In recent weeks we have been privileged to watch the world’s greatest riders perform extraordinary feats on magnificent horses, as they strove to win Olympic medals for their countries.

But where did it all begin for these superb equestrians? For most it starts as a child with their first riding lesson or being put on horseback by a parent. From there, the next big step is getting your own pony.

Last week, I spoke to one of my neighbours in Tara, Co Meath, 13-year-old Riona Toomey, who has just been given her first pony.

“I wanted a pony an awful lot - more than anything else in the world, and I kept bugging my parents about it,” she told me.

“So when I was six my mum brought me to a riding centre where I had my first ever ride on a pony named Steptoe. I really liked it and, after that, I began weekly lessons at Brookfield Stables in Navan.

“My first pony there was called Lady. That was the name of my dog. The girl leading me was Laura and that is the same name as my sister. So it felt like a good omen. I was tiny and the stirrup had to be wrapped about five times but it was a great start.”

There were many more school ponies after that as she learned to walk, trot and canter. The best was one named Chico. Riona recalls: “He was feisty but he was so nice. When I said ‘Trot on, Chico’, he just did. It was like a miracle.”

But then came the crunch when Riona’s resolve was tested. When still just eight years of age she took two falls over jumps on Ollie who “had his own way of doing things”. After some soul-searching Riona took a step back to lead-rein and built her confidence once more.

Lessons were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgency grew for Riona to get her own pony. From February to October 2020 she searched the internet with no success.

She explained: “I sometimes did not even know what the adverts meant. Some were outside our price range. Then one night, when I was already supposed to be asleep, I found two called Cody and Sparkie. We went to see Cody at The Paddocks in Stepaside. He was busy but then the owner’s daughter rode Sparkie for us. He was just amazing, like he was flying. So Sparkie it was.”

Riona and Sparkie have already done preliminary dressage and hunter pony competitions. This week they will take part in their first jumping show. Who knows where it will lead.