the castle here and spoiled rotten! He is basically free range and walks himself in and out of the field. He also tells us when he has had enough of the field and wants to be let back in!

“We plan to keep him competing, as long as he is happy and healthy enough to do so. He lives for his job and I know he will tell me when he is ready to retire.”

When it comes to sourcing the next campaigner, there’s no set policy. “Most of the time horses tend to find me, usually we get owners bringing horses to be broken or produced. If I’m looking for something to buy myself, I prefer to buy an unbroken three-year-old, I like to know what we have by the time we break them.

“I do lean more towards the natives: Connemaras and Draughts but I don’t have a preference. It’s always rewarding to unlock the potential in any horse no matter what type, breed or discipline they are in.”

That ‘finding the right key’ approach also crosses over to the classroom. “Teaching is a very rewarding job and it’s the little breakthroughs with tough students that is the most rewarding; a bit like a challenging horse.

“Like everything in life there are challenges, the classroom is no different. One of the biggest challenges now is the huge diversity in students’ backgrounds and trying to cater for every student in your classroom. The needs of your students change from day to day and even topic to topic. It’s very important to be able to read the room and adapt your plans to suit the students in front of you on the day.

“I don’t get a lot of downtime, between the horses and teaching I’m always doing something. I do enjoy swimming, I find it very relaxing. In the winter my downtime is usually spent going hunting so you’ll never find me too far away from a horse!”

That also includes a little-known claim to fame as Alicia was the stunt double for young actress Lucy Morton in the move The Legend of Longwood (2014).

“Yep, can jump this with my eyes closed.” The veteran Blackwood Fernando surveys the Clifden wall in 2019, ridden by Alicia Devlin Byrne \ Susan Finnerty

Advance planning

Her parents are once again invaluable in helping juggle her day job and showtime.

“Wintertime in the yard is usually quieter so I tend to ride on Wednesdays, when I have a half-day and weekends, unless there is something coming up that we are aiming a horse at.

“When the evenings are brighter and we’re coming into show season, I usually get one or two ridden after work.

“Obviously, throughout the year, there are times when I have to stay later in school for staff meetings, parent-teacher meetings or information evenings, but the odd evening doesn’t have a big impact on our routine, especially as I am lucky enough to have Dad riding on days that I can’t; mostly roadwork and hacking.

“He also does all the breaking and groundwork with all the horses throughout the year.

“I also take full advantage of school holidays and get loads of schooling in over the midterm, Christmas and Easter holidays.

“During the show season, I make all the entries and keep on top of the paperwork. We have a calendar on the fridge and everything is well planned and discussed to ensure we get all the horses and ponies out to the competitions best suited to them and that they have the best possible experience and development before they go to qualifiers or any of the bigger shows.

“For day shows, I pack all the tack, riding gear and grooming equipment we would need for the day and sometimes have it packed for the second day when we would have another show the next day.

“For overnight shows, the packing is shared between all three of us; I pack all the tack, riding gear and grooming equipment we need, Dad packs rugs, feed and haylage; Mum packs food, sleeping bags and any extra clothes we might need.

“Luckily, Connemaras don’t have to be plaited, so that can sometimes cut down on our show preparation, but otherwise the plaiting is shared between myself and Mum on the morning of the show. Dad does all the driving and if it’s a show we haven’t been to before, I’m in charge of the navigating.”

With this close-knit support team at the helm, it’s steady as she goes for the Devlin Byrne family.