LIVING with a hearing impairment from an early age, Kilmore’s Siobhán Schous, has learned to adapt and thrive in high-performance sport and education.
From Kilmore outside Broadford, the international equestrian event rider was one of over 2,000 students graduating as part of UL’s Winter Conferring ceremonies, with an MSc in Mental Skills and Mental Health in Sports and Exercise, a discipline related to sports psychology.
Thirty two year old Siobhán grew up surrounded by horses. Her parents, Menno and Denise, bred Irish Draught horses, while she and her brother Keith and sister Anika rode as part of the Clare Branch of the Irish Pony Club.
Siobhán faced challenges as a child, having to undergo multiple major surgeries at Crumlin Children’s Hospital. “I was born without a bile duct and had the first of many surgeries as a young baby, which included a liver transplant. The surgery saved my life, but I was left with significant hearing loss in both ears which was a side effect of the medication used in my treatment”.
As a result, Siobhán has worn hearing aids for most of her life. “I did learn to sign, but I also learned to lip-read at a young age and have used that to communicate all my life”.
Her love of horses motivated her through difficult times and put her on a path to success as a competitive rider.
As a junior member of the Clare Pony Club, Siobhán was introduced to different types of competitions, including dressage and showjumping, before discovering a passion for eventing. “Eventing combines dressage, show jumping and cross-country riding. Cross-country is galloping a course over a long distance of varied terrain, jumping solid fences, ditches, banks and water features within a set time. It is an absolute adrenaline rush, so I really love that”.
When it came to going to college, UL’s BSc in Equine Science was the obvious choice for Siobhán. “Equine science stood out the most to me because horses were all I knew. I didn’t know what I wanted to be at the end of it, but I knew I was going to really enjoy it. I was lucky enough to be able to balance competing with my studies”.
In 2012, Siobhán was the overall winner in the Irish Pony Club Combined Training Class at the Royal Dublin Horse Show, an achievement she describes as “like winning the Olympics”.
Her competition career continued with placings and wins across national competitions, including Dressage Ireland, Irish Pony Club, Irish Pony Society and Eventing Ireland.
Throughout her undergraduate studies, Siobhán received strong support from her lecturers and the UL Disability Support Office, but she admits she felt self-conscious about wearing her hearing aids. “I suppose it was because of my age, I was a bit embarrassed about wearing my hearing aids. A very close friend of mine in the class was almost my second pair of ears. If I did not hear something, she would tell me later”.
For her third year Co-Op work placement at UL, Siobhán went to work with six-time Olympian Andrew Nicholson, one of the world’s most prolific event riders. “Andrew is based in Marlborough in the UK and competes for New Zealand. I was a huge part of his team, riding and looking after his horses. I got to travel to a lot of international competitions with him, although I didn’t ride his horses at competition”.
In 2016, Siobhán’s final year project entitled An Analysis of Irish Pony Club Memberships was published in The Irish Field newspaper and received the Coolmore Silver Medal, an award recognising research contributions to equine science.
After graduating, Siobhán continued competing nationally and internationally and represented Ireland at the BYRDS Home International in Scotland in 2017. She also worked in the thoroughbred industry, prepping three-year-old horses and foals for sale.
Coaching the next generation of riders was a natural progression for Siobhán, sparking her interest in sports psychology. “The ability to be able to teach somebody the technical skills on a horse to high performance, backed up with the mindset side of things, is so powerful. Like any sport, it is mind over matter, but in particular with horses, you are dealing with two athletes and one of those athletes is essentially a wild animal. What the rider does and how the rider behaves has a massive effect on the horse”.
This insight led Siobhán back to UL to complete the MSc in Mental Skills and Mental Health in Sports and Exercise, based at the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, a unique course aimed at those working with high-performance athletes in areas such as management or coaching. “I’m curious about what makes people tick,” she said. Having the master’s really gives me that edge to help riders reach their potential. It’s not just about technical ability, it’s about the mental skills too”.
Returning to college in her 30s brought a renewed sense of confidence for Siobhán, particularly in relation to her hearing impairment. “Now I have no shame in wearing my hearing aids. I know that I need them to hear what people are saying and I have them to help me. I suppose it’s my age as well, it helps you to realise nobody is coming to save you. When I started the course last year, I let all the lecturers know that I was hearing impaired and I sat at the front of the class. All the lecturers made an effort to make sure that I could lip-read them. And if I could not hear anything, they were more than happy to repeat it once, twice, maybe five times”.
Alongside coaching, Siobhán is the creator and host of her own podcast called ‘The Inside Rein’. She said, “I love listening to podcasts and saw a gap in the market for a podcast about Irish riders. It came off the back of my curiosity into the highs and lows, how people get through bad times, what they’re passionate about, and sharing advice to young riders”.
Siobhán records the podcast in person or by video call, enabling her to lip-read. Guests have included former and future Olympians, dressage riders, show jumpers, event riders, vets, sport psychologists and coaches from across the industry.
She now coaches riders up to international level and is in the process of establishing her own coaching business and would “like to help riders achieve their dreams”. She still refers back to her undergraduate notes, particularly in her favourite subject, equine reproduction. “That knowledge has stood to me all these years later, because my partner Mark and I now breed Connemara Ponies”.
While her hearing continues to decline, Siobhán remains optimistic. “There is a chance I’ll have to get a cochlear implant later in life, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Technology is always advancing”.
Reflecting on her graduation, she added: “It means so much to graduate with this master’s. I’m proud to have gone back to college in my 30s and pursued something I’m so passionate about. This feels like an exciting new chapter for me and I’m excited to see what the future holds. I would not be here if it were not for my wonderful parents who show up and support me every day, and my partner Mark, who encourages me no matter what I do. I’m also very lucky to have some incredible friends by my side who are uplifting and motivating”.
