HOYS puissance goes to former eventer for second year running

HOYS puissance winners Geoff Curran and Bishops Quarter — Commandant Geoff CURRAN riding BISHOPS QUARTER winners of Ripon Select Foods Puissance during the Horse of the Year Show held at the NEC in Birmingham in UK between 4 -8 th October 2023

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

“It’s a fantastic feeling – and an absolute privilege to ride this horse,” said Commandant Geoff Curran, after he and Bishops Quarter landed their second Horse of the Year Show HOYS puissance on the trot.

The Irish rider and the minister for defence’s Obos Quality 16-year-old were the only combination to jump clear in the final round, when the wall stood at 2.20m (7’2”), a centimetre higher than they jumped to secure the Ripon Select Foods title in 2022.

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

TOPICS

Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.

‘The joy comes when you get over it!’ Former Olympic eventer takes second HOYS puissance

Geoff said they cleared 2.25m to win the Dublin Horse Show puissance this summer, “but it feels bigger indoors!”

“I’m delighted to come back and take it,” he said. “He’s on good form and he’s got all the scope, personality and attitude for the job; very brave, a real puissance horse.”

H&H reported last year that former Olympic eventer Geoff had campaigned Bishops Quarter up to three-star (now four-star) level but changed disciplines as it was hard to produce a good dressage test. But the jump is all there; he made the huge wall look like a 90cm upright.

“He’s his own man; you won’t influence him too much so you’ve got to get on with him, that’s the secret.”

And Geoff said it is hard to put the feeling of flying the wall into words.

“I just have to focus on doing my job because I know he’ll do his – and the joy comes when you get over it!” he said. “But it’s a fantastic feeling – and an absolute privilege to ride this horse.”

Guy Williams (Mr Blue Sky UK), Mark Edwards (Montreuxs Tale) and Joe Trunkfield (Cruze) all made it to the final round of the HOYS puissance but had the wall down.

You might also be interested in:

‘He never says no’: former Olympic eventer takes thrilling HOYS puissance

Two ex-eventers, a working hunter and a 17-year-old gelding: meet Windsor’s eclectic puissance stars