On a recent trip to Ireland, SmartPak’s Creative Director, Sara, found eight different ways to answer the question “Where will you go in your Dubarry boots?”
Breaking in my Dubarrys at Powerscourt Gardens after an amazing ride through the Wicklow Mountains, courtesy of Aidan Keogh of Tredstep Ireland.
Perfect for scrambling through the ruined towers of the Kells Priory (and for chasing sheep through the fields surrounding them).
Testing my Dubarrys as the tide rolled in on the beaches of the Dingle Peninsula. My feet stayed dry as a bone despite water up to my ankles!
Looking out from a 300-foot-high cliff at Dun Aenghus, an ancient ring fort on the Aran Islands, not far from Galway (a name that’s probably familiar to Dubarry boot fans).
Stopping to pat a pony happily grazing on the island of Inishmore.
Crossing the 90-foot-high Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge to the island where my boyfriend proposed. How many lucky girls can say they got engaged in their Dubarrys?!
Staying dry as the waves crashed up onto the Giant’s Causeway, an amazing landscape of 37,000 hexagonal pillars built by an Irish giant, Finn McCool.
Kicking back in my Clares at “The Organ” after hiking around the Giant’s Causeway.
Sara as a rider: I think I fell in love with horses before I could walk, but I didn't start taking lessons until I was 12. I rode hunter/jumper for many years, including two years on an IHSA team. After college, I moved to Massachusetts and found an event barn where I fell in love with my current (and first!) horse, Carpe Diem. We've been learning to event together for the six years that I've had him, and he's making the leap to Training level this year - I just hope I'm ready to make it with him! Sara as a SmartPaker: Working in the Creative department at SmartPak is nothing short of a dream job. As the Creative Director, I'm able to help determine how we present ourselves to the riders browsing our catalogs in barns and tack rooms across the country. We work very hard, but it's a whole lot easier when you're looking at images of gorgeous horses all day. All about Diem: Diem is the quintessential chestnut OTTB. At 13 years old, he's still a puzzle to figure out every time I ride, and he's an absolute blast when the pieces come together. He's athletic and bold, and he jumps around cross country like a machine. The dressage doesn't come naturally to either of us, but working through that challenge has taught me a lot about patience and persistence. And, it makes me appreciate the jumping phases even more.
![Brian_2012_Balancing_Act[1]](http://blog.smartpakequine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Brian_2012_Balancing_Act1-150x150.png)
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Lovely photos of your trip. Thanks for sharing…