In our latest edition of the #GRGRoundUp, we have a chat with Séana about her weekend competing at the Sceilig Showing Festival in Cork. We love doing these features and shining a light on some of the performances of the grassroots community at events being ran across the country. It shines a light on the event, the rider and of course, their horse or pony. So let’s kick off our chat with Séana and hear how her weekend went at the Sceilig Showing Festival.

Tell us about the event and how you got on?

I had my first ever taste of showing at the Sceilig Showing Festival. I took my lovely young horse to do the 4yr Old Ridden Hunter class. I was really thrilled with how he behaved and especially how he went for the ride judge – it was lovely to see him ridden by someone else and see how he moves under saddle! He came away with a 3rd place and some fabulous feedback from both judges so I was delighted with him on both of our showing debut 😊.

Tell us about your horse you had with you at the event?

Billy aka SDS Hard Graaft is just such a fabulous boy! We bought him from the breeder as a 2-year-old and he has turned into one of the most genuine horses I’ve had on the yard. He’s very willing and rarely puts a foot wrong! He’s got a lovely nature, and he’s a pleasure to have on the yard 😊 he’s growing like a weed at the moment so I’m careful not to do too much with him but I think it’s safe to say his future is looking bright 🌟.

How did you prepare for the event? Any challenges coming into this?

The main challenge was that it was very much a last-minute decision to enter the competition 😂 not the best show prep especially for a grey horse 🙈 there was fierce scrubbing going on to get him clean and shiny! Because he’s a young horse, we spend most of our time out hacking so I was confident he had a good strong foundation of basic flatwork, brakes & steering and that he shouldn’t have any issues with what would be asked of him in the class. I’m very lucky to have some of the most beautiful hacking in the country surrounding the yard so it helps to give the horses a well-rounded education 👌🏻.

Anyone you want to give a shout out to? It really does take a village.

A big shout out to everyone I was panic messaging asking what I needed to do and wear the day before the show 😂🙈 I got some really great hints & tips from friends who have experience with showing so it helped put my mind at ease and allowed me to give my horse the best experience. I should also thank my groom/chauffeur for all his help on the day too-and for his provision of lunch & snacks 😂👌🏻

How do you handle the pressures and stress that might come competing in events like this?

I think I’m very lucky when it comes to nerves because I was exposed to a competitive environment from a young age when I was dancing, so I don’t tend to suffer with nerves too much! When it comes to the horses, I draw confidence from knowing I’ve prepared my horse properly and given them every opportunity to understand the question at hand! One thing that would rattle me a bit is being late though – the stress levels would be high if I was running behind time 😂 but thankfully, it’s not too often I’m late because I tend to plan my show days with military precision 😅.

What’s the one event you’d like to compete in and win? 

I won’t say I have one singular event that I’d like to win but I would love to get back to eventing! I was lucky enough to compete up to EI110 on a horse I produced myself but to get back to that level now would be a big financial commitment – maybe someday in the future 🤞🏻 other than that, I’d love to have the opportunity to compete in Dublin!

Most proud of this weekend?

This is a tough one… but I think I’m most proud of Billy and how he handled the environment at the weekend. That was the busiest show he’s been to, and he was like an old pro 👌🏻 Then to see him go so well for the ride judge did give me a boost as I thought I must be doing something right for him to get the feedback he did from that judge!

What’s up next for you? Any big events coming up? 

No solid plans as of yet really! Billy is only young so we will take it handy with him-I will most likely do a bit more showing as it’s a great experience for a young horse without putting them under too much pressure!

What advice do you have for others wanting to compete like this?

The best advice I could give is to just get out & do it! Enjoy the day & enjoy your horse 👌🏻 and remember that everyone was a first timer at one stage so if you’re not sure about something – just ask!