When her doctor told Susan Oakes, 37, of Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland that she would have two years left to ride before rheumatoid arthritis sidelined her, she created an extensive and ambitious bucket list of riding goals to complete while she was able.
Fifteen years later, Susan is still riding, and still ticking items off that bucket list – and adding increasingly adventurous ideas all the time. Most recently, she and her childhood friend Barry O’Brien Lynch competed at the Skijordue Festival in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Now Susan is based at a show jumping stable in Mexico, where she is training to become the first Irish Woman in about 65 years to compete in the puissance jumping competition at the Dublin Horse Show. Susan, who holds the world record for side-saddle jumping, having jumped over 2 meters in 2013, recounts the numerous ups and downs of her riding career, and describes what keeps her motivated to continue achieving her goals.