I’ve dreamed of traveling to Ireland for as long as I can remember. A self-described Anglophile, I’m obsessed with anything British or Irish, so when it came time to decide on my big vacation for the year, I knew where I’d be heading.

I picked a 10-day tour of the Emerald Isle, starting and finishing in Dublin (but just shy of the Dublin Horse Show, darn!) that covered just about every major attraction in the country, plus a couple of stops in Northern Ireland.

Like many amateurs with full-time jobs, I struggle with finding the time and motivation to ride during the winter months. Here in Virginia, we have fairly mild winters compared to the Northern and Mid-Western states, but I still find myself rushing home most nights to try and get a ride in before the arena freezes for the night.

I’ve been blessed with a wonderful off-the-track Thoroughbred who’s as intense about his work as I am, but if he has any more than two days off in a row, he starts to try to find new ways of injuring himself during turnout, so regular work is a must.