Cian O’Connor is one of Ireland’s most successful showjumpers, with a numerous wins, placings and team call-ups to his name, including riding at two Olympics, two World Championships and six Europeans, plus more than 125 senior caps for his country.
He is about to add another Olympic Games appearance to that tally, when he rides Kilkenny in Tokyo Games.
“I always think when you’re preparing for a big championship, you don’t want to change too much,” Cian explained of his Olympic preparation, when H&H’s showjumping editor Jennifer Donald chatted to him on episode 59 of The Horse & Hound podcast.
“At the moment, I’m studying course plans, and I’m looking at things from courses over the past number of years that were built by the same course designer who will be building and designing in Tokyo; the Spaniard Santiago Varela. This is because many course designers have a signature style and the same stuff tends to come up.
“So we’re practising but it’s not like we’re at home building Olympic-sized fences or anything like that because obviously it’s very different schooling at home, as opposed to the horse’s blood being up in the arena.
“More than anything it’s a case of trying to keep yourself in shape so I’m building courses and taking out other horses and practising on them, and just making sure that my eye is in.
“I’m also competing as much as I can right up until we go to Tokyo – I think it’s important that we stay riding and competing to keep sharp.”
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Would you like to read Horse & Hound’s independent journalism without any adverts? Join Horse & Hound Plus today and you can read all articles on HorseandHound.co.uk completely ad-free
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
