Join our Sunday chat with Tricia from County Down, Ireland - the epitome of multi-talented! She works a full-time job at Eventing Ireland, rides her beloved Irish Draught horse Monty, and hits the stage with her Irish traditional music gigs.
Read all about Tricia and Eventing Ireland.
Tricia, please tell us a bit about yourself, what do you do, where are you from?
I’m from County Down in the north of Ireland, now based in county Meath with my partner, Derek, my rescue lurcher, Pepper and my Irish Draught horse, Monty. I work full time for Eventing Ireland, and also have a busy career as an Irish Traditional Musician!
Can you please tell us about Eventing Ireland and what they do?
Eventing Ireland (EI) are an affiliate of Horse Sport Ireland and are the governing body for the sport of Eventing on the island of Ireland. We administrate all of the national Events in the country, as well as working with the Internationals to help facilitate their entries and administration.
What is your role at Eventing Ireland and how did you come to be involved?
I’m the Head Office administrator for EI, so I handle everything from memberships and registrations to scheduling times for events, to marketing, sponsorship, social media etc! We’re a very small team with only two full-time-staff, and two part-time, so everyone has multi-faceted roles. I joined EI in February 2022, so I’ve just finished my fourth season.

For anyone who would like to be part of Eventing Ireland, are there any guidelines for who can join and how do they become a member?
Anyone can join EI from their 12th year (the year in which they turn 12) upwards. We offer a range of membership options for people who want to register, and also the opportunity to compete on day tickets for those who just want a couple of runs. We run national events from 80cm right up to 120cm (equivalent to 4*), and our youth committee is really active in organising training. So, there’s something for everyone!
What do you do in your spare time?
For most of my working life, I was a full-time musician, so I’m still really involved in music. I gig regularly, do a lot of teaching, a bit of media work and travel abroad to perform a few times a year. I’m just back from five days performing and teaching in Germany, and my trio have a new album launching in less than a month, so it’s very busy. I’m lucky that I can schedule this around working with EI, thanks to our very accommodating team!
What is your ultimate Hiho love (favourite piece from the Hiho collection) and why?
Where can we follow you online?