The last event horse to win a long-format Olympics has died aged 34.

Custom Made (“Tailor”), who claimed individual gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with US rider David O’Connor, has died following a glittering career and a happy retirement.

The Irish sport horse gelding, bred in Ireland by Kitty Horgan and Elizabeth O’Flynn, was found by William Micklem as a nine-year-old for David to ride.

David and Tailor won the Kentucky Three-Day Event in their first season together in 1995, before finishing third at Badminton 1996 and fifth individually at the Atlanta Olympics the same year.

The pair returned to the UK in 1997 to win Badminton. David remains the last US rider to have won the iconic event.

Badminton final scores

Tailor, owned by Joseph Zada, continued his remarkable string of results with fourth place at Blenheim 1999. Following their 2000 Olympic gold in Sydney — the last Olympics to feature eventing with roads and tracks and steeplechase — he never finished outside the top five at any event.

“Tailor was laid to rest on Wednesday [2 October]. I was lucky to have been there,” said David. “We are all saddened with him being gone, but he will never be gone from our hearts. He was truly a being that are few and far between.

“He was an amazing athlete – the best I have ever been around. I felt, especially at the end, that really I was a part of his career more than he was a part of mine. He raises my awareness of what special mean. Special athlete. Special character. Special time that we enjoyed together. You can’t trade that for anything.”

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He competed in his final event in 2002, aged 17 and was officially retired at the 2004 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. The horse was inducted into US Equestrian’s eventing hall of fame in 2009, alongside David.

Tailor enjoyed an active retirement, taking part in demonstrations, hunting, serving as a cross-country schoolmaster and nannying young horses on hacks around Stonehall Farm in Virginia, where he spent the last 17 years of his life.

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David O’Connor has stepped down from his role with US Equestrian.

The Olympic eventing gold medallist served as president of the governing body from 2004-2012 before taking on his current role as eventing team technical advisor.

He is resigning to free up more time to focus on safety initiatives within the sport.

“It was a very difficult decision for me to step away from this group of riders, owners, support personnel, and sponsors,” said David.

“But the structural changes made with the newly created technical advisor position don’t allow me to do what I felt has always been my mainstay.

“That is, helping to drive the necessary changes for eventing that are in the best interests of the athlete, horse, and owner.

“I have lived by these constructs through my time as a competitor, through to my current role as technical advisor and they will continue to guide me going forward.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to have served such a dedicated and focused group and will remain committed to assist all of the devoted stakeholders through this time of transition as our riders prepare for WEG 2018.”

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US Equestrian president Murray Kessler said David has been a leader for the federation and eventing in particular for many years.

“We reluctantly accept David’s resignation and support his desire to focus on chairing the FEI risk management committee, said Mr Kessler.

“It is reassuring to know that David will remain a leader in our sport, continue to provide input to our programs and that our mutual interests will remain intertwined.

“We thank him for everything he has done.”

David plans to expand the amount of training he offers and will continue working with some of the country’s leading event riders in a capacity as their personal trainer.

A statement from US Equestrian said “detailed discussions will take place immediately” to ensure a replacement is found to support riders in the run-up to the 2018 Tryon World Equestrian Games.

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Olympic event horse Giltedge has died at the age of 29.

Partnered by United States event rider David O’Connor, Giltedge appeared on five international senior teams in the eight years he represented the US and won Rolex Kentucky CCI4* in 2001.

He died last Thursday (3 September).

The bay gelding, by Glenbar, was owned by Jacqueline Mars and was inducted in to the United States Eventing Association’s (USEA) hall of fame in 2012.

Giltedge was on the silver medal-winning team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and helped the US to team bronze at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

At the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome, Italy, David and Giltedge finished sixth individually and were also on the fourth-placed team.

The following year, the combination took individual silver and team gold for the US at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.

The pair were also on the gold medal-winning team at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain.

During his career, Giltedge had a total of 12 wins, 28 top three finishes and was rarely out of the first five.

After retiring in 2003, he lived out his retirement alongside teammates Biko, Prince Panache and Custom Made at Stonehall Farm in The Plains, Virginia.

At his hall of fame induction, Jacqueline paid tribute to the relationship between David and “Tex”.

“He would do anything for David,” she said. “He tried his best, always.”

Giltedge still holds fifth place on the USEA all-time high score horse leader board with 1,114 points.

“You could count on Tex and David to provide a team score. They were the perfect anchor horse and anchor rider,” Jacqueline added.

“They were a fabulous team and although David had other great horses, Tex was there for him at the right place and the right time in David’s team career.”

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US Olympic rider Karen O’Connor is now coaching the Mexican eventing team.

Karen will be training the riders for major upcoming events, including the Pan American Games, which are held in Toronto this summer, and next year’s Rio Olympics.

Karen, who represented the US at five Olympics and four World Equestrian Games in her career as an eventer, said she accepted the role with “great pleasure”.

“There is tremendous support in Mexico for the implementation of a solid programme going forward to develop Mexico into a true competitive nation on the world stage,” she said.

“Wonderful sites in Mexico have been developed and are currently scheduled for CCI2* in February, and tentatively CCI3* in September. There is plenty of talent in Mexico. I look forward to working with all of the riders, and I am very confident in developing their National Programme so they can very soon become a competitive nation on the world stage.”

She added that the appointment comes “at a very good time” for her.

“I finally feel recovered from my back injury [which she broke in 2012] to take on this position. Since David’s [her husband’s] appointment as US chef d’equipe two years ago, I have had to stand down from all involvement to the USA’s High Performance committees to prevent any perceived conflicts of interest. I had served on all of the standing committees for over 25 years. Letting go of this, has been very frustrating for me. I have been forced therefore to consider other options including other nations.”

She also paid credit to other coaches that are training in different countries.

“Sue Ockenden has done tremendous work in developing eventing in Central and South America. Other American and Canadian riders are coaching teams from the Americas and Mark Todd is now coaching Brazil,” she added.

Karen also rode for the US at two Pan American Games and numerous four-star events around the world and in 1993 was the world’s number one lady rider.

She won team silver at the Atlanta Olympics, riding Biko, and team bronze in Sydney with Prince Panache. Karen was the highest placed American eventer at the 2012 London Olympics, riding Mr.Medicott (pictured). She was also the oldest female Olympian of all athletes and the oldest U.S. athlete, male or female, in London

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Top cross-country course designer Mike Etherington-Smith explains the philosophy of course design while David O’Connor discusses the exercises he would use to train for the common challenges found on a course at the 2013 International Eventing Forum (4 February).

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Yesterday’s International Eventing Forum at Hartpury sparked some interesting discussions on the way home, from which guinea pig riders we rated through to who the forum is aimed at, which horse we’d most like to take home and which trainers we thought were best.

The morning’s session was split between Ian Woodhead and Sir Mark Todd. I wonder who gives the talks their names? Ian’s was “HOW BOTH ENDS MEET Dressage — from the ‘Beginning to the Finished Product’” and Toddy’s “THE STEPS THROUGH THE LEVELS ‘The Jumping Ladder’”.

Both talks were interesting and there were plenty of useful tips (tips from Ian; tips from Sir Mark) and exercises to take away. However, I’m not sure either really matched their titles, which are pretty broad subjects to cover in an hour.

Perhaps a more fitting name for Ian’s would have been “Dressage for the event rider and horse”. One of the most popular tips I tweeted was that before a flying change, you should create the canter you would use to jump an upright gate downhill without a frangible pin. Ian also talked about how pure dressage riders are braver in the arena, because that test is their whole three-day event and their only chance.

The E-S/O’Connor show

For me, the afternoon, with course-designer Mike Etherington-Smith and new American team coach David O’Connor, was the highlight.

There were a few references to the previous night’s discussion between the two — I’d love to have been a fly on the wall (or on the wine bottle?) for that chat.

Mike is a rare specimen among four-star designers in that he did not ride to the level himself. As such, while many superb designers run on instinct, I believe he is one of the greatest “thinkers” in the industry — he watches horses endlessly and intellectualises what he sees — as well as having natural feel. His philosophy is all about “testing riders without punishing horses”.

Hearing David was fascinating because rather than seeing an isolated lesson, I felt I was learning the skeleton of a structure which could be used to train a horse or rider throughout their careers. He talked about training for cross-country and coaching philosophy.

Riders should constantly be asked if they have noticed what happened — not just told it was good or bad. They must be able to feel mistakes or positives so they can correct the bad and replicate the good.

A suggestion

I wonder if it would be worth throwing a decent amateur rider into some of these lessons alongside the professionals? They’d need to be at the top end of novice or bottom end of intermediate so they could carry out the exercises without holding up the lesson. They’d also need a thick skin to accept that they wouldn’t be as polished as the pros and be happy for this to be pointed out. But I believe plenty of people would be jump at the chance on this basis.

Although there were four-star riders and top-level coaches in the audience, this would have the advantage of providing a rider many others could relate to and a pupil more akin to those taught by the vast majority. Most trainers don’t earn their living teaching World Class riders, but amateurs of one sort or another.

It might not work. It might take too long to see any results. They might not be good enough to really demonstrate the trainer’s points. But my tuppence worth is that it would be interesting to try it.

A date for your diaries: International Eventing Forum 2014 — Monday, 3 February.

Pippa

Tips from Ian Woodhead

Tips from Sir Mark Todd

Tips and thoughts from Mike Etherington-Smith and David O’Connor

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Mark Todd (pictured) heads the line-up of speakers for the 2013 International Eventing Forum, to be held at Hartpury College, Glos, on Monday, 4 February.

The forum’s title is “Journey to the top” and the day is designed to benefit riders of all skill levels and ambitions, whether you want to win Badminton or to compete at your first BE90, Riding Club or Pony Club event.

Dressage coach Ian Woodhead and his wife Heidi, who has evented at four-star, will start the day with a presentation on “How both ends meet”, showing how to establish the essentials which will let riders produce top competition horses from the beginning to the finished product.

Double Olympic gold medallist Mark Todd will then give a showjumping-based demo called “The jumping ladder”, addressing key tools in optimising horse and rider’s final-phase performance.

In the last session, new American eventing team coach David O’Connor — back at the forum by popular demand — will team up with British Eventing chief executive and leading course-designer Mike Etherington-Smith in a “Course-designer vs coach” scenario. Mike will pose the questions and David will coach the solutions.

Tickets: £45 each if purchased by end of December 2012, £50 per ticket in advance, £55 on the door; £45 for students (in advance); £40 for groups of more than 20. Buy from www.internationaleventingforum.com or tel: 01452 702127.

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David O’Connor has been selected to follow in Mark Phillips’ footsteps as US eventing chef d’equipe.

The decision now just needs to be rubber stamped by the USEF High Performance working group before being presented to the USEF executive committee.

Both O’Connor and former Olympic gold medalist for Great Britain, Leslie Law, were shortlisted for the position at the beginning of the year.

O’Connor was individual gold medalist at the Sydney Olympics and he coached the Canadian eventing squad to team silver at last year’s World Equestrian Games.

A press release from USEF read: “The depth of quality of the applicant field was impressive — it included some of the biggest legends in the sport and after extensive research, thorough discussions and candid interviews the Eventing Eligible Athlete committee unanimously voted to recommend O’Connor.”

Under Mark Phillips’ leadership, the US eventing team has won medals at four Pan American Games, four World Equestrian Games and four Olympic Games.

O’Connor will take over at the helm from 2013.

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Following the controversy surrounding the appointment of a new US eventing chef d’equipe to replace Mark Phillips, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has performed a U-turn in its selection procedure.

There was uproar when it was initially announced that just two candidates — David O’Connor and Leslie Law — had been short-listed for the job.

Many people thought more experienced candidates had been overlooked.

It has now been announced following a committee meeting on 29 March, that the USEF Eligible Eventing Athletes committee will carry out second interviews with Law and O’Connor, and will re-consider some candidates who were not on the original short-list.

Acting chairman of the committee Philip Dutton said: “We would like to ask Leslie and David some more questions in an easier [closed session] environment.

“We are also reviewing other applicants that were not originally short-listed.”

Law and O’Connor will be interviewed again during this weekend’s Fork Horse Trials (6-10 April).

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (7 April, 2011)

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The quest for Mark Phillips’ replacement as US eventing chef d’equipe gained pace last week, when the two shortlisted candidates — British eventer Leslie Law and US Equestrian Federation (USEF) president David O’Connor — were questioned by riders in an open forum.

But the process has proved controversial after the search committee picked just two final candidates, dismissing several popular names from the initial nine applicants.

One of these, international coach Jimmy Wofford, had topped unofficial opinion polls by a wide margin.

However, USEF managing director Sara Ike said the executive committee has the final say on who gets the job and does not have to accept the search committee’s shortlist or recommendations.

The open forum, at Red Hills Horse Trials on 10 March, gave Leslie and David the platform to speak for an hour on their vision for the role, followed by questions from riders.

Rider Boyd Martin asked search committee chairman Eric Straus why the other shortlisted applicants were not given the chance to speak.

“This is a huge piece of US history,” Boyd said at the meeting. “As leading riders, it will affect us dramatically for years. The two candidates we heard today were fantastic, but I think we should be able to hear others in this open forum format.”

Rumours have been circulating that USEF president David O’Connor is a dead cert to get the job.

Insiders say it would be extraordinary to pick a British rider, who has no international coaching experience, over an American, who has already coached the Canadian team to win silver at last year’s WEG.

But USEF chief executive John Long hinted that rejected applicants may be reconsidered, saying that the two candidates are “not a final decision”.

However, this would require a majority vote from the search committee, which has already had one meeting and confirmed unanimously to stick with the original two.

Riders have until 25 March to persuade the search committee to reconsider other applicants for the job.

Mr Long hopes to announce the final candidate, who will officially start the job in January 2013, by the end of April.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (17 March, 2011)

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The search for Mark Phillips’s replacement as the US chef d’equipe is proving controversial.

Last Thursday (3 March), the search committee announced just two short-listed candidates, David O’Connor and Leslie Law, from the nine applicants.

But riders and eventing fans have expressed disapproval of the process and the shortness of the short-list.

The athletes committee will interview the pair, who will also answer questions at an open rider forum tomorrow (10 March). According to the US Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) managing director Sarah Ike, the athletes committee does not have to accept the search committee’s recommendations. So could riders at the forum dissuade the athletes committee from accepting the two currently selected?

Rumours are circulating on blogs and forums that the short-list may yet be changed, due to the popularity of unsuccessful candidates. One applicant who didn’t make the short-list, Jim Wofford, led by a wide margin in unofficial public opinion polls on equestrian websites.

Other riders, such as Boyd Martin and Jennie Brannigan, have expressed their disappointment on their blogs that Philip Dutton and Bobby Costello have not been selected for the second round, and the chance to present their vision to riders.

It has also been intimated that USEF president David O’Connor and Leslie Law were selected to ensure that the former gets the job. One blogger pointed out it would be extraordinary to choose a British rider with no international coaching experience over an American who had just coached the Canadian team to win silver at World Equestrian Games.

Philip Dutton told Chronicle of the Horse that he believed the process is flawed.

“It was constantly made clear and bragged about that the riders would get to choose their next coach.Well, they’re only getting to choose between two, and there were nine applicants. So it’s not really a true representation of everybody there,” he said.

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British Olympic gold-winning eventer Leslie Law is through to the last two in the race to be United States eventing team chef d’equipe/technical advisor, from 2013.

Leslie, who moved to the States in 2005 and US Olympic gold-medallist eventer David O’Connor, who will coach the Canadians until December 2012, are through to the final phase.

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) received nine applications from six different nations for this job and six were interviewed by the “search committee” over the past two weeks.

“The applicant group was extremely qualified with over thirty Olympic, Pan American, European Championship, and World Equestrian Games medals between them,” said a spokesman.

Leslie and David will face the athletes at an open rider meeting on Thursday, March 10, at Red Hills Horse Trials in Tallahassee, Florida.

Then the USEF Eventing Eligible Athlete Committee will conduct a second round of interviews with the pair and their recommendation will be passed to the Eventing High Performance Committee.

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