ON reading her CV, it is hard to believe that Camilla Speirs is still in her early 30s. As a stalwart of Irish event teams since her days in the junior ranks, and currently long-listed for her third Olympic call up, she has collectively competed in seven European Championships (at junior, young rider and senior level), two World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games.

In addition, she has enjoyed four Badminton forays – among which she posted a top-10 finish – numerous Nations Cup appearances and has travelled to the World Breeding Championships in Le Lion d’Angers on no less than eight occasions

While Camilla’s early successes initially centred around her first junior team horse Portersize Top Dollar, it was of course the legendary Portersize Just a Jiff who propelled her to the top of the sport. Popularly known as Jiffy, the diminutive part-bred Connemara (bred by Philip White) by Crosskeys Rebel was bought from Richard and Deirdre Bourns as a four-year-old and measured only a tad over 15 hands at maturity.

“We were looking for a 14.2 at the time as I had a couple of years left as a pony rider,” Camilla recalls. “We knew we would struggle to measure him in as a pony but we couldn’t leave him behind!”

The duo initially represented Ireland at young rider level, and while still in the final year of the age group, they were selected for the senior squad at the WEG in Kentucky. The pair were subsequently chosen for the London Olympic Games, and as quietly fancied contenders and indeed feted as ‘media darlings’, travelled with great expectations. As history relates however, their challenge came to a close when just three fences from home in the country, the pair took a crashing fall.

The point of relating this story is to demonstrate Camilla’s continued resilience, strive and motivation, in what is a tough and demanding sport. As a result of his fall, Jiffy became extremely ill while recuperating, and for Camilla personally, who only had the one horse at top level, it was an extremely tough time.

“At the time, the Olympics were everything to me,”she explained. “Every event I did, every day I spent training – both myself and the horses – it was all geared towards the Olympics. I felt I had sacrificed everything for it so it hit me hard when I didn’t produce the result I had prepared and hoped for. Being so close to home (three fences) it was so near and yet so far. It was a major blow and I felt I had let everyone down. The amounts of times I thought ‘if only’ and I still look back now and think ‘if only’ but I know I did my best.

“I felt I couldn’t have been more prepared – I was ready to win a medal! Looking back, I would have done things very differently… the beauty of our sport is that we learn so much from experience, and we have time to do so.

“I was very young and had some very good results under my belt at top level, but I still had a lot learn.”

Great home team: Camilla Speirs and her mother Bridget (left) with head girl Maelys Sandrone, Lulu Parkhill's Lukas and their family dogs Lilly and Flossy \ RVN Management

World stage

From this point, it was largely back to the drawing board. Camilla busied herself by producing a string of talented young horses, including the ill-fated three-star (now four-star) campaigner BT Border Bandit. Many went up through the levels, some high-profile ones were sold, and as is the nature of the game, two special ones, including the highly rated Camphire International winner BT Cloud Nine, were injured.

It was nearly two years before Jiff competed in his next international event after the Olympics, and returning to top competition, he progressed to take part in the World Equestrian Games in Caen as well as the European championship in Blair Castle. He was however getting on in years, and owing Camilla nothing, he went on to be placed sixth at Pau in 2016 before making his final international appearance at Belton the following spring.

Fast forward five years however, and Camilla is Olympic long-listed once again. This time she is named with Louise (Lulu) Parkhill’s Lukas, a home-bred son of Lux Z, initially produced to show jump by Conan Wright.

Picking up the story, Camilla explained how her association with the gelding came about. “Lukas was brought to a Goresbridge Go For Gold selection day (2017) by his owner and breeder Lulu Parkhill. All the selectors, including my mum who is on the selection panel, really liked him but he was a six-year-old with only a few outings on his record.

“As a result, Mum suggested to Lulu that I take the ride on him in order to get some mileage under his belt ahead of the sales. He was an extremely attractive horse – however, he was very big, green and raw.”

Once his selection was confirmed, Camilla set to work and indeed at the sales, several people showed an interest. “Oliver Townend sat on him and I rode him for Michael Jung’s father, Joachim,” she said. “However, he was a horse who needed time – a lot of time. Lulu who bred him, has always believed in him from day one and together we decided that if he didn’t make the reserve that we would take him home to BT Stables and produce him up the levels together.”

As it happened Michael Jung came the closest to buying him that November evening, but narrowly failing to reach his reserve, Lukas went home to Camilla at BT Stables and the rest, as they say, is history.

Tokyo calling

The pair took part in their first international together at Ballindenisk, just nine months after the sale. Since then, they have rocketed through the ranks, and just a year later, they represented Ireland in their first CCI4*-L at Boekelo.

On the back of this achievement, they have since been listed on Sally Corscadden’s Tokyo squad, a feat that has delighted both Camilla and the Parkhills. “It’s fantastic and I’m thrilled for Lulu and Ken who have been such great supporters,” she said. “Lukas is a horse that is improving all of the time and he is just very, very exciting!”

Like all the international campaigners at the present time, immediate plans are fluid. At the time of writing, the pair stamped their intent when winning a highly competitive EI115(O) sector at Tyrella last weekend, and are on track to run in the CCI4*-S classes at the forthcoming internationals at Ballindenisk and Millstreet.

The coming months will reveal even more about this talented partnership, and while the Olympic Games may ideally prove to have come a year too soon, the newly arranged European Championships at Avenches in Switzerland will be another exciting seasonal goal.

Lukas aside, Camilla’s string is strengthened further by the promising three-star performer and recent Tyrella runner-up BT Angelo by Indoctro, while the two, six-year-olds BT Roca Rey (Jackaroo) and BT El Fandi (Harlequin du Carel) are just setting out on their careers.

Pictured at Tattersalls International 2019 in the Cooley Farm CCIYH 2* competition were Camilla Speirs and BT Martins Masterpiece, recently sold to a UK young rider \ Lorraine O’Sullivan

Strong home team

Of course, like most successful riders Camilla has a top team behind her, and at BT event horses this team is spearheaded by her mother Bridget. A shrewd judge of a horse, British-born Bridget grew up with a life centred around hunting and point-to-pointing, while Camilla’s father Nyall worked with racehorses in America, and is a former Master of the Kildare Foxhounds.

“My mum is a huge supporter and has a great eye for a horse too … it’s the reason I have had the success that I’ve had,” Camilla confirms.

Camilla is one of three siblings – she has two brothers, Tom and Patch, and from an early age she recalls her love of all things equine. “I’ve always just loved horses and loved been around them,” she states. “I would spend hours working on my ponies and all the horses in the yard when I was a kid. It was always a success when I felt them improving. Even now, I get a huge buzz with the young horses and feeling them progressing all the time.”

Although competing at the top level is the motivation, Camilla’s business is based on buying and selling. “It’s the selling that keeps the show on the road,” she states.

“Our goal is for mum and I to have a few together for me to produce and compete up the levels. Competing at the top events is a passion for both of us and while we aim to keep a handful of horses to hold on to, the rest are produced to sell. Ultimately, however, everything can be bought at the right price. I’m very lucky to have Orla O’Neil as a great owner and friend too. She shares the same passion as us and is keen to take her very talented and exciting eight-year old BT Angelo up through the levels.”

Camilla Speirs on the great Portersize Just A Jiff competing at Badminton 2016 \ Helen Revington

Sourcing potential stars

In common with their fellow producers, Camilla and her mother source horses when and where they can find them. “We go everywhere and anywhere!” she said.

“Word of mouth, contacting breeders/ producers or simply always on the lookout at a show. It doesn’t have to be an obvious horse but it has to catch my eye – I would argue I don’t have a type but then again, I have a yard full of brown and bay geldings. We ideally buy them as four or five-year-olds, and while I like to judge each horse as an individual, for commercial reasons, it’s a bonus if they have a good page.”

It is often hard to part with horses that you have invested so much time in, and one such example was the recently sold Martin’s Masterpiece. A real eyecatcher with an extravagant jump, Camilla piloted him through the grades to three-star level.

“It was a tough decision to sell Marty – he is exactly the type of horse we all look for!” she admitted. “It’s hard to keep emotions out of it when you have such a special horse like him – but it’s also important to make sacrifices and good business decisions moving forward also. He has gone to an amazing home in the UK with a talented young rider and I look forward to following them both.”

Having produced these youngsters right through her professional equestrian life, Camilla now has an established training regime. “I am extremely fortunate to have had great opportunities to work with amazing mentors and coaches, and now I feel really happy putting that towards my own system. I am confident in my plans and my horses. I accept that it’s not always easy but if it was, everyone would be doing it!”

She is also fortunate to have the continued support of team Ireland, which gives her access to world-class coaches as well as the experts in fitness, nutrition and sports psychology. “It’s a credit to our manager Sally Corscadden who is working to provide this support and training for us,” she states.

Another big influence on Camilla’s life is her partner Ethen Ahearne. “We met at a show – naturally!” said Camilla with a laugh. “Ethen works for Greg Broderick’s Ballypatrick Stables, and in recent years has helped me so much with my jumping which has really shaped me as a rider as a whole,” she said. “We all have good days and bad days with horses and it’s nice to have someone genuinely invested in what you are doing, or trying to do, and who understands the challenges. We work very hard to do it right and every little detail we reflect on with each individual horse – it’s comforting to have that support.”

Camilla is, and always has been a very capable show jumper in her own right, and as a result is in demand as a producer for the discipline.

Has she ever been tempted to switch sports? “I don’t think I would change altogether,” she revealed. “I love riding horses in both disciplines and there is nothing to compare riding an amazing horse cross country. I have some really great young show-jumping talents that I produce for owners like Bourns Sport Horses and I have the most amazing five-year-old for Mexican rider Paola Amilibia.

“These horses are targeted for the big stuff in a few years and it’s nice to work with horses like this in my string. They recognise the importance of their production and it’s nice to be a part of that journey.”

Horse heaven

The yard at BT Stables in Co Kildare is described by Camilla as ‘horse heaven’ and the lockdown has highlighted this. “We have an indoor, outdoor and grass arenas, a gallop and endless hacking around our 400-acre farm,” she said. “We are currently building onto the yard and will also have a new undercover lunge pen and all-weather turnout paddocks. It really is horse heaven! With everything put on hold due to cancelled shows and travel restrictions, we have been extremely lucky to be able to continue producing our horses.”

The farm is also home to a small breeding operation, which features a thoroughbred mare named Chitter Chatter by Robin des Pres. Lightly raced, she has since bred four foals, the eldest of which is a four-year-old gelding by Luidam. “He is big, rangy and brave and is to die for,” enthused Camilla. Other out of her include a three-year-old gelding by the same sire, a two-year-old filly by Tullabeg Fusion and a yearling colt by I’m Special de Muze.

Minding these youngsters in his role as ‘nanny’ is the now retired Portersize Just A Jiff (Jiffy) who, now aged 21, is one of only a handful of Eventing Ireland registered horses to have clocked up in excess of 1,000 points.

Much of the success of a yard is based very much on the staff at home, and in this respect, Camilla is fortunate to have the services of head girl Maelys Sandrone, who spent five years with Eric Lamaze. “She has lots of experience and has such an amazing way with the horses – they love her.”

The other main cog in the wheel is of course her mother Bridget, who is extremely hands on and travels to events when she can. “Mum is very dedicated to the yard – she does a lot of hacking out and takes horses to the gallops which is great! In that regard, we are extremely grateful to Jessica Harrington for the use of her amazing gallops.

“My Dad and brother Patch are also crucial to the running of the yard. From helping with the mucking out and supplying all our hay and straw for the horses, we are very lucky to have them involved!”

Local help comes in the form of Caroline Donovan and Megan Telford-Kelly, both of whom who are invaluable members of the team. “Caroline is on the yard for 7.30am to help make sure the morning routine runs smoothly and Meg is always there in a flash if ever I need an extra pair of hands at the show, on the yard or to exercise the horses.

“We are extremely grateful to have a great team behind us!” sums up Camilla, and indeed this professional set up can look forward to an exciting season – whatever it may hold.