In our September 2019 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine we caught up with the Irish International Para Dressage Rider Rosemary Gaffney after a Super Irish Para Podium Team finish in Doha. The following is the Interview.
Were horses always in your family and when did you first learn to ride?
No horses were not in my family but I was very lucky and grew up with a family called the Croome Carrolls and I used to ride there all the time. I hunted from the age of 5, did all my Pony Club exams with the Tipperary Hunt Pony Club and I rode race horses with the Lawlors and Slatterys in my teens.
Who has been your greatest Inspiration and who did you train with through the years?
My greatest dressage inspiration is Carl Hester. I have been lucky enough to train with him on a number of occasions and really admire him both as a horseman and as a rider. He makes everything very easy to understand!
My dressage trainer is Sue Smallman. Sue has coached me both as an able bodied and later as a Para rider; she is always there for me and is a very good friend as well as a superb coach.
Sue rides to Grand Prix level so she is always able to sit on and work out the problem, this has been invaluable since I became a Para rider. Sue also trains the Pony Event team and understands the pressure of being on a team at this level.
What first attracted you to Dressage as your sport?
I loved the training of the horses and when I was breaking and producing eventers, it was always easier to sell them if they were well schooled on the flat as anyone could then ride them. Dressage really is the basis of all training.
When did you first become involved in Para Dressage?
I first became involved when I ran an International dressage competition in Teagasc, Kildalton College (where I work) in 2000. I then trained a few of the Para riders and for a short period was Chef de Equipe.
I had a fall in 2007 and shattered my left knee and I became a Grade 5 rider. In 2014 I had another fall and shattered my right leg from the hip to the heel. After this accident I was regraded and I now ride at Grade 4. The movements in a Grade 4 test are similar to those in an Advanced Medium test.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
I am lucky enough to have had lots of success in my Para career to date, with some lovely horses.. Competing in Quatar this year was a fantastic experience and another highlight for me was a podium finish in Waregem earlier this year. This was in the Kur and extra special as it was with my new horse at only her second international! I feel very honoured every time I ride for Ireland and I am delighted to be going to the Europeans as part of an Irish Team.
Has there been a special horse in your life so far and what made them stand out from the rest?
I had a wonderful stallion Aldham Mill Dubloon who really got me going as a Para rider. He is a super horse and for a stallion – really well behaved. We won our first 3 * competition together at Hartpury College (I thought it was always going to be easy) he was very special and is now enjoying his later life in Dubai being ridden by an English teenager, showing him the ropes and winning lots!
We know you are heading to the Europeans, can you tell us a bit about the horse that you are competing and how they came to be your ride for the Europeans?
I am riding a 10yr old Danish mare Werona- by the stallion Painted Black. Before I got her she had bred a number of foals and had relatively low competition mileage. I bought her from Michel and Mette Assouline. She is a super mare and up to now has been very consistent. She has won both regionally and nationally with me, in able bodied and Para classes. She has a superb work ethic and is like the ‘ever ready bunny’.
What are your competition plans leading up to 2020, with Tokyo just around the corner?
We will do the Europeans and also Keysoe in the UK later in the year and then regroup to discuss what we are going to do next year. It is always difficult to compete abroad, hard on the horses and also very expensive.
Last question, if you had one piece of advice to offer a young equestrian starting out, what would that be?
Never give up and never give in!
Rosemary Gaffney
This Interview was originally published in our September 2019 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine. Many thanks to Rosemary Gaffney for the Pictures and wonderful piece.