O’Brien's Standard of Excellence 15 July 2014 Premium

The Army Equitation School is a cornerstone of Irish show jumping that is firmly intertwined in the history of the sport in this country. Playing a massive role in the production of Irish talent, both horses and riders, since its foundation in 1926, one of its stated objectives is “to maintain a standard of excellence in equitation, stable management, training and coaching”.

This objective has certainly been achieved, with Army riders having represented Ireland on a world stage competing at Olympic, World and European Championship level in show jumping and eventing.

It is this objective, as well as the discipline and preparation that goes into maintaining it, that many former army members take away with them when retiring from the Equitation School.

One such rider to take away this influence to his own business on his exit from McKee Barracks is David O’Brien. O’Brien officially retired on November 1st, 2012 and has spent his time since getting his own yard up and running. It is a change of direction for the 35-year-old Co Westmeath native, with O’Brien commenting: “It’s certainly a different experience.

“The routine and modus operandi in the Equitation School has been there for 90 years, so you just slot into it. You tend to focus totally on your own string of horses so it is very single-minded that way where as now I have to think of every different aspect, so in that respect it is a change.”

Commissioned to the Army Equitation School in 1998, O’Brien had an illustrious career with the army that spanned 14 years.

In this time, he had a myriad of Grand Prix triumphs, both on the national and international circuit, as well as representing Ireland on numerous occasions at Nations Cup level.

Having ridden numerous horses over the years while obtaining the rank of captain, O’Brien nonetheless does have a few who have stood out from the rest.

“Boherdeal Clover is a stand out horse for me,” he says. “He was the horse that I kind of broke onto the international team and my first horse as such.

“At the time I also had a great speed mare, Lismore Clover, and maybe because I was a young fellow progressing I have really fond memories of those two.”

Cruise Hill provided O’Brien with a day to remember setting a record in the Puissance at the 2004 Dublin Horse Show, with O’Brien recalling it as “a great moment”.

Other horses who inspired fond recollection were Mo Chroi and Kiltoom, lauded as “great mares”, while Annestown and Drumiller Lough, silver medallist at the World Breeding Championships at Lanaken as a six-year-old, also warranted a special mention.

Speaking of his time in the army, O’Brien continues: “I had a great time of it. There were great staff to work with and I had excellent tuition throughout my time there with both John Ledingham and Gerry Mullins.

“I learned a huge amount from them and really benefited from their years of experience. They taught me how to prepare horses, from young horses up to Grand Prix level and then on to Nations Cup and how to plan for that.

“I travelled with Shane Carey and Gerry Flynn and we learned as much from one another as anything else. It was a really good team. There were some great grooms and travelling lads and it was always a real team effort at any level – be it young horses or Nations Cup,” he added.

NEW VENTURE

In this respect, O’Brien brings to the O’Brien Gustafsson Stables a combined wealth of experience. The routine may have changed, but at the end of the day the job remains the same. O’Brien is more than qualified for the preparation and planning that is required for this new venture and has recently launched the business on Facebook.

Adding to this is O’Brien’s partner in the business, and wife, Christina Gustafsson. A successful rider internationally in her own right, the Swedish national has run her own business for the last 16 years.

Supporting the couple in their business is clothing company Animo, with Gustafsson as an ambassador, while sponsoring both riders is Guldmane, a Swedish blanket company that manufactures a nail rug that increases muscular blood flow in horses. O’Brien is also a rider ambassador for Pegus Horse Feed.

Having both travelled extensively in Europe, deciding to set up in Ireland was in the end the obvious choice for the pair due to personal reasons.

O’Brien explained: “There are advantages and disadvantages to everything, but we had built a home here and we wanted to get married and start a family while having family living nearby.”

With this in mind, O’Brien has built his yard on the family farm in the Athlone area. Last year was spent preparing the yard with a relatively quiet season factored into the process.

Showcasing his dedication to preparation and planning, O’Brien says: “I decided to get it all done and finished before we officially got started. It’s been just our own horses first as time didn’t allow anything else; I didn’t want to take horses when getting it up and running and not do things properly.”

Speaking to O’Brien it is clear that he prefers to do things the right way, having taken a year to set up his new yard before officially taking on horses. The yard is now very much up and running and consists of an American barn with 15 stables, an arena, a walker and individual turn-out paddocks.

Keen to get an early start in 2014, O’Brien already has eight in work for the upcoming season, ranging in age from four to eight-year-olds and has several promising young horses to produce through the ranks.

With the yard now completely finished to his specifications, O’Brien is ready to get a few owners and has the time to fully dedicate himself to any incoming horses, which seems to be a priority to the former army rider.

Outlining his plans for the future of the business, he says: “The business is built on the same model as most people’s – focusing on sales, training and livery.”

Although relatively quiet on the competing front last season, O’Brien was busy establishing himself as a coach.

As the Equitation School originally designed what is now the current Horse Sport Ireland coaching system, O’Brien is ideally suited to this aspect of his business. Clients include Robert Harrison and Killian Norris, a member of the bronze medal-winning side at the 2013 Pony European Championships.

Commenting on this, O’Brien said: “I do enjoy training. Regardless of the level, when people are enthusiastic you get the feeling at the end of the lesson that you have achieved something. I like hearing results and how people got on at a show. I get a real kick out of it.”

Although his departure from the army represented an end of a generation in the Equitation School, with the Co Westmeath man as the last of the old guard, it is a new beginning for O’Brien. Many things may have changed, but the aim of maintaining a standard of excellence is still clear to see when speaking to David O’Brien.

HORSES

CHANEL

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(Can Cara – Laura Biagotti (by Lord Pezi))