Name: Karen Boylan

Amateur category: A

Where are you from? I am originally from Limerick, now living in Shrule, Co Mayo.

Did you ride as a child? Yes, 13.2hh and 14.2hh ponies, mostly pony club and jumping. It was really with a 148cm pony called Claremont Lady, that my parents bought, that I started to enjoy the show jumping scene more fully, bringing her from novice to Grade A.

Horses: Newest member of the family is GRC Blue Ice (Blue) that I have for the last year, Pinegrove Aro (Molly) who I have since 2022, and Kane Flight (Jerry) who I have for 11 years and is semi-retired.

Occupation: I have recently set up my own business focusing on executive leadership coaching, KarenB Consulting.

Biggest challenge that you face as an amateur rider – for example, juggling work with riding? Yes, juggling work with riding is a challenge, not having as much time as I would like to ride. Having my own business means I can sometimes juggle a bit easier, but it can still be challenging, as work needs to support the hobby. I also think it is challenging to maintain as high a level of consistency as I would like. Compared to the professionals, I see that as one of the bigger challenges.

Where do you keep your horses? Now I have them where I live in Shrule. Prior to building here, I kept my horse Jerry with my sister in Limerick.

Who trains you? I have had great show jumping and general support from Mark Duffy in Duffy’s Equestrian, since I brought my first horse up to Shrule. He has always been there when I needed a hand or an encouraging word. I also work with Sinead McGrath (dressage coach Ballinrobe) over the past few years. She has been a great help to focus on flatwork and improving rideability. She has also been a great supporter all through the season. My sister Claire is a great help with video analysis as well!

Who helps you with your horses? Even for amateurs, the support for our horses is not unlike the professionals. We rely on a good farrier, physical therapy, vet, dentist etc. and I am lucky to have some of the best in my area, Kevin Rooney, Susan Elliot, Marc Higgins. My husband Philip might get the call for feed times if I am busy, and he’s very familiar with the warm-up arena during the season! There is a great bunch of amateur riders at a lot of shows and you can always rely on someone to give you a hand to hold a horse, give you a warm up fence, or a word of advice. A number of my close friends are riding amateur classes and I think we are each other’s biggest supporters.

Biggest win so far? The Irish Farmers Journal Final this year with Molly (Pinegrove Aro). It’s brilliant to have an Amateur competition specifically for the A category and The Farmers Journal is a class that has always been a special accolade. It has been my goal over the past few years to get to the final and to be competitive. To win it this year was amazing and I am very grateful for The Farmers Journal/The Irish Field’s continued sponsorship of this special event. Molly also qualified for the Amateur Championships in the RDS this year, so it has been a brilliant year all round.

The most important aspects that you learnt in 2024? Enjoy life and enjoy show jumping! Make the most of the opportunities in front of you, and go for it. We all know that life can be tough, and I have lost some friends in and out of the horse world in the last year, so take each day and live it.

Goals for 2025? To try all over again! I would love to qualify for Balmoral next year and, of course, the dream would be to get back to the RDS. There are some great amateur leagues that will be on my list as well, like the Connaught amateur league, Orchard/NAPs National Amateur League. The Farmers Journal and Amateur National Championships will also be on my list of amateur shows and goals for 2025.