Hattie Dinnis and Ardeo Castleconnor won the Eventing Ireland 100 at Loughanmore followed by a win in the 1m class at Killossery! Ready for Ballindenisk International Horse Trials next week. See these Irish field articles!

Accountancy student Harriet Dinnis is loving riding out for Melanie and Neil Wrynn’s Ardeo Sport Horses yard in Co Wicklow

AMONG the winners at the Loughanmore one-day-event last Saturday was Hattie Dinnis who narrowly landed Section A of the EI100 on Ardeo Castleconnor.

Hattie, who is from Kent, spent six weeks at Melanie and Neil Wrynn’s Ardeo Sport Horses yard in Co Wicklow on leaving school and returned there to take up a permanent position in March 2019. “She is such an incredible addition to the team,” said Melanie. “She is also taking a financial accounting degree in Griffith College, part-time at night, and just got a First in her first-year results.”

Hattie is delighted with life at present. “It’s so much fun to be part of the team producing Ardeo horses and I’m loving it! Being a small business, it’s so exciting to understand all the different components and see how all the pieces come together – from updating the social media, doing up the accounts and competing the horses. Also, I’ve met many of Mel and Neil’s clients from all over Ireland, Europe and America. The job here is so diverse; you are not stuck in one department as you often would be in a big business.

“I grew up in Kent on our family farm with my brother and two triplet sisters. We went to our first Pony Club camp at the age of four on our matching grey ponies! I first met Mel and Neil in 2015 when I bought an amazing five-year-old and then came for six weeks in 2018 after I finished my A-Levels and ended up staying.

“I always wanted to work and study at the same time as I wanted to be able to apply what I was learning to a work situation. However, I never expected to be lucky enough to be in a position where I would be able to carry on riding at the same time. I’ve enjoyed the course at Griffith College so far and am just gearing up for the next two years. If all goes to plan, I will graduate at the same time as both of my sisters but will have four years’ riding as well!”