Hello Martin, Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to Irish Sport Horse Magazine, we want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your recent win at King’s Forest in the UK in the CEI2* 120K, a huge well done. However, before we talk to you about that, we want to discover a little about your life with horses up to this point.
“When did you first start to ride?”
I started out like many, taking a few lessons as a youngster and enjoying the odd trek at Flower Hill in Killimor. I drifted away from horses for many years and it was only in my 20’s that I rekindled the love. Since then, I haven’t looked back.
“Were you always drawn to Endurance Riding?”
Number one I was introduced to Endurance by a mentor and good friend, Norma Crowe. Norma is a Scottish lady based in Bulgaria. Her background was with eventers but discovered Endurance in Bulgaria. Norma is the person who encouraged me to consider riding again. I started riding her beautiful eventers on the open plains of Bulgaria and it was only when Norma changed her focus toward Endurance I became aware that it even was a thing.
“I was introduced to Endurance by a mentor and good friend, Norma Crowe. Norma is a Scottish lady based in Bulgaria.”
My first race was in Northern Bulgaria, near Ruse. I was riding Karma, a lovely forward going mare with buckets of character. The aim was to finish slow and steady. Unfortunately, we got vetted out after the first loop on gait. It was a tough introduction, but I think it was an important lesson to learn early on. I was hooked straight away on Endurance. I love this sport; the ups, the downs and everything in-between.
“Has there been a special horse in your career so far and why? “
There have been many special horses. It is very difficult to try and pick one but there are currently three special horses in my life;
Horseware Siglavy Bagdaday gave me an amazing spin over the mountains in Santa Susanna in the 2 day 2* last year;
Horseware Hlm Iguazu gave me my first 1* with a finish in 3rd place at the Royalties, England and a win a King’s forest this year in the 2*; but Horseware Hlm Fontana is a very special horse. She is super sporty with the mind of a champion. She gave me a great spin in Portugal to win the 2 star.
“Yes it’s been a successful season for you so far, you had that great win in Portugal in May and a Great Result for Team Horseware, with you winning 120k Race with Horseware HLM Fontana, and Tom Mac Guinness taking 3rd Position in the 160K Race on Siglavy Bagdady VIII. Can you tell us a bit about the competition?”
Rio Frio is such a beautiful place. That weekend, the temperatures were in the 30’s and there wasn’t much shade out on the tracks. There were around 22 starters in Tom’s race (Portuguese National Championship & qualifier for the Europeans) and approximately 20 in ours.
Tom and Horseware Siglavy finished strong with an average speed of 17.3Km/h gaining them a podium and qualifying Siglavy for the European Championships. The race was won by Pedro Godinho on his experienced 3* horse “Koheilan Kajla”. That was the first time Horseware Siglavy had completed such a distance and it was great to see her finish so well, with plenty left in the tank!
As I mentioned, Horseware Hlm Fontana is a special one, we had instruction from our top trainer Jordi Arboix to ride a steady first phase and see how things progress, but the morning heat and changing underfoot conditions lead to a few eliminations after the first phase leaving us out in front by ourselves. As Fontana is still quite young, we were just looking for a nice steady run out and to get her home safe, but with endurance you must always be ready to modify the plan. Jordi was extremely happy with how the horse was performing and made the decision to go for it. The horse was always on front of me and I never had to ask anything of her. She rocked around the last phase with ease at an average speed of 18km/h to take 1st place!
“Following on from Portugal you had another successful ride in Bulgaria on behalf of the Bucefal Endurance Stable, taking 4th place on Natan in his first CEI 1* 90k. Can you tell us a bit about that run?”
The race was held at Shumen. This was the place where I gained my first 40km qualification. To have the opportunity to return there to compete at an international level and to see the Irish flag flying, really was a special moment.
Janina Ivanova is the manager of Bucefal Endurance stable in beautiful Debnovo and is also an accomplished rider. I was so happy when she offered me the ride on Natan, as it was his first 1*. We were taking things steady and just looking to finish, but a massive storm in the days prior to the race had turned their lovely clay tracks really slippy which proved tricky for the finer bred of the bunch. Natan is a lovely Shagya Arab, who I was describing as my trusty 4 by 4 as he cut through the tricky tacks to take a very respectable 4th position.
“Massive Congrats to You and Team Horseware again, following your amazing result in King’s Forest in the UK in Early June, with you taking the win in the CEI 2* 120K, riding Horseware HLM Iguazu and Tom Mac Guinness taking the Win in CEI 3* 160K riding Horseware Sasha. Can you tell us a bit about that competition and the Horseware Team?”
Kings Forest was truly amazing. Horseware Sasha is a true champion that just loves his job and Sasha and Tom make such a good pair. This was a great test before the Europeans.
They had some tough competition with Maria Alvarez riding Bucefala and Omar riding Twist both out of Jumas Stable, but Horseware Sasha was just too much for them on the day and took the top spot, finishing 1st with an average speed of 18.5km/h. I was super happy to get the ride on Horseware Hlm Iguazu (iggy), she really is a lovely little mare that just wants to please. We had found ourselves a riding buddy with Cornwall’s Victoria Ham and her lovely horse Sharif and we took turns leading the charge but unfortunately, Sharif was a little bit feely after the first phase leaving us on our own.
Iggy spent a few minutes looking for her buddy but being the pro that she is, just re-focused and tipped on to finish her first 2* in 1st position with a final loop of 18.137km/h.
I have to say that Endurance is a real team event, and nothing would be possible without our amazing trainer (Jordi Arboix of Arboix Endurance) and truly dedicated crew. When we are together it really feels like a family. The horses always come first, and everyone works together to get the job done.
“What are your plans for the rest of the season, and the future?”
We are all looking forward to the European Championships. Tom and Horseware Sasha are looking to improve on their impressive 11th position two years ago in Brussels. The pair are in flying form and well on track for the competitive race.
The day after the Europeans we will hopefully be representing Ireland in the 2* Team event Nations Cup also held at Euston Park. If I was to make the team and to ride in the Nations Cup, it would just be something else. I think there is no greater honour than to get to the top level in your discipline, representing your team and country.
For the future, my goal would be to get to the Worlds, but for now, I am enjoying the journey and am grateful for every step.
“How will the recent changes between the HSI and ILDRA affect you and the Horseware team going forward? “
I don’t think it will affect us too much in the short term. HSI have contacted us to let us know that all FEI entries will continue to be processed on our behalf as normal. ILDRA is a great organisation that has been there for me and many others. I think it is important to add that there must be space for all levels of endurance riders. Not everyone has a want or ambition to compete at the top level, but all levels of riders need to be considered and catered for.
“Different question now, when you are setting out to buy a new horse, what do you look for in a potential Endurance Horse?”
Clean X-rays, four good feet and a good heart. I was always told, “you wouldn’t buy a table if it had a crooked leg, why would you buy a horse with one?” Endurance is such a challenging discipline, finding the right horse is so important, so try and avoid buying something that already has issues.
“Last Question, if you had one piece of advice to offer to a Young Equestrian starting out, what would that be?”
Be kind to your horse. I truly believe a kind hand goes a long way. Once you build that relationship based on trust with your horse, you have the bases of a winning team no matter what your discipline is. Also, I found it helpful to set goals (short, medium and long term). I also believe in the power of writing them down. I find when I write something down I tend to commit to it. So that’s two pieces 😊
“Be kind to your horse. I truly believe a kind hand goes a long way. Once you build that relationship based on trust with your horse, you have the bases of a winning team no matter what your discipline is.”
Martin McNamara Irish Endurance Riding Athlete.
This Interview was originally published in the July 2019 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine.