Ireland once again showed its strength at the Winter Equestrian Festival, going for gold and never giving ground to take the $150,000 Nations Cup over nine other teams.
It was the fifth win for the Irish in the series that began 23 years ago in Wellington, Fla. They finished two rounds with a total of 10 penalties—their final rider, Cian O’Connor, didn’t even have to go in the second round with Fancy de Kergane because the victory had been clinched by the first three riders, with Shane Sweetnam locking in the victory.
Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam and RR Combella. (Sportfot photo)
Chef d’equipe Michael Blake revealed that in the 100 and something Nations Cups over which he has presided, “I’ve never done this before; I’ve never used four horses that have never jumped a Nations Cup before. Obviously, we have three very experienced riders (Darragh Kenny, Shane and Cian O’Connor).
“David O’Brien, it’s his first Cup ever. He’s 12 years here in Wellington I need to reward him for all the work he’s done here. I thought about it for a bit and said, `I’m going to give him his chance, and hopefully he’ll grab it.’”
And grab it he did; two rounds with no jumping faults and just two time penalties on El Balou Old.
“The horse has a long history and I got him because he was a difficult child and needed a program,” said David.
“It’s a process to keep him focused,” he continued.
“But results-wise, I’m very happy with him. He’s probably the reason I was able to go out on my own and have a business.”
Canada was second on 20 penalties with its A-team of Tiffany Foster, Erynn Ballard, Beth Underhill and Amy Millar under the guidance of Ian Millar, better known as Captain Canada. The U.S. NetJets team finished just four penalties behind to claim bronze with coach Robert Ridland in charge. Great Britain was fourth with 25 penalties in the competition presented by Florida Coast Equipment.
On the podium: Ireland, gold; Canada, silver, USA, bronze.
Robert put together a team that included two Cup veterans on mounts without Cup mileage and two riders still learning the ropes.
He understandably is always seeking to give riders less-experienced in representing the county an opportunity to learn when the challenge is real.
“You can’t duplicate the pressure of Nations Cups without doing it. There’s going to be some rocky starts to it,” he said.
In 2023, Robert noted, there was some rumbling because there were no veterans on the U.S. team that finished fifth in the Wellington Cup. So this year, he decided to split the difference.
It was a remarkably successful effort, considering anchorman McLain Ward was aboard a horse he had been showing for only three weeks. He and Ilex were fault-free in the first round and had a rail at the C element of the triple combination in the second.
“That’s a brand new combination. That’s a horse that’s clearly going in the right direction. I’m super happy with that,” said Robert.
McLain Ward and Ilex.
The other Olympic team gold medalist on the squad, Laura Kraut, was the pathfinder on Bisquetta in that mare’s first Nations Cup. She had one rail in each round.
“That’s a nice horse for the future,” said Robert.
Eighteen-year-old Zayna Rizvi was the youngest rider in the competition, collecting 8 penalties in each round with Exquise du Pachis.
“It was a great experience for her. She’s going to learn from that,” Robert commented.
Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque had a big splash in the water and two other rails in the first round. They were much improved in the second, except for another error at the water.
“Karl likewise is learning from that. We know he can do it. It’s all part of the journey. Those are the riders who will end up being the future,” observed the coach.
The U.S. bronze medal NetJets Nations Cup team of Zayna Rizvi, Laura Kraut, McLain Ward, Karl Cook and Roert Ridland. (Photo by Deven Trethewey/U.S. Equestrian)
Added Robert, “It accomplished the mission. We still were on the podium, that’s always what we aim for. We got beat by two teams with more experience, as simple as that. This was the intention of what we put this team together for. Yes, we accomplished what we intended.”
Israel’s three-member team, riding without benefit of a drop score, was second after the first round on four penalties. That score was logged by Alberto Michan, who is still getting to know his horse. Ashlee Bond and Daniel Bluman each were clear. But in the second round, Alberto ran into trouble and finished with 17 faults. His teammates withdrew, since it appeared the odds were against them and they decided to save their horses.
As always in the Nations Cup, the course designed at Wellington International by Steve Stephens and Nick Granat was the same for both rounds. Its most troublesome fence was a delicate gold plank going away from the ingate, three obstacles from the end of the route. That fell about 20 percent of the time in the first round, and also proved a spoiler in the second, where it toppled at least eight times. Rails in unusual colors, such as baby blue, avocado and tangerine gave the course a very different look.
The first round was held during the afternoon; the second was at night under the lights, which made a big difference, as the jumps take on a unique character under artificial illumination.Often, in other venues, both rounds of Nations Cups are run on the same afternoon. But this is a different concept.
“I love that, because there you take an absolute identical course that looks completely different in the evening round,” said Robert.
He also noted the change in atmosphere from quiet afternoon to buzzy evening makes things electric.
“Add in the night and the excitement and the energy and all of a sudden, you’ve got the fans and standing-room only It’s a completely different test.”
Next up for the U.S. is the new Longines League of Nations Cup format in Ocala later this month. It’s a 5-star, so you can bet you’ll see the top American riders there for that one, which will include more European squads such as the Germans, who were missing in Wellington.
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