Cornelia O'MahonyCornelia, who is called by everybody here at Ryans simply "Ninx", arrived from England in July 2007 for a "gap" year and is still with us. Ninx has her own horse and much to the dismay of her parents - doesn't want to go home! She is training hard and has set her goals on making the British Olympic Dressage Team for 2012. Her horse BP Jive Talkin is by JIVE MAGIC and we believe to be seriously outstanding and capable of being very much a part of this ambitious programme. Ninx is a very dedicated student, a very talented rider and also is very good with Mare Records and being involved with the Stud during follicle testing, preg testing, foaling down and weaning activities. We at Ryans feel very lucky to have Ninx here with us and feel very much obligated to making sure that Ninx is part of that British Olympic Dressage team in 2012.
Ninx comes from a very colourful family with her mother being at one time an art critic for the Tate Art Gallery in London and her father Fergus O'Mahony having a law practice in London. Fergus is an avid fox-hunting enthusiast (when it was legal of course). Fergus has a great reputation for brewing Sloe Gin and other interesting recipes which are then taken out hunting in the hip flask and drawn upon by one and all in emergencies.
Ninx was born in London in 1988. Her mother was at school with Rozzie and also has a great interest in horses and this has rubbed off onto Ninx who started riding aged 4. As a teenager she was always given the "rogues" to ride and usually she turned them around for their owners who promptly took them back! Poor Ninx - no horse of her own! She was fortunate to ride her mothers horse, Maddy and together they went to Medium Level Dressage. That was enormous groundwork for finally working with her own young horse, BP JIVE TALKIN and bringing him up through the levels. Since being here at Ryans Ninx has worked her way up to Prix St Georges / Intermediare I level dressage. Ninx is also actually a very handy jump rider and often tags along with the Eventers when schooling young horses. Ninx is usually riding 4 or 5 horses a day at Ryans and sometimes one of those horses is a young eventer which Ninx is more than able to school through grids and ride classicly over fences up to 1.10m in height. For the last two years Ninx has taken over the directorship of the stud side of the Ryans operation. This is a huge responsibility which will entail getting over 100 mares in foal each season and communicating with their owners. Ninx makes an enormous contribution to the successful running of Ryan's on a day to day basis.
Ninx on her horse BP Jive Talkin' just moments before going into the Advanced Freestyle class at the Sydney CDI on Saturday 29th April 2011. This is the biggest dressage show in Australia. Ninx and BP Jive Talkin' did a blinder of a test to come 4th. Toppling over more fancied and well known combinations including Olympic riders. Providing the last minute touch ups in this photo is junior rider Serena Ireland who has alreday won senior advanced classes on her 13.2hh pony!