Three greys and a wealth of talent: meet Team Ireland’s horses, riders and grooms for the European Showjumping Championships
An elite squad of five riders has been selected to represent Ireland at next week’s FEI European Showjumping Championships in Milan, Italy (30 August-3 September), hoping to regain the glorious team gold medal won in 2017. So who has chef d’equipe Michael Blake picked for the Irish team at the European Showjumping Championships 2023?
Irish team at the European Showjumping Championships
Denis Lynch and Vistogrand
The senior member of Team Ireland’s squad is 47-year-old Denis Lynch riding the 10-year-old British-bred Vistogrand. The Fantaland x Mr Visto stallion is now owned by Parco Sport Horses EST, but was bred and produced by Carron Nicol through his early years. Denis bought Vistogrand from previous rider Shane Breen late last year.
Denis and Vistogrand have been jumping at the top level and helped Ireland secure a historic victory in the Rome Nations Cup earlier this summer. Germany-based Denis was part of the 2017 gold medal-winning squad at the 2017 European Championships.
“Denis is a very experienced member of Irish squads,” says chef d’equipe Michael Blake.
Michael Duffy and Cinca 3
Joining Denis on the squad is Galway-born Michael Duffy, who brings Hibernian Sport Horses’ 14-year-old grey mare Cinca 3. Bred in Germany by Peter Wylde, this experienced daughter of Casall Ask x Carthago jumped at the Tokyo Olympics with New Zealand’s Daniel Meech before Michael started riding her eight months ago. They’ve since been core players in Ireland’s Nations Cup squads, including for the Aga Khan in Dublin.
Michael hails from a showjumping family and competed at Dublin Horse Show in 12.2hhs, going on to become the youngest ever senior national champion in Ireland aged 17 and he won team bronze at the young rider European Championship. He moved to England in 2013 to train with Shane Breen before setting up his stables in West Sussex and he made his senior championship debut in 2021. He regularly competes for GCL squad Rome Gladiators and his groom for this year’s championship is Tristan Gautier.
Michael Duffy even went viral recently thanks to a picture of him and his gelding Jeff Ten Halven clearing the top of the wings in a warm-up arena.
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Eoin McMahon and Mila
Uber-talented rising star Eoin McMahon, 27, has been really catching the eye as stable jockey for the Ludger Beerbaum stables. Since the legendary German rider announced his retirement earlier this year, Eoin has taken the reins permanently on his multi grand prix-winning mare, the 11-year-old Mila (Monte Bellini x Linton). Mila was bred by the Schockemohle stables and is now owned by the Ludger Beerbaum Stables. Eoin made his first appearance on the championship stage on his home soil at Riesenbeck, Germany, in 2021, finishing a fantastic eighth individually. He’s looking set to go even better this time around after being selected once again for the Irish team at the European Showjumping Championships 2023.
“Mila is a bit special,” describes Eoin. “You have to jump her in the ring to experience her quality. Some horses are super flashy at home then not so good at shows, whereas she doesn’t show a lot at home but she’s clever, she knows when she’s competing and then it’s like riding a completely different animal. I’ve never had a horse as good as her – it’s a privilege to be riding her.”
Mila is looked after by British groom Heather Field, who describes the grey mare as an “independent woman, who likes to do her own thing”. “For such a quirky horse, she’s surprisingly easy travelling and flying, then at shows, she knows it’s her chill time in the stable, that’s her cuddle time,” reveals Heather. “But as soon as she’s out, she knows it’s time for business.”
Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz
One of the senior members of the Irish pack is 42-year-old Shane Sweetnam, who was part of the gold medal-winning Irish team at the 2017 European Showjumping Championships and he also rode at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. At this year’s European Showjumping Championships in Milan, he rides the third of Ireland’s grey horses, the 10-year-old James Kann Cruz. Bred in Ireland by Patrick Connolly by Kannan out of a Cruising mare, the gelding is one of the most exciting horses on the global showjumping circuit right now, displaying immense scope and carefulness.
US-based Shane has been carefully producing the Gizmo Partners-owned gelding, who is looked after by Maria Israelsson and Seamus McKeever, for the past 18 months. They have jumped a string of smart clears in Nations Cup, including helping Team Ireland lift the Aga Khan trophy in 2022, and most recently finishing runner-up in the five-star grand prix of Dinard as well as jumping clear in Ireland’s defence of the Aga Khan trophy in the Dublin Nations Cup.
Certainly another pair to have on your radar at this year’s championships.
Trevor Breen and Highland President
Receiving a relatively late call-up to the Irish team for the European Showjumping Championships was West Sussex-based Trevor Breen, 44, with the family’s brilliant home-bred 11-year-old gelding Highland President (Clinton x Kannan), owned by his mother-in-law Heather Black. This pair have plenty of five-star form, including two top-five grand prix placings recently and they were part of Ireland’s second place team in the Rotterdam Nations Cup earlier this year, as well as enjoying plenty of success on home soil.
“Archie”, as he is known at home, is expertly looked after and beautifully turned out by groom Katie King. Ireland’s chef d’equipe Michael Blake picked Trevor and Highland President as non-travelling reserve for last year’s World Championships, describing them as “a promising pairing for the future, a very exciting horse”.
“A lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into this horse,” Trevor explained of the big bay. “He’s quite strong, but he’s getting better and more consistent all the time.”
So will Ireland be on the podium?
Michael Blake sums up his squad’s chances by saying: “I’m excited – it will obviously be very tough. 16 strong teams line up, but we are very strong ourselves and I’m hoping for a good showing.”
If you’re wondering how to watch the European Showjumping Championships 2023, they take place in Milan, Italy, from Wednesday 30 August to Sunday 3 September and you can follow all the action online with Horse & Hound, with the full report and more exclusive insights and interviews in the magazine, which hits the shops on Thursday 7 September.
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.