Hello Padraig and thank you so much for taking the time to chat with Irish Sport Horse Magazine. We would like to congratulate you on your Amazing Success at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, both a Silver Individual and Team Medal, a tremendous result! That coupled with your incredible 8th place finish a Badminton Horse Trials 2018, both You and Mr Chunky were on fire this season! We would love to ask you a few questions about your career and life with horses up to this point.
When Did You First Start to Ride?
I don’t come from a horsey family and it was my sister who always wanted a pony. I was eleven years old when my parents finally gave in and bought a one. I was immediately hooked.
Who was your Greatest Inspiration & Who did you train with through the years?
Pic from the Golden Age of Showjumping
I originally only competed in showjumping and Eddie Macken was someone I always admired. His most successful horse ‘Boomerang’ was bred one mile down the road from where I grew up. I had the opportunity to train with and spend some time in his company when I work for a stint in California when I was in my early twenties.
When I was 18 I moved to Sweden to work for Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, and he had a huge influence on my career. I have also trained with former Dutch Chef d’equipe Hans Horn, Swiss Olympian’s Max Hauri and Steve Guerdat, Jürg Notz and Niall Talbot.
With Team Ireland I have worked with showjumping trainers Gerry Flynn and during the past two years with Ian Fearon.
When I began eventing a few years ago I began training in dressage with Pammy Hutton and now work with Ian Woodhead, who is the Team Ireland trainer.
Was becoming an International Equestrian Athlete something you always wanted to do?
Yes. I turned down a place at university to study psychology when I finished secondary school. That’s when I moved to Sweden to work for Rolf-Göran Bengtsson. After working in various countries for nearly a decade, I decided to return to education and spent stayed there for the next ten years. I met my now wife when I was nearing the end of that process and she introduced me to eventing. I had no idea at the time that I would ever ride at the top level.
Which Horse for you has been that Special Horse in Your Career so Far and Why?
The obvious answer of course, is Mr Chunky. But I have been fortunate enough to ride some really special horses, although mainly in their early years.
A Great Finish for You and Mr Chunky at Badminton 2018, can you tell us about the experience and how Mr Chunky found the track?
Badminton was a milestone for me. It was my first 4* and it was a privilege to have a horse of Chunky’s quality to take there to compete and be competitive. He made everything feel remarkably easy and is very suited to the big open cross country courses like Badminton and Burghley.
Well WEG 2018 was a Huge Success for You and Mr Chunky, but what did you have to do to Qualify for the Games?
I qualified him for WEG at Blenheim CCI*** in 2017 where he finished 7th.
An Individual Silver Medal and a Team Silver at WEG, what a result! Can you tell us a little bit about how Tryon 2018 went for You an Mr Chunky?
It is still a bit surreal to be honest. We had a great season in 2018 and Chunky had been in terrific form from beginning to end. He won a CIC*** In Ireland in July and that gave me real confidence going to America. At Tryon everything went like clockwork. We had a plan as a team and we were all clear about what we could deliver and were very focused and confident that we could do just that. Chunky was quite competitive after dressage and finishing on his dressage score meant he climbed from 7th to 2nd on the last day. Watching him climb the scoreboard after finishing my round was an unbelievable thrill!
Following On From Your Success at WEG, You had a Great Win at the Indoor Cross Country at the CHI Geneva in Early December 2018 with Rosemaber Lancuest. Can you tells us a bit about that competition?
An old friend from the time I worked in Switzerland is one of the organisers of the show at Geneva. He called me the day after the silver medal to ask if I would compete there. I said that I would love to as long as I had a horse that I thought could be competitive. I hadn’t thought about Rosemaber at the time as she had just stepped up to two star level and I only really ride her at competitions, but she has a level character and she is a very tidy jumper so I asked the owners if they would be interested in having a go at it and they were on board. It was her and my first time doing an indoor XC and it was a lot of fun. Very intense, but fun.
What are your plans for the Next couple of years? You must have your sights firmly fixed on Tokyo 2020?
Chunky will be targeted at Badminton and Burghley this season and fingers crossed, Tokyo the following year. If he is fit and well he will be my #1. I will also be aiming to qualify some of my upcoming horses for Tokyo by the end of next season. It would be nice to have a plan B.
Are there any Rising Stars in Your Stable Yard that you are Excited About?
I have some interesting 8y/o horses that will hopefully turn into good performers at the higher levels.
At the moment there doesn’t appear to be one as good as Chunky, but you never really know with horses until they are at the level. Fingers crossed
What do you look for in a young event horse, and what qualities in your opinion make a top class horse?
I like an athletic model that has the blood and conformation to do the job and stay sound at the top level. I would lean towards a horse with better jumping ability than movement if I had to choose between the two. I like the Irish horse for their instinct and willingness to go cross country, but most of all I like horse that likes to compete!
We’ve heard that you have started your own Sport Horse breeding program. Can you tell us a bit about that and what you look for in your ideal broodmare?
We have invested quite heavily into breeding over the past few years and we are now breeding around ten foals every year. At the moment there is a pretty even split between mares that are bred to event and mares that are bred to showjump. One thing that all the mares share is that they are good correct athletic types.
After that they all have either performed themselves, are very closely related to top performers, or have produced offspring of above average quality.
Before I breed from a mare she must pass at least one of the criteria. It is even better if she passes two or even all three. Although it is unusual to find a mare that ticks all of those boxes, unless of course she bred a foal before she began her competitive career.
Tell us a bit about how you select a Stallion for your Mare?
Choosing a stallion depends on several factors, but mostly on what you are trying to breed. Although some breeders choose to use dressage stallions to breed eventers, it is not a strategy I use. For the purpose bred eventers I aim to try to have my foals with around 60% TB blood as a minimum. This means that you have to reintroduce TB stallion every few generations.
Ultimately many of the horses that I breed from purely showjumping lines will also end up being eventers, so I try to use stallions with my jumping mares that I could envisage being able to do both disciplines. Sometimes I will want to use a stallion that I feel is really unlikely to breed an eventer, but I will only use this type of sire with my very best jumping mares but I will generally try to use a stallion that is more likely to breed a dual purpose horse. The sport is now so diverse that there is a place for many different types of horses.
How is your program progressing, what young stock have you on the ground to date?
We are still at an early stage, but I think on the whole, the quality of the stock is improving year on year.
Admittedly, sometimes a pairing will not work out like you anticipate, but that is part of the game. We are also continually assessing the young stock and culling the mares that we feel are breeding horses that we could buy in cheaper than the cost of breeding and producing them.
Have you any advice to offer a Young Sport Horse Breeder Starting Off?
I would just say first you have to be very clear about what kind of animal you want to breed, and for what purpose. Breeding to have a commercial foal is not always the same as breeding to have the best competition horses.
You should also begin with the very best mare you can afford (lease/loan, whatever). Breeding is not cheap and it takes a long time to discover if you are successful. By starting with a good mare you are giving yourself a much better chance of breeding a good horse
Last Question, If there is one piece of advice that you could offer to any young equestrian athlete what would it be?
Leave home, base yourself with a top rider/trainer, and learn from them. It will save you years trying to find it all out on your own. And don’t worry about wages; the time will be a huge investment in your future.
Many thanks Padraig for taking the time to talk to us. From all of us here at Irish Sport Horse Magazine we wish you and your family a Very Successful 2019 both in the Competition and Breeding Sectors!
This Interview was Originally Published in Issue Number 3 of Irish Sport Horse Magazine. – January 2019.
Padraig McCarthy can be contacted through his website
www.mghsporthorses.com
or
Facebook – MGH Sport Horse Stud