Throwback — Badminton first-timers: Cathal Daniels — ‘She doesn’t know the fences are bigger than her’
Cathal DANIELS (IRL) riding RIOGHAN RUA during cross country phase of the Pau CCI**** near Pau in the Pyrenees region of France on 15th October 2016
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
If it hadn’t been for the coronavirus outbreak, we would be gearing up for Badminton Horse Trials, which was due to take place this week (6—10 May). So instead we will take a few trips down memory lane. Here is the interview that was conducted with Cathal Daniels before his first Badminton in 2017, where he was the youngest competitor in the field and we also met his small and mighty horse
He might be the youngest competitor in the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials field this year, but 20-year-old Irishman Cathal Daniels is optimistic about the week ahead.
Badminton final scores
“Margaret called me after I set up my own yard and she asked me if I would like to have a go competing Red,” explains Cathal, who runs his base of 15 horses from his family home, where they also own their own pack of 12 couple of hounds. It didn’t take long for the pair to clock some serious results.
As a six-year-old, in 2013, Red and Cathal won team gold at the junior European championships. In 2014 they won another junior team gold, plus individual silver and they also finished 16th in the world young horse championships at Le Lion d’Angers. In 2015 they represented Ireland at the young rider Europeans winning a team bronze medal and they were also members of the winning Irish Nations Cup team at Boekelo. Further strong results in the spring of 2016, saw Cathal and Red longlisted for the 2016 Olympic Games.
“Her record is impeccable,” says a proud Cathal. “She’s a real competitor and each time I’ve asked her a question I’ve been like ‘oh my God, there’s more here.’ She’s unbelievable across country — real point and shoot — she doesn’t know the fences are bigger than her and I can’t wait to have a crack at the Badminton track.”
Obviously Red is pretty small in comparison to her fellow equine athletes.
“She’s not much to look at in the stable,” says Cathal. “But she knows when it’s show time and she even performs at the trot-ups — I often have to tell the ground jury to take a couple of steps back to keep out of the way!”
Cathal describes Red as “nice to deal with” but a typical chestnut mare.
“She’s on edge pretty much all of the time and is very particular about certain things. For example she will only be turned out in the field with the certain horses she likes,” explains Cathal, who left school at 15 to pursue a career in horses, where he particularly enjoys producing youngsters.
Continued below…
Badminton first-timers: Tom Jackson — the ‘inappropriate’ first horse taking his rider to his first four-star
Badminton first-timers: Sarah Parkes — ‘you have to watch his front and back ends but he has the biggest heart’
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