New Breen Team member secures seven-year-old title on stunning young stallion at British Showjumping Spring Championships
New Breen Team member Patrick Hickey, 23, nailed his first outing with Team Z7’s magnificent Chestnut Z7 Porsche to achieve victory in the seven-year-old winter championship at the 2022 British Showjumping Spring Championships held at Northcote Stud (24—27 March).
Irish rider Patrick has only been based with the Breen Team for a mere two weeks, but he had Porsche — a stallion by Emerald van’t ruytershof — right on song throughout both rounds, to finish on a jump off time of 34.42, ahead of nearest rivals, Messarado Blue and Christopher Smith, on 35.34.
“This is my first show with the horse and first time riding at Northcote,” said Patrick.
Porsche enjoyed a strong run as a six-year-old and in January this year he won the seven-year-old finals at the Al Shira’aa Horse Show with Shane Breen at the helm, which stood him in good stead to take on the sizeable track here at the 2022 British Showjumping Spring Championships.
“He’s got a great attitude and he wants to do the job,” added Patrick, of Porsche, who is out of a Cancara Z mare. “The course was fair but big enough for seven year olds at this time in the year.”
There were nine forward in the final jump off, which gave Patrick enough competition to up the pace:
“There were enough forward to make it competitive; I got a very good shot to the double back to the oxer, and then I rode six strides towards home, which was obviously quick enough.”
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Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.