Most teenagers spend the summer on the beach or kicking a ball, but some follow a relentless regime in pursuit of red rosettes. Marie-Claire Digby meets a family seeking glory at this year's Dublin Horse Show.
Amy O'Brien (15) has been up since 4 a.m. painstakingly braiding three manes, sewing in the plaits with a needle and thread. Last night she threaded 30 needles with white cotton in order to speed up the process. Hairdressing doesn't figure in Amy's career plan - the King's Hospital fifth-year boarder wants to be a veterinary surgeon - but it's all part of the painstaking preparation involved in getting ready for the pony show ring. She and her two ponies will be judged on their turnout and standard of presentation, as well as on how they perform in the ring, and nothing is left to chance.
While she works, her brother Andrew (14) gets going with soap and water, turning three distinctly off-white ponies into a dazzling picture of Persil perfection - stark contrast to Andrew's own dyed yellow mop, a "last day of school" prank. Later, chalk will be brushed onto the ponies' coats to make them even whiter; shiny dark oil will be painted on their hooves, and they will be tacked up in soft, well cared-for saddles and bridles which have been carefully selected to show off their best features.
First, it's breakfast time, and while the O'Brien ponies munch their feeds, the children tuck into a big breakfast cooked by their mother Julie Brindley-O'Brien in the living area of their horsebox, which will be their home for much of the summer. Stables are booked in advance for the ponies when the family embark on the arduous summer show season, which will take them to fixtures the length and breadth of Ireland, England and Scotland, but the family will camp out in the horsebox. It's not as bad as it sounds: the living accommodation has cooking facilities, a fridge and even a TV. "But a shower would be nice," Julie says.
Newcastle pony show in Co Wicklow is today's fixture. The previous day, Amy and Andrew were in action at Gorey show, and the next, with Mum at the wheel of the truck as usual, they are taking the 5 a.m. boat to England and will drive to shows in Cheshire and Lincolnshire. Four days later, it's back to Charleville, Co Cork, followed the next day by an event in Kilcooley, Co Tipperary.
"I'll see you later darling," Julie tells her husband Neil O'Brien on the mobile phone. "Will that be September then?" quips Neil, who does go to some shows, but is at home in Dunboyne, Co Meath today, making hay.
Horses are in this family's blood - Neil and Julie met at a pony show when they were 13. Julie's father Basil is a successful racehorse owner and breeder, as well as finding time to establish Brindley Advertising, and she herself is an accomplished rider who held her own in the tough world of point-to-point racing. "I never really gave it up, except when pregnant," she says. Horse mania is not shared by all the O'Brien children though. "Evan, my youngest brother, for his seventh birthday said he wanted his pony sold as his present," explains Amy. Evan got his wish, and a football replaced the pony.
Breakfast over, it's time to dress for the part. Amy's first competition, at 8.30 a.m., is a side-saddle class and for this she must wear an elegant navy habit, the first of several costume changes throughout the day which are carefully co-ordinated by her mother. This isn't just any old habit though - it is a beautifully-cut garment left to Amy by her mother's school friend Eugenia Murray, who died in February of this year. Murray, a Connemara pony expert, lived for her ponies, and last August was at the ringside for both the Dublin Horse Show and Clifden Connemara pony show to see Amy win the ridden Connemara championships at both with her pony Fionn Mac Cumhaill - a double not achieved since 1977.
Amy's partner for today's side-saddle event is Chantilly Phantom, better known as Ollie. The veteran grey has only been back in action for two months, after a mystery illness that almost killed him. Julie called in a Reiki therapist when the vets had given up hope, and today the family pet proves he's back on form by being the first choice of judge Amanda Lilley, a BBC sports commentator, for the class and championship honours.
There is little time to bask in glory however, as Amy is due back in the ring for another class, on a different pony and in a different outfit. Meanwhile, Andrew is jumping a beautiful round in another of the four arenas with his pony Teddy's Rocket, stable name Trooper. With so much going on, in so many arenas, most parents would be bewildered by now. But not Julie, whose organisational skills are beyond belief, and whose gallop between arenas belies the fact that she has two legs, not four.
Back in the horsebox, the classes in which Amy and Andrew will be involved are marked (and colour coded: pink for Andrew, blue for Amy on Ollie, and green for Amy's second ride, Jerry) on show schedules stretching for months ahead. The whole summer is mapped out here, with military precision. Do the kids miss out on doing the "normal" summer holiday things? "Well, we do go to the beach, at Portmarnock. But we take the ponies, too. Ollie's a great swimmer. When we're in the sea you can just see my head and his nose and ears above the water," says Amy.
There's a lot of fun mixed with hard work at these shows too, and it's a safe, healthy environment to be involved in. No one seems to be concerned about security, horseboxes and cars are left unlocked, and there's an announcement over the PA that a handbag has been found on the field and can be collected at the secretary's office. There's no sign of any bitter rivalry or prima donna behaviour among the competitors either - the losers get almost as big a cheer as the winners, and effort is rewarded as enthusiastically as triumph.
By lunchtime, six rosettes denoting three wins, two championships and a reserve have been added to the colourful display in the horsebox, and there's just time for a quick cup of coffee. Throughout the day a constant stream of visitors drop by for a drink, a chat, or to borrow some essential piece of kit. "It is a very sociable scene; we barbecue a lot in summer," Julie says.
Amy rides a Connemara pony belonging to Jeananne Crowley, and the actress and writer takes a break from preparing for her role in Pygmalion at The Gate theatre to drop by and see how the O'Briens are faring in Newcastle. She's impressed with what she sees - but Andrew and Amy are more impressed when they hear that she was at a dinner party with Bono the previous night.
There isn't time to gossip though; there are still several classes to be judged. When finally the supreme championship judging draws things to a close, it's after 6 p.m. and that 5 a.m. ferry deadline is looming. Amy doesn't win this time, but she and the six other champions overlooked for the supreme award leave the ring to resounding cheers and claps from the stalwarts who have stayed on for the final judging session.
A relaxed, enjoyable day out is drawing to a close. For Amy, Andrew and Julie it's time to head home, bed down the ponies, fill the washing machine, re-pack the horsebox, and catch a few hours' sleep before going back on the road. The mileage clock on the horsebox has had 1,300 miles added in the past three weeks, and things are only just getting going.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
The next big event on the pony showing calendar is the Dublin Horse Show, which takes place at the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 on August 4th-8th. Family passes to the show cost €38 and admit two adults and up to four children under 16. There is a reduced price of €33 for the final day of the show, which is a special family day.