Shane Breen, Irish showjumper
Read the latest Shane Breen news
Shane Breen was born in Limerick, Ireland on 16 September 1974 and got his first pony at the age of five.
He hunted throughout his childhood and believes his hunting background has helped him win several derby-style competitions, including Hickstead’s eventing grand prix and speed derby.
Shane was a leading pony rider aged 16 and went on to represent Ireland at both junior and young rider level.
In 2007 Shane married Chloe, daughter of Hickstead legend the late Douglas Bunn. They now have two daughters, Lorna and Darcy.
The 50-stable yard at Hickstead is home to the British side of Shane’s family business, Breen Equestrian.
Shane and Chloe have also established their own breeding programme and have a number of world-class stallions, including Royal Concorde.
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In 2008, the Irishman broke a record set in the 1980s in the Hickstead Speed Derby, with a clear round on Royal Concorde in 91.96 seconds.
Shane’s 2010 season was spearheaded by a victorious trip to Lummen, Belgium, where he won the grand prix and was also a member of Ireland’s winning Nations Cup team.
He also enjoyed his second Hickstead eventing grand prix win in 2010. He rode a faultless clear round on Dorada II in the only performance to break the 200sec barrier.
Shane had previously won the class in 2006 on Mullaghdrin Gold Rain.
2011 did not begin quite how Shane expected — a fall from a balcony left him with a broken jaw and fractured skull.
But he recovered in time to win the Royal Windsor Horse Show grand prix aboard Carmena Z.
He followed this up by winning 17 classes on the Atlantic Tour in Comporta, Portugal, plus the derby trial at the Hamburg five-star derby meeting.
Shane currently has a number top-class horses to ride including Cos I Can, Balloon, Zarnita, Golden Hawk and Amira. With this strong base of horsepower at his fingertips, he is hopeful of selection for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Don’t miss H&H’s exclusive interview with Shane in our annual shows special issue, on sale 23 February 2012
