Latest from Horse & Hound in Cathal-daniels

Olympic riders and rising stars among 14 British entries for Luhmühlen five-star

Pippa Roome — Mon, 16 May 2022 15:31:29 +0000

There are 14 British-ridden horses are among the Luhmühlen Horse Trials entries for the five-star class (16-19 June).

Olympic team gold medallist Tom McEwen brings forward two first-timer five-star contenders in the Barkers’ Bob Chaplin and Barbara Coopers’ Braveheart B, while world champion Ros Canter will ride Kate James and Annie Makin’s Pencos Crown Jewel, who was fourth in the one-off five-star at Bicton Horse Trials last September.

World team gold medallist Gemma Tattersall is entered on Chris Stone’s Chilli Morning daughter Jalapeno, who was fourth at Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L last year.

Kylie Roddy will get another shot at five-star with the Fox Family’s SRS Kan Do, who she pulled up at Badminton Horse Trials after he lost a shoe, while Kirsty Chabert – with Classic VI, owned by Carole Somers and Kirsty’s father John Johnston – and Ben Hobday (with his own, his father Stephen and Jane Chambers’ Shadow Man) will both hope to make amends for eliminations at Badminton.

David Doel, who impressed when he finished sixth on his Badminton debut with Galileo Nieuwmoed, will ride Christine Lees Ferro Point and the Pages’ Dunges Don Perignon this time. Bubby Upton is another younger rider hoping for a good result at five-star and she rides her mother Rachel’s Cannavaro, her partner in winning the under-25 national title last year.

Ireland has six entries, including two for Cathal Daniels – Jo Breheny’s LEB Lias Jewel and the Kinsella’s Rioghan Rua, the latter is the horse he rode to an individual bronze medal at this venue at the 2019 European Championships.

The Prices both bring forward five-star winners. Jonelle Price will pilot the grey mare Faerie Dianimo, owned by Trisha Rickards, Jacky Green and her rider, who won here in 2018. Tim Price has three rides, including Sue Benson’s and his own Falco IV, last year’s Pau Horse Trials winner.

There are 38 horses on the five-star list of Luhmühlen Horse Trials entries in total, with Canada, Denmark, France, Lithuania, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden and the USA all sending representatives. The US has three entries – Matthew Flynn (the Flynns and Merry Go Round Farm’s Wizzerd), Liz Halliday-Sharp (The Monster Partnership’s Cooley Quicksilver) and Lauren Nicholson (Jacqueline Mars’ Vermiculus).

As usual, many of the top German riders will take on the CCI4-S instead of the CCI5 and there are only two home-side combinations in the five-star – Sophie Leube makes her debut at the top level on Jadore Moi and Dirk Schrade pilots Freya Rethmeier’s Casino 80.

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‘It’s best not to get involved with the reins’: Padraig McCarthy seals Ireland’s hike up the leaderboard with speedy Leonidas II

Martha Terry — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 15:33:14 +0000

Ireland is lying in fifth place at the conclusion of the European Eventing Championships cross-country day in Avenches, Switzerland (25 September). The team has pulled up from 11th after dressage with three good clear rounds over this flat and twisting track.

Padraig McCarthy was Ireland’s anchorman with the 17-year-old Leonidas II, who were one of only seven pairs to jump clear inside the 10min 7sec optimum time. This hauled them up from 47th individually to 14th on their dressage score of 33.1.

“I had a really great round – he can sometimes be strong, but he felt very relaxed,” he said.

Padraig was not in fact chasing the time with the horse, who went to the Rio Olympics with Mark Todd.

“Sally [Corscadden, Ireland’s high performance director] said the main thing was to go between the flags and not worry about too many time-faults, but with Leonidas the direct way is often the best; he’s a very fast horse,” said Padraig.

“I tried to keep him as controlled and focused as I could, but he’s quick and he never tires. For me the consideration was never about taking more risk [taking straight routes] but he just doesn’t turn as well.

“He jumps a bit like a deer, but he is normally a very safe horse – the best thing is not to get too involved with the reins! He ran all the way to the end and he will keep going and going.”

Irish pathfinder shows the way at European Eventing Championships cross-country

Ireland’s Sam Watson was the third rider out on the course at the start of the day, riding Ballybolger Talisman, and the first to jump clear. He clocked up 6.8 time-faults on the 10-year-old Puissance gelding.

“His engine and stamina were superb,” Sam said. “We put in a couple more strides in a few places than was the plan, but he always wanted to go through the flags.”

There was one nervous moment, however.

“I had one big scare coming on to the racecourse, as there was a bit of juice on the ground and he nearly went right down on the turn,” Sam explained. “He had pulled a shoe off probably earlier and that just affected the grip. That was a fright but had nothing to do with the fences.”

This result pulled them up from 50th after dressage to 29th overnight.

“It’s like he’s read the cross-country book”

Cathal Daniels was second out for Ireland on LEB Lias Jewel, but had a run-out at Christine’s Corners at fence 16b. Next up was Joseph Murphy, riding as an individual, but while Sam rode his luck with his slip on the flat, Joseph’s horse Cesar V came down enforcing elimination.

As third team rider Clare Abbott headed out on her nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse Jewelent, she was wary of her compatriots’ slip-ups.

“He’s an old horse on young shoulders, it’s like his read the cross-country book,” said Clare, who jumped clear with 5.6 time-faults. “After Joseph having his tip-up I was careful on every crossing. He’s laid-back and you have to poke him along every inch of the way. But wow, what a good boy, he was absolutely brilliant.

“He is the most honest, genuine, ground-covering horse; you never have to touch the reins and he never gives a moment’s trouble.”

This moved the pair up from 31st into the top 20, on a score of 36. Ireland have their work cut out to make the podium tomorrow, however. Britain leads on 69.1, with two fences in hand over Germany. France is lying third, ahead of Switzerland and then Ireland. Ireland are on 109.4, three fences behind the bronze medal position.

Two Irish riders in the top 20 at European Eventing Championships

Gemma Redrup — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 15:10:10 +0000

The Irish squad got their European Eventing Championships dressage campaign underway in Avenches, Switzerland today (23 September), with individual rider Joseph Murphy their highest placed rider after the first day. Joseph scored 30.8 with The Way Forward syndicate’s Cesar V, for equal 13th place

“I was actually pleased with our test – I probably didn’t get exactly the same feeling as it was getting outside as the ground is a little bit deeper in the main arena,” Joseph explained afterwards. “I made one mistake in the first flying-change and that was very costly, but in general I’m really pleased – he’s a lovely horse and Tracie Robinson has done a great job training the Irish.”

Cathal Daniels, who is on the team, is close behind Joseph in 16th riding Jo Breheny’s 11-year-old mare, LEB Lias Jewel, on a score of 31.1 after their test during day one of the European Eventing Championships dressage phase.

“There was one major mistake in the walk – she was a little bit tense and a little bit stressed in there,” Cathal said. “I think the rest of it was quite well presented and I think she did a very good job.”

Sam Watson, first to go for the Irish team, was pleased with his test on Ballybolger Talisman, even though their score of 33.5 leaves them in 24th after the first day of dressage.

“I’m happy with that, to be honest, because he’s a ‘Covid baby’ in that last week was the first time he’s left Ireland, when he competed in Aachen,” Sam said of the 10-year-old by Puissance. “He’s electric, he’s so blood and he so wants to explode, but he didn’t and I’m really proud of them when they do that, when they kind of hold it together on the big stage. Now I can’t wait to go cross-country, because that’s his forté.”

The Irish team is in sixth place after the first day of competition. The remaining Irish riders, Clare Abbott (Jewelent) and Padraig McCarthy (Leonidas II) will complete their dressage tests tomorrow at 9.37am and 1.15pm (BST) respectively.

Irish team named for European Eventing Championships: one rider to make senior squad debut

Pippa Roome — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 20:01:30 +0000

The Irish team for the European Eventing Championships in Avenches, Switzerland (23-26 September), has been announced.

The riders and horses named for the event are:

Clare Abbott with Jewelent, owned by Catherine Abbott, Barbra Allen and Lisa Rosbothm
Cathal Daniels with LEB Lias Jewel, owned by Jo Breheny
Padraig McCarthy with Leonidas II, owned by Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and his rider, or Fallulah, owned by Amanda Boyle, Nicholas Boyle, Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and her rider (Leonidas has been named as Padraig’s ride on the event definite entries)
Joseph Murphy with Cesar V, owned by The Way Forward Syndicate
Fred Scala with Everon Vivendi, owned by his rider and his father Emilio
Steven Smith with Galwaybay Echo, owned by June Burgess

Irish team: European Eventing Championships marks debut for Scala

Four of the riders will compete on the team and two as individuals.

Fred Scala makes his senior championship debut, while all the horses except Leonidas – who went to the 2016 Olympics and 2014 World Equestrian Games with former rider Mark Todd – will be at their first championship.

The full definite entries for the European Championships have now been released (PDF download). Seventy-three pairs are listed to start, from 17 different countries. Thirteen nations have enough riders entered to compete as a team, while Denmark, Finland, Lithuania and Poland will only send individual competitors.

The teams at the Europeans will be from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Shake-up to Irish Olympic eventing team as potential medallist withdrawn

Becky Murray — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 16:00:42 +0000

Potential medallists Cathal Daniels and Rioghan Rua will not start the Olympic eventing competition at the Tokyo Games in a major shake-up to the Irish Olympic eventing team.

Rioghan Rua passed the first horse inspection, but in a statement this afternoon (29 July) Horse Sport Ireland said Cathal had been forced to withdraw the mare before the dressage for “veterinary reasons”.

Cathal will be replaced by alternate Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, whom he co-owns with the Salty Syndicate. The team will not incur a penalty for the substitution as it is taking place before the competition starts.

A spokesman for Horse Sport Ireland said Cathal and Rioghan Rua will now revert to being the reserve combination and can be called upon if required later in the competition – “only if the veterinary report improves”.

Cathal and Rioghan Rua have been a partnership since 2013 when Cathal was 16. The pair were part of the gold medal-winning team at the junior European Championships in 2013 and 2014, and have gone from strength to strength at senior level. In 2019 the pair won individual bronze at the 2019 European Championships at Luhmühlen.

“Obviously this is really tough for Cathal and for Rioghan Rua’s owner and breeder Margaret Kinsella, particularly with it happening so close to the start of the competition. We did everything we could and gave the mare every chance to be ready, but unfortunately we were forced to make a decision and, of course, horse welfare is always paramount for everyone,” said Sally Corscadden, Irish eventing team manager.

“Austin now steps in and he is ready to go. We are very lucky to have someone of Austin’s calibre to step in, he is in great form, we still have a very strong team and are looking forward to the start of competition.”

Austin joins Sam Watson on Tullabeg Flamenco and Sarah Ennis and Woodcourt Garrison on the team.

Irish Olympic eventing squad named for Tokyo

Lucy Elder — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 14:40:05 +0000

The list of nominated entries for the Olympic eventing team due to represent Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics, plus the alternate horse and rider and reserve combination, have been announced.

The list of five, which comprises of the three nominated combinations for the team, an alternate and a reserve, was put forward by Horse Sport Ireland’s eventing high performance director Sally Corscadden.

The full list of nominated horse and rider combinations for the Irish Olympic eventing squad is as follows:

Cathal Daniels, with Margaret Kinsella’s 14-year-old mare Rioghan Rua (breeder: Margaret Kinsella)
Sarah Ennis, with Breda Kennedy’s 12-year-old with gelding Horseware Woodcourt Garrison (breeder: Patrick J Kearns)
Sam Watson, with Vahe Bogossian’s 11-year-old gelding Tullabeg Flamenco (breeder: Nicholas Cousins)
Alternate combination – Austin O’Connor, with his own and the Salty Syndicate’s 11-year-old gelding Colorado Blue (breeder: Mellon Stud)
Reserve combination– Joseph Murphy, with the Way Forward Syndicate’s Cesar V (breeder: Elke & Robert Vietor)

Article continues below…

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The names have been submitted to be considered for selection by the Olympic Federation of Ireland and the official selection of horses and riders for Tokyo will be made by this “in the coming days”.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Horse hero: Young Irish star Cathal Daniels’ ride Rioghan Rua H&H Plus

Catherine Austen — Sun, 24 May 2020 08:00:53 +0000

H&H finds out about the fast and feisty 15.2hh chestnut mare, known as Red at home, from her rider Cathal Daniels, while CCI5* ground jury member, popular Scottish-based coach and former top-level rider Les Smith looks at how the mare’s conformation has contributed to her success...

Rioghan Rua – 13yo, 15.2hh, chestnut Irish Sport Horse mare

Stable name: Red

Owners: Frank and Margaret Kinsella

Breeder: Margaret Kinsella

Rider: Cathal Daniels

Best results: individual bronze medallist, 2019 European Championships; team silver medal, 2018 World Equestrian Games; won Bramham under-25 CCI4*-L 2019; won Chatsworth CIC3* (now CCI4*-S) 2018; seventh Luhmühlen CCI4* (now CCI5*) 2018; team bronze medal, 2015 young rider European Championships; team gold and individual silver medals, 2014 junior European Championships; team gold, 2013 junior European Championships

A hot little chestnut mare may not be the most obvious candidate to be a top event horse, but Rioghan Rua has won medals for Ireland at every championship she has been to, from junior to senior level. Her team silver at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and individual bronze at last year’s European Championships catapulted her rider Cathal Daniels into the sport’s highest ranks. Still at her competitive peak at 13 years old, there should be more to come from this mare known at home as “Red”.

“She’s very sound, a great traveller and deals very well with the heat – and I think she has more than proven herself at championships. I think she’d be ideal for Tokyo,” says Cathal.

Red’s owner-breeder, Margaret Kinsella, sent her to Cathal in 2013 when he was 16 and the mare was six, to produce and sell as a junior horse. The partnership was an instant success, and they were on the gold medal-winning team at the junior European Championships that autumn.

A year later, in 2014, they won team gold again and individual silver, moving up to young riders in 2015 and taking team bronze.

“There were loads of people trying to buy her at those championships as a six- and seven-year-old,” says Cathal, “but I am lucky that when she started winning, her owners began really enjoying her, and wanted to go on a journey with her.”

Remarkably, 15.2hh Red’s half-sister Sassy Cassie, who has showjumped up to 1.45m/1.50 level, is 18hh.

“Red’s lack of size doesn’t matter,” says Cathal. “She’s hugely tough and sound – she’s never missed a run – and she’s fast. You are never under pressure or working hard on her across country.

“She is unbelievably intelligent. Before she gets to the ‘a’ element of a cross-country combination, she’s worked out b, c, d and e.”

The diminutive mare with the tigerish outlook may well yet be adding to her medal haul.

Cathal Daniel’s Rioghan Rua. (Image credit: Tony Parkes)

Overall impression

“Rioghan Rua is a lovely, sharp, intelligent mare who clearly has a huge heart and will to win,” says CCI5* ground jury member, popular Scottish-based coach and former top-level rider Les Smith.

“From the front, she’s not desperately wide and doesn’t have a huge depth of girth, but although she’s quite ‘feminine’ to look at, she’s strong and well proportioned.

“She’s an eye-catching colour – definitely a feisty redhead, and proof that great things can come in small packages.”

Head and neck

“I’m immediately taken by her honest-looking eye. She looks sharp and alert but genuine. Her very pretty head is fairly well set on to her neck, and she has the good length of rein that comes from a nice sloping shoulder and decent-length neck. She has fairly large ears and looks broad between the eyes, which we traditionally like as it indicates plenty of ‘brain room’.”

Legs

“The noticeable thing about her legs is that she has a fairly sizeable splint on her right foreleg, which demonstrates that splints are a minor blemish and won’t necessarily detract from the longevity of an event horse’s career.

“Overall she has a good set of limbs and stands four-square over them. She doesn’t have a great deal of bone but what she does have looks to be quality. For the amount of work she has done – and while she’s only 13, she has been performing at championship level since she was six – she has good joints and she’s obviously very sound.”

Body and quarters

“She is correctly muscled up and has particularly good, strong quarters,” says Les. “Her hindlegs look quite well positioned underneath her, which creates power. The angles of her body from the saddle backwards show where her speed comes from; she is able to power off her back legs. In this photo, she does look as though she is verging on being herring-gutted, but I gather the picture was taken just after she had done a three-day event, and she looks very lean and fit, which would exacerbate that.”

Ref Horse & Hound; 21 May 2020

Irish WEG medallist wins Bramham under-25s

Catherine Austen — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 12:13:44 +0000

Ireland’s Cathal Daniels followed his Tattersalls under-25 success last weekend with a win in the British Horse Feeds under-25 CCI4*-L at Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials .

Riding Margaret and Frank Kinsella’s 12-year-old chestnut mare Rioghan Rua, Cathal, 22, was the only rider in this class to finish on his dressage score (33.7), and rose up two places from third after cross-country.

Cathal, part of the Irish silver medal-winning team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, said: “She’s not the easiest mare, but she jumped great today and just hosed round the cross-country yesterday, finishing well under the time round a big track.

“I was lucky enough to have other horses for Tattersalls, and if you want to know where you are with a horse, you come to Bramham.”

He hopes to take Rioghan Rua to the European Championships at Luhmühlen in August.

Yasmin Ingham was in pole position overnight on Sue Davies’ and Janette Chin’s Sandman 7, but hit one showjump to finish second. She is the British under-25 champion – an accolade she adds to the under-21 title she won last year at Houghton.

“So close!” said Yasmin, 22. “He jumped out of his skin in there – it was rider error, to be honest.”

Sue Davies and her daughter Janette Chin bought Sandman 7 from Pippa Funnell for Yasmin to ride last July.

“He’s an incredible horse, and such a pleasure to have around,” said Yasmin, who completed on 34.1.

Will Rawlin took third place on VIP Vinnie on 36.9. They picked up two cross-country time-faults on Saturday and just knocked one pole in the showjumping, dropping them a place from second.

“I’m chuffed – that was just one of those things,” said Will. “He came out of yesterday really well and jumped how I wanted him to; it was my mistake. He’s class.”

Continued below…

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

British Olympic pair win Bramham CCI4*-S

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Dressage leaders Richard Coney and Kananaskis had a stop across country, which moved them down to eighth, but a clear showjumping round with just 0.4 of a time-fault gave them a finishing score of 62.2 and fourth place.

Constance Copestake took fifth place for France with El Kolibri, while Bella Innes Ker, who was one of several riders in this class to fall foul of the final water complex on Ian Stark’s tough cross-country track, was sixth on Cartown Wallabe.

Twenty-five riders started and 13 finished. Charlotte East, fifth after cross-country, withdrew King Albert from the holding box at the final horse inspection on Sunday morning.

Stay up to date with the latest news from Bramham here on Horseandhound.co.uk across the weekend, and don’t miss further analysis and insight into where the classes were won and lost in next Thursday’s Horse & Hound magazine (13 June).

Latest from Horse & Hound in Cathal-daniels

Olympic riders and rising stars among 14 British entries for Luhmühlen five-star

As usual, many of the top German riders will take on the CCI4*-S instead of the CCI5* and there are only two home-side combinations in the five-star – Sophie Leube makes her debut at the top level on Jadore Moi and Dirk Schrade pilots Freya Rethmeier’s Casino 80.

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‘It’s best not to get involved with the reins’: Padraig McCarthy seals Ireland’s hike up the leaderboard with speedy Leonidas II

Irish pathfinder shows the way at European Eventing Championships cross-country

“It’s like he’s read the cross-country book”

As third team rider Clare Abbott headed out on her nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse Jewelent, she was wary of her compatriots’ slip-ups.

“He is the most honest, genuine, ground-covering horse; you never have to touch the reins and he never gives a moment’s trouble.”

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Two Irish riders in the top 20 at European Eventing Championships

“There was one major mistake in the walk – she was a little bit tense and a little bit stressed in there,” Cathal said. “I think the rest of it was quite well presented and I think she did a very good job.”

The Irish team is in sixth place after the first day of competition. The remaining Irish riders, Clare Abbott (Jewelent) and Padraig McCarthy (Leonidas II) will complete their dressage tests tomorrow at 9.37am and 1.15pm (BST) respectively.

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Four of the riders will compete on the team and two as individuals.

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Shake-up to Irish Olympic eventing team as potential medallist withdrawn

Cathal will be replaced by alternate Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, whom he co-owns with the Salty Syndicate. The team will not incur a penalty for the substitution as it is taking place before the competition starts.

A spokesman for Horse Sport Ireland said Cathal and Rioghan Rua will now revert to being the reserve combination and can be called upon if required later in the competition – “only if the veterinary report improves”.

“Austin now steps in and he is ready to go. We are very lucky to have someone of Austin’s calibre to step in, he is in great form, we still have a very strong team and are looking forward to the start of competition.”

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Irish Olympic eventing squad named for Tokyo

The full list of nominated horse and rider combinations for the Irish Olympic eventing squad is as follows:

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Horse hero: Young Irish star Cathal Daniels’ ride Rioghan Rua *H&H Plus*

Rioghan Rua – 13yo, 15.2hh, chestnut Irish Sport Horse mare

Overall impression

Head and neck

Legs

Body and quarters

Irish WEG medallist wins Bramham under-25s

As usual, many of the top German riders will take on the CCI4-S instead of the CCI5 and there are only two home-side combinations in the five-star – Sophie Leube makes her debut at the top level on Jadore Moi and Dirk Schrade pilots Freya Rethmeier’s Casino 80.

Horse hero: Young Irish star Cathal Daniels’ ride Rioghan Rua H&H Plus