Women in Sport: Robyn Moran, National Showjumper

Robyn Moran is fast becoming one of Ireland’s leading showjumpers. Alongside her family she runs a successful sales and livery yard in Askeaton while competing at some of the most prestigious shows. 

How did you get into your chosen sport ?

My family have been involved with horses and show jumping for generations so it was inevitable that I would end up following in their footsteps. Having horses and ponies for me growing up was like having a pet dog, I didn’t know any other way of life. That said, I was late enough to start riding ponies competitively and think I only started jumping on the national circuit when I was about 10 or 11. Nowadays, the Under 8s and Under 10s have hugely competitive competitions right across the country. My mother tried to get me involved in everything and anything to divert me away from horses and ponies, but her attempts failed, and I followed my passion which is now my full-time career.

Who was your sporting hero growing up?

I couldn’t look past my own family in terms of sporting heroes as I hold them in very high esteem in terms of their contribution to the sport, their many achievements and the legacies they have left behind. My own Dad Brian will always be my number one, he is an absolute genius when it comes to horses and is very often called the “secret sauce” behind some of my successes over the years. He was a jockey for many years before a bad fall ended his career in 2002. He rode and trained many point to point winners, was the first to ride a winner on the famous Dorans Pride and also held the prestigious Maryland Hunt Cup Record for fastest time and only Irish man to win the race for 19 years until my good pal Dan Nevin broke Dad`s record last year. My granddad Michael sadly passed away before I was born but his legacy lives on, he was known the length and breadth of the country for his horsemanship particularly with young horses. He competed in the RDS many times and the winner of the 6-year-old National Championship Final in the RDS now receives the Michael Moran Memorial Cup in honour of his memory and his contribution over the years. My grandmother Jill also rode both nationally and internationally and I am always so proud when people speak of her and reminisce about her wonderful partnership with Clover Bishop whom she rode for many years.

Normal day before game/event

In showjumping you have to be organised so I normally prepare show schedules approx. 8 weeks in advance so I have enough time to prepare my horses for the different shows. For shows that are far away I have to ensure our lorry is packed the day before so as to not be rushing on the day we have to leave. I would have a lot of early-morning starts so it is so important to be well prepared and organised. There is not only myself to organise but also the horses so thankfully I am an organised person by nature or otherwise it would be chaos. Coming up to big shows I get a lot of sleep and have a very healthy diet.

What is the most memorable moment in your career so far?

This is a tough one to answer. As a child my dream was always to have a pony good enough to qualify for the RDS not to mind even thinking past that to winning in the RDS… it is the dream of many young kids riding ponies I suppose. I will never forget the feeling of first qualifying for the RDS back in 2015 on a pony called Western Oreo, it was like all my Christmases came at once and a feeling I will never forget. Since then I have been very lucky to win 3 championship finals in the RDS which I am very proud and humbled to win but I always think of that first time qualifying and what it meant to me as a 13-year-old being able to follow in my family's footsteps and get to ride in the RDS.