Horse of the Year Show Qualifying Story 💜
“Some horses come into your life exactly as you imagined. Jinx did the complete opposite.
“After what felt like endless disappointing viewings in 2020, I found an 11-year-old 16.1hh mare. I had been searching for a gelding, over 17hh and under eight years old. On paper, she was everything I wasn’t looking for.
“But there was something about her kind eyes.
“I tried her on a Tuesday evening and by Thursday she had passed the vetting and was standing on my yard. I knew she was kind. I knew she’d look after me. What I didn’t know was that she would go on to change my life.
“Born just an hour from where I grew up in Ireland, Jinx had spent her whole life as a showjumper before somehow ending up with someone who definitely cannot jump! To be fair to her, she’ll happily carry me around a course, but I certainly don’t do her justice.
“So, in 2021, we decided to try something completely different and stepped into the showing world. Looking back at our very first outing makes me laugh – we were turned out so badly it’s almost painful to think about—but somehow we walked away as Reserve Champions. That was all it took. I had completely fallen in love with showing.
“From that moment on, Jinx flourished. She adored every second of being in the spotlight. The atmosphere, the applause, the admiration – she carried herself as though the ring had been built just for her.
“Then, in 2022, I discovered I was expecting my daughter, and I saw a completely different side of the mare I already adored. She became fiercely protective.
“Every stride became slower, shorter and more careful. She refused to let another horse come anywhere near me and insisted on giving my growing bump a daily inspection. I competed with her until I was five and a half months pregnant and hacked her until I was eight months and two days. By then, getting off had become far more difficult than getting on, but never once did she put a foot wrong. She looked after me with a kindness and instinct I’ll never be able to explain.
“For years we chased our dream of qualifying for Horse of the Year Show through the Amateur ranks. We came heartbreakingly close more than once, but close never quite felt close enough.
“This year, we decided to take a chance and entered the VHS Veteran HOYS qualifier at Royal Three Counties.
“Then the entries were published. Sixty horses. The moment I saw that number, every ounce of confidence disappeared. Standing at the warm-up, I genuinely didn’t want to go in. The nerves had completely taken over and I’d convinced myself we had absolutely no chance.
“Thankfully, one of my friends had other ideas. “GET IN THE RING, DEIRDRE!” And Jinx… well, Jinx simply did what Jinx always does. The class was called, and she marched into that ring as though she’d been waiting for the moment her whole life.
“The feeling she gave me that day is something I’ll never forget. She floated. She carried herself with a confidence I could only dream of borrowing, and I’m fairly certain she believed every single person there had come to watch her.
“Then came the moment I’d imagined for years. Our number was called in first place. I can’t truly describe what that felt like.
“For years I’d pictured hearing our number, knowing we’d finally done it. The dream we’d worked towards through every early morning, every disappointment and every “maybe next time.”
“When it finally happened, I cried so much that the photographer kindly gave me a few minutes to pull myself together before taking our photographs.
“People often say every horse is special. Jinx is so much more than that. She is the horse who turned every plan I thought I had upside down. She is the show horse who lives for the spotlight. She is the mare who carried me safely while I carried my daughter. She is the friend who somehow always knows when I need her most, offering kisses when I’m upset and quiet reassurance when my nerves threaten to get the better of me.
“When I doubt myself, she never does. Her quiet confidence seems to say, “I’ve got this. Just sit tight.”
“To finally have the opportunity to ride my best friend in the Arena of Dreams is something I will never, ever take for granted. Jinx may not have been the horse I thought I wanted. But she turned out to be the horse I needed.
“And qualifying for Horse of the Year Show with my dream horse isn’t just the achievement of a lifetime. It’s the privilege of a lifetime.”
Dierdre Conroy riding Jinx In Clover
Veteran Horse Society & Harry Hall One Club Ridden Veteran Horse of the Year Championship