Good Afternoon Bernard, I am so glad that you agreed to chat to us about your Fantastic Performance at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, with This Gun’s for Nic. Before we start talking about the WEG, I just wanted to ask a couple of questions about your life with horses that led up to this point.
Reining is not very popular sport in Ireland yet, so what first attracted you to Reining, and when did you start training in this discipline?
A very simple phrase… “Willingly Guided”.. That is the requirement for an FEI reining horse. I was attracted to the fact that it in my opinion is entirely different than the word “Submission” which there is mark for in other sports.
I like the ease and the uncomplicated attitude that a ‘Ranch style’ horse requires. Being 50 now, I don’t bounce or mend as well as I used to, so it makes logical sense for me to move on from eventing.
Who did you train with through the years?
Having started off professionally in the BHS system in Ireland, Being based with Patricia Creighton at Old Mill, and Grainne Sugars at Calliaghstown, I did my BHSI exams so that I had some sort of qualification. 30 years ago, I moved to Australia and have been based here since.
Reining is not a huge sport in Australia and there are a few big fish in a very small pond. I am lucky enough to be a very visual learner and take as much information as I can glean from watching and listening.
At what point in your training did you think, I can make it to international competition in this sport?
The day I started, I set it as my goal to make one of our own home bred Sportaloosas (appaloosa sport horses) to an elite FEI reining horses.
After my first two years in the sport I was lucky enough to win a couple of end of year awards at our local club on one of our own horses.
When did you start working with This Gun’s for Nic?
So, This Gun’s For Nic lives in Texas USA and I live in Queensland, Australia.
Basically our involvement with the horse began two years ago when we imported frozen semen from him. I had seen some videos and really liked the horse. His maternal half brother is the most successful reining sire in the world (with winnings over $7 million (US), and I like to breed back to the dam line for my program.
We brought him back into work around 3 month before WEG, Basing him with Jarvis Anderson with me only riding him for the last two weeks! I know it’s an unusual preparation but he had to complete his USA breeding season and deal with training commitments .
He belongs to the JS Syndicate in Texas who we will never be able to thank enough for their input and endless support. Great owners like these people are what make the sport
What is This Gun’s For Nic like to work with?
He is an absolute superstar, seriously talented, rises to the occasion, loves the limelight but able to remain as cool as a cucumber!
When did your first find out that you both had a chance of competing at the World Equestrian Games?
The initial plan was to aim for European Championships in 2019 . This was due to an FEI rule change in relation to the min age of FEI reining horses from 6 to 7.. so suddenly, our own horse was no longer eligible for WEG.
The requirements for the CoC (certificate of capability) is to firstly be a 3* FEI reining rider, This is achieved by certain scores at FEI comps.
Then you are required to have completed 3 FEI 3* comps two with a score of 70 or over. (which in reining is a pretty decent score. )
Australia hosts one FEI reining competition every 4 years. (It is a requirement for any country that wishes to enter a reining team in the Teams comp at WEG), This is due to the fact that all of the current Australian reining team is made up of people who live full time in the USA.
As a dual national. I have to elect with the FEI as to which country I will represent on the international stage, and naturally I have chosen to compete under the Irish flag.( My qualification scores were more than enough to also have given me a spot on the Australian Team.)
In order to achieve these necessary scores I was going to have to do it elsewhere on strange horses, I simply don’t have the money nor backing to fly our own horses around.
The first competition was in Chile , and I was assisted by Marcelo Guzman in Puerto Varras. He tracked down a few horses that he felt would be suitable. We eventually decided on a lovely Chilean bred horse called Torero belonging to Gaston May.
By the day of competition I felt that he was really listening to me and was pretty confident that there was a distinct possibility that this was achievable. UK judge Doug Adams was judging and had travelled out to Chile with his wife, international reining rider Francesca Sternberg. When I heard our score being announced of 70.5 I was delighted, as were all of the Chileans !!
From there I competed here in Australia at there only 3 star competition on an amazing little horse called “Ruf Tucker” who belongs to some very dear friends that also compete along with me at our regional club. As usual he was a superstar.
A few weeks later we were lucky enough to get the ride on the lovely Hang Ten to Yuma owned by Wendy Kemble… This time in Canada.. and boy that was an experience.. awesome country, awesome people and the most superb trainable but adaptable horse. I based myself for a few weeks at Whispering Sands Equestrian Centre in Alberta with Nathalie Wiechel.
What did it feel like when you heard you had qualified?
A feeling of relief, excitement and satisfaction all rolled into one.. and very humbling that there were so many people involved in this achievement.
Amazingly enough I was contacted by Horse Sport Ireland who advised me that I was currently 18th in the FEI world reining rankings!! The highest placing over any of the equestrian disciplines!
How did you find your first experience of the WEG and did it make you determined to be a regular?
So… Firstly… I realise that there was much negative publicity around WEG itself , however, it barely affected me personally. Horse Sport Ireland and my Chef d’Equipe, Julian Kingsford, basically ensured that they dealt with the day to day issues that arose, so that I was able to focus solely on my game plan.
From my point of view, The reining facilities were perfect, particularly the indoor arena which was certainly the biggest and flashest that I have ever experienced.
It is certainly a path we will travel again if the opportunity arose.
How did This Gun’s for Nic Find the atmosphere? Did it take him time to settle or is he used to that level of competition.
Azul ( aka This Gun’s for Nic) is very used to the atmosphere. Reining is very much a crowd sport in the USA.. big prize money and lots of noise from the crowd.. In his case he actually turns into a performer.. You feel him puff his chest out when he hears the crowd. However, his trainability allows him to come back to me when required also.
How did your performance go, were you happy with how you placed for your first Games?
I was extremely happy with the way in which This Gun’s For Nic performed at WEG, he is such the professional and really does lap up the atmosphere and attention.
During my run I made a couple of minor errors after my second stop and roll back and then I had a late lead change coming through the middle of the arena after one set of circles. The scoring system is very fair and logical in reining but when you receive penalties (as I did) and you have a 5 member judging panel it can become quite costly. All in all I was thrilled with my performance and so proud of our achievement. We can both hold our heads high.
Do you have a link to a video that our readers can watch the performance?
Yep Here is the link to our performance;
https://vimeo.com/289753905 and it is also in FEI TV archives
What are your plans for the next year and the future in Competition?
Moving forward I would like to take aim at European Championships and keep the momentum rolling in relation to FEI Reining and ultimately make it to the next WEG and give it another crack. WEG 2018 has taught me heaps and I would like to be able to have the chance to keep growing and learning within this field. Of course we met and made friends with some wonderful people in the States and I would like to go back there again and compete at some of their bigger shows, it’s a whole new world over there.
Do you have some younger horses that are WEG prospects?
We breed a few foals each year and we tend to use bloodlines that are already proven in the reining pen (both here in Australia & Overseas) so on paper they should have the ability but it will just be a case of raising them well and putting in the time and effort to give them every possible chance of being able to compete at that level.
If there is one piece of advice that you could offer to any your equestrian athlete what would it be?
Don’t lose sight of your destination. The journey WILL throw a few curve balls at you but you have to remain focused on the end goal.
Bernard O’Sullivan, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. We wish you all the best for your future career. I would love if you could come back and chat to us and give us a update on the Sport of Reining on a regular basis as I feel you will ignite the Reining Passion in other young athletes.
For More details on Bernard O’ Sullivan his Web Site is http://www.australiancolouredperformancehorses.com.au
For Details on Reining In Ireland Contact Derek O’Byrne White at the Irish Quarter Horse Association Website – https://www.iqha.ie/
This Interview was originally published in the first Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine in November 2018. All Pictures were provided by Bernard O’Sullivan and are subject to Copyright.