Where are you from?
I’m originally from Ireland, but I moved to America in 2018 with my wife to pursue my career with horses.
How long have you been part of the horse world?
My entire life. My grandad has a successful equestrian center in Ireland, so growing up horses were always part of my life. When my parents saw that I was very eager to ride at a young age, they built a yard at home so I could be involved with horses.
What part do you play in the horse world?
I’m an assistant trainer for Team Welles. At Team Welles, we have a variety of clients that compete at all different levels. I train the clients and the horses. I give lessons to help the clients and I take notes so that we can make a plan for the clients to benefit more and achieve their best outcome. I also compete in the ring myself when possible.
What’s your favorite thing about what you do?
Having success and achieving great results — there’s no better feeling.
What’s your biggest achievement?
Getting to train, work and deal with some of the top riders and trainers in the world — Jos Lansink, Cameron Hanley and Ger O’Neill, to name a few.
What are your goals for the future?
To keep working with our strong team at Team Welles, to keep achieving results and to make a good name for myself.
What’s the best thing about your life?
The ability to travel and meet some amazing, successful people and to travel around and see so much of the world while doing what I love. I live in Wellington, Florida, during the winter months, then we travel around as a team doing shows the rest of the year. I’m excited because this year we’re basing ourselves in Chicago for a few months.
Best kept secret?
From a very young age, my nicknames have been Smiley and Eggy. In school, one or two lads couldn’t pronounce my name right, so these stuck while growing up.
Photos by Phelps Media Group
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