STEPHEN O’Connor is a man of many hats in the horse world – a racehorse owner, joint-master of the Ward Union Hunt, a member of the Royal Dublin Society and, through The Underwriting Exchange, a sponsor of Irish show jumping at both national and international level.

O’Connor, who says he is “on the wrong side of 50,” was encouraged in his various early equestrian endeavours by his parents Philip and Una. His father was on the Equestrian Committee of the RDS for a number of years while, at the same time, being a member of the FEI Judicial Review Committee.

“The Dublin Horse Show is a wonderful equestrian festival and does a brilliant job of showcasing Ireland and the sport horse sector in particular,” says Stephen. “There is a huge variety of competitions with young kids riding side-by-side with some of the world’s elite show jumpers. My daughter Catherine competed in one of the classes last year and, while we have a bit more work to do before we go back again, I was extremely proud to see her ride there.

“I never made it to the Main Arena of the RDS as a show jumper but did so when on the winning Ward Union hunt chase team in 2001. I was the heavyweight rider and last to go. I went out with a short lead and came back with an even shorter one – if there had been another 20 yards to go, I’m not sure I would have held on!”

Stephen is married to Tipperary native Kay and they have four children, all of whom share the family interest in ponies and horses. “They have got great enjoyment out of hunting, hunter trials, the Pony Club, inter-schools jumping and normal messing about.

“At present, our eldest, J.P., who is 16, is more interested in rugby, football etc. Catherine and Alex in the middle do quite a bit as members of the Ward Union Pony Club, as I did myself, and inter-schools jumping. Catherine was thrilled to pick up an individual rosette in the Alice Mernagh at the IPC championships last year and she has ridden in a couple of pony races. Both Catherine and Alex hunt and are especially keen to go out if it’s a school day. Our youngest, Safina, has just started out.

“We keep the ponies some of the time in the home place in Kilternan where Mum and Dad live. I have to mention Jamie Green who helps look after the ponies and does a brilliant job. I travel quite a bit for work so it’s great to have somebody to keep them all going.”

Sponsorship and support

O’Connor explained why he became involved with show jumping sponsorship. “As a kid, I did all Pony Club activities and, of course, hunting but I have always enjoyed show jumping. I jumped ponies, mainly in inter-schools, but I also did some registered jumping, mostly at Grade B level. I tried a bit of Grade A but never got into the rosettes!

“It’s a family interest as Dad jumped in the RDS Main Arena. He decided to put something back into the sport when involved in running the Belvedere Horse Show for a few years in the 1960s. This was run on the pitches in Anglesey Road, I think in or around the time of the Spring Show at the RDS. He then went on to become involved with the Leinster Branch of the Show Jumping Association of Ireland, becoming Chairman of the SJAI in the 1970s.

“Since his retirement, Dad and I have enjoyed a trips to Hickstead, Olympia, Birmingham, Aachen and Amsterdam, as well as attending some of the great shows throughout Ireland. The likes of Millstreet and Cavan have been very successful venues over a long period of time and don’t get enough recognition for what they consistently do and provide.”

Stephen too has become involved with running a show, the Tattersalls July Show, through his association, and that of his family, with the Ward Union Hunt.

“My grandfather, Jimmy O’Connor, hunted with the Ward and won a point-to-point or two in the 1930s. Philip was committee member, secretary and chairman of the hunt and now I’m a joint-master.

“The Tattersalls Horse Show initiative first came together through discussions with the late George Mernagh and a few other others associated with the hunt such as Hugh Leonard, Gary Quinn, Kieran Ryan and myself. The show is now a fairly large equestrian event, going from strength to strength each year, with proceeds going to the Hospice. Having been on the Committee from day one, it was a proud moment to win Show of the Year title a couple of seasons ago; it was good that the collective efforts and commitment of all, including Tattersalls, were recognised.”

Growing the sport

O’Connor would love to see show jumping attract wider audiences and shares his views on the subject. “I think Show Jumping Ireland needs to look at staging a couple of evening events when people have finished work.

“We, at The Underwriting Exchange, previously linked up with Horse Sport Ireland for the ‘Jumping in the City’ initiative. The events in Cork, Limerick and Shelbourne Park highlighted the appetite for jumping in a short time frame as the offering of a limited Grand Prix, the Puissance and the social element, was a really good mix. As a sport, we need to consider a variety of themes to attract a wider audience and thus get corporate sponsors on board.”

O’Connor would like to see more done at grassroots level when children, who are the future of the sport, can develop a love of ponies and horses. “If you look at the National Schools, most now take part in County GAA tournaments with the finals being played at the relevant County grounds while there is a National Schools soccer tournament for boys and girls with the finals played at the Aviva.

“In respect of show jumping, there are a number of inter-schools competitions but it would be great to see some sort of system where the top eight or 10 Primary and Senior Schools qualify for somewhere like the RDS; there could be provincial finals beforehand. This would highlight the sport in schools and create more awareness of show jumping in the community.

“Longer term, it would create an interest in the sport and, whilst not everyone is going to go on to the elite level, those kids who have competed through their schools will hopefully become your audience in the future.”

In addition to The Underwriting Exchange’s sponsorship, Stephen has been personally involved in show jumping at that elite level, acknowledging that there were some frustrating days along the way as well as the good. “I had shares in a couple of horses with Cian O’Connor such as Complete, who jumped on a few of Irish teams; Splendor, who won a class in Aachen and the Olympia Christmas Grand Prix; and Markopaulo, who won the Millstreet Derby.”

The new norm

As with all of us, O’Connor is keen to see life resume some sort of normality following the lockdown. “I think it has been a time for everyone to reflect on what they do. With my work, I travel quite a lot so I would have to say I haven’t missed some of that. However, I think, like everybody else, that it’s not normal to not interact and not meet people; it’s the simple things in life we have all missed.”