Jessica Burke
EIGHTEEN months ago, 27-year-old teacher Jessica Burke closed the classroom door to embark on the journey of a lifetime. After six years in an increasingly busy job, the Galway native decided to take a career break to focus on her passion for showjumping, a move that has already paid unbelievable dividends.
Despite the turbulent times, Jessica has gone on to win her first international grand prix, landed a position at the prestigious Arion Stud in Hampshire and Irish selectors have clocked her team potential. This is a seriously talented rider whose showjumping career looks poised to go stratospheric.
“I look back at this year and think ‘wow’ – it’s been a difficult time for so many people, so I feel really lucky to have achieved so much in my own career,” says Jessica, whose soft lilt reveals her roots in the west of Ireland.
She grew up on her parents’ cattle farm near Gort in Galway and enjoyed a typical “hunting and country” upbringing.
“My dad, aunt and uncle all hunted, so there were always horses in the family,” she remembers. “I was always mad
