Flowing auburn hair and flawless, pale skin, complemented by a stunning figure. Who is that model? we ask as the pictures taken to launch Mount Juliet’s three-year partnership with the Dublin Horse Show land on our desk in Irish Country Living.

Joanne Quirke isn’t a model though, she is events coordinator for Tattersalls and her fantastic figure isn’t from hours in the gym, it’s from a lifetime riding and training horses.

She really is the perfect lady to launch such a partnership because this weekend’s Dublin Horse Show at the RDS is the highlight of her year, it’s what she works towards on early summer mornings and late winter nights.

Red Rosettes

Joanne tells us over tea in Mount Juliet that she won her first RDS show when she was just 16.

“I had to wait another 20 years to feel that Horse Show-high again though,” she laughs. “When I look back now, I didn’t appreciate it. I thought once you went in, you won and that was it. How naïve. I know now it’s not as easy as it looks, the amount of preparation and work that goes into the Horse Show, the days, weeks spent working towards it, it’s massive.”

The effort may be huge but Joanne says her long-awaited win was worth it. It was some journey to receive that red ribbon and her pride in winning the Racehorse to Riding Horse competition is evident. Her first win was with Cooldine but it’s clear her current horse Paddy the Plasterer has a special place in her heart. A former Cheltenham winner, when Joanne first came across Paddy, many may have assumed his glory days were behind him. But in this grade one horse with legs “longer than Naomi Campbell”, she saw potential, possibilities, a star in the making – but it wasn’t all going to be plain sailing.

Racehorse to Riding Horse

“From racehorse to riding horse, it’s such a big leap. It like retraining a gymnast to be a tennis player. I remember the first morning with him, he had such a racehorse mindset. He was so used to jockeys, to just getting up and going, that the first thing I had to get him to do was just stand still and relax, build up a trust.

“It’s a very slow process, I spent two months just walking and trotting him. His whole feeding regime, exercise, even his muscle composition had to be changed, so he was a bit out of sync but in the grand scheme of things he did very well. I got him in February and by August he was a success in the RDS.”

Although Joanne had her first adult win on Cooldime, she said her win on Paddy in 2015 was particularly special and the moment that stands out from the rest.

“I remember parading in the main arena and all my family being there, it was a real pinch-myself moment. To get one of the red rosettes, it is very difficult but it is a great honour to be judged the best. To win the same class then on two different horses, four years in a row – I don’t think that anyone has won any class in there four years on the trot. I have to go back and try to win it for the fifth time.”

Again this year, Paddy will be with her.

“Recently, we were working out how many thousands of miles he has galloped and raced. For him to come back and retrain in a completely new discipline and to be so successful is amazing. He has won showing, hunting, side saddling, he is just a real gentleman. They are very hard to find, and when you do find one, he holds a very special place.

Side Saddling

Side saddling, the traditional way in which ladies used to ride, has had quite a resurgence in recent years.

“It really is an art form and quite a challenge. I love a good challenge,” she laughs. “I ran an expo on side saddling when I worked in Punchestown in 2013 and I thought I would give it a go. The first time I tried it, I said: ‘No, that’s not for me.’ However, I was encouraged to try again and after that I was hooked.

“There is quite a technique to it. Everyone says you are stuck on, you are no more stuck on. It’s like sitting on a hard stool with two legs on one side, while trying to sit straight, hold your position and balance. With a side saddle, you have to be more confident in it, focus on your balance. It tests you, pushes you a little bit more. It’s requires lots of dedication.”

Joanne Quirke is certainly not afraid of dedication and her horse-related injuries over the years have proved that.

“I have broken my wrists, my eye socket, cheek bone, my nose, my jaw. There was one fall, a rotational fall, where I broke my pelvis and my back three ribs – they went into my kidneys and punctured them. I have torn my glute hunting side-sadde, that was the sorest actually. But I am very lucky because I have been able to get up as such.”

Have you ever thought about not getting up? “No, never and the day you do is the day you give up.”

For some reason, when it comes to this determined lady, we don’t see that day coming anytime soon.

Mount Juliet Estate recently announced a three-year partnership with the Dublin Horse Show, with the estate becoming luxury destination partner. CL