The Inside Rein Podcast The Inside Rein Podcast

Damien Griffin is an Irish international show-jumper from Ballinasloe in Co. Galway. After running a successful sales yard for 10+ years, he decided to make a change and focus on sourcing & producing top quality young horses for show-jumping & eventing with his wife Fiona. In addition they also run a rewarding breeding programme with over 100 youngsters ranging from foals to 3 year olds. Damien radiates an immense amount of passion & determination & with that he has worked his way to accumulating numerous titles to his name from Puissance wins, winner of Cavan Indoor Derby, placings at Hickstead Speed derby alongside national titles. We dived into many areas of Damien's life with horses, from the importance of having patience when producing young horses, building resilience & staying focused. Damien also kindly opened up about his stammer, and the stress & anxieties he felt surrounding it during his early days, especially whilst competing. In our chat he also outlined his management practices he's learned over the years that he uses today and i cannot thank him enough for being so open & honest.

Damien's Website:
Showjumping | Damien Griffin Lissyegan Stables | County Galway

Joining "The Show Ring" series is a super episode I had the pleasure of recording with the lovely Ciara Mullen. Ciara is a hugely successful rider based in Malahide in Co. Dublin, and she runs an extremely educational page on Instagram known as "It's A Grooms Life"Ciara is regularly seen amongst the ribbons in the showing world and has completed in the likes of HOYS, Royal Windsor and of course the Dublin Horse Show. She has taken home many titles from Dublin such as Riding Horse Champion, Intermediate Side Saddle & Hunter Mare Champion but to name a few. Ciara and I decided to do something a little different and add in a Q&A to our episode, and she gave her insights and advice on starting young horses, preparations for the showing season, what to look for in a horse or pony, clipping and loads more. Ciara was such a joy to talk to and of course we covered many topics throughout her career from, balancing horses and a job, the importance of giving a horse time to mature, being a good sportsperson, the benefit of keeping a diary for horses, her time with other riders and so much more! Ciara's Instagram:
Ciara Mullen (@itsa_groomslife) • Instagram photos and videos

Tara Oliver Donohoe is an Irish international dressage rider based in Limerick. Along with her husband Mark, they run a small livery and training yard whilst also providing top quality young horses from Preliminary to Grand Prix. Originally from Dublin she made the move west to study Equine Science in the university of Limerick & found her love for dressage. Since then she's worked her way up on the high performance team for dressage & has completed internationally many times in Premier Leagues, along with holding many national titles and wins around the country.


It was so nice to sit down and chat to Tara and she gave put so much helpful tips and advice applicable to riders of any discipline & level. We covered the importance of being adaptable, having patience, along with tips on moving up the levels. She also gave unique perspective on viewing dressage tests, why it's critical to truly listen to horse underneath you in doing what's best for them in their training, listening to judges and so much more!

Tara's Facebook:

Joining me for a second time is Irish international Dressage rider, Courtney Akkari. We catch up on her life since the release of her first episode, 3 years ago which is linked below. We touch on her life now as a new mother, balancing that with the demands of horses & competing, buying & selling horses, her Olympics hopes & dreams and so much more!

Courtney's First Episode: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-inside-rein-podcast/episodes/Enter-At-A-Courtney-Stuart-ersl6o/a-a4sjrkd

Courtney's Instagram:
Courtney Akkari ❤️ (@court016) • Instagram photos and videos

Jacqueline Murphy is a BHSAI & HSI accredited coach that runs Ahead For Horses. She has devoted so much time to her education and has achieved qualifications in Management, Coaching, Psychology, Sports & Exercise Psychology, Neuro Linguistic Programming & Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
She worked with riders from grassroots to 5* to increase their confidence, improve enjoyment & maximise performance to achieve their goals. With a background in working in the corporate world, she's takes us through the challenges she faced after an accident that led her to setting up her Ahead For Horses.
Jacqueline's Website:
AHEAD FOR HORSES Sports Psychology & Mindset for Riders Get A-head for Horses change your mind and the rest will follow. AHEAD FOR HORSES

Jacqueline's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aheadforhorses?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA==

Molly Sullivan is a Sports Performance Nutritionists & Strength and Conditioning Coach from Kerry. her educational background & sporting career is nothing short of impressive; with a Degree in Law & Sports Psychology, qualifications such as a personal trainer & fitness instructor and a two Masters in Sports Performance and in Sports Nutrition with the International Olympic Committee. 

Along with show-jumping, she also has had an incredibly successful rowing career, representing Ireland on numerous occasions. Throughout her career she's worked with various elite & professional sports from swim Ireland, Munster Rugby & the Women's Tennis Association with a professional tennis player.

Molly's Instagram:
https://instagram.com/moll.sull?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA==