Whether they are competing at grass roots level or at the pinnacle of their sport, training is an essential part of any rider’s regime. Every winning horse and rider combination puts in hours of preparation to reach their goal and coaches are often an integral part of a team working behind the scenes to lay the groundwork for success.

One such coach is Co Louth-based Johnny O’Connell, who travels to meet coaching clients and also operates out of Kilronan EC in Swords, Co Dublin.

Involved in the sport for many years as a rider and producer of young sport horses, O’Connell is now a Horse Sport Ireland-accredited level two coach whose own experience has influenced his approach to coaching.

O’Connell started his riding career at an early age in Castleknock College Riding Centre, Co Dublin, owned by his mother Rosemary. By the age of eight, O’Connell was already competing a number of ponies owned by family members and other owners who had been having trouble with their own mounts.

“I suppose that was the start of my coaching career in a way, problem solving and getting the wheels back on ponies so their owners could compete with them,” says O’Connell.

Today, O’Connell is handing on his experience to his own clients, the most high profile of whom is undoubtedly young rider Conor McEneaney.

The 18-year-old Armagh rider has begun the 2014 season in excellent form, with a win at Killossery Lodge Stud in the HSI/Connolly’s Red Mills Spring Tour with Moonlite Cavalier, as well as several placings.

“With Conor, I could see a lot of natural ability. I focused on strengthening his position so that he would be more balanced,” explains O’Connell. “His top horse, Moonlite Cavalier, is quite sensitive so the improvement in core strength would allow Conor to become more supple and strong at the same time and help the horse relax. Weak riders are either rigid or collapsed and that is not ideal.

“Paying attention to detail in his riding, in terms of straightness and bend and committing to a plan when jumping his rounds rather than just riding off natural ability, makes the outcome more predictable and consistent,” he added.

Looking at his own formal training, Dublin native O’Connell had a list of influential trainers that shaped his riding and coaching methods and counts himself lucky to have been at the receiving end of their combined experience.

Among his mentors were neighbour and family friend Colonel Sean Daly, former Irish team chef d’equipe, and Iris Kellet. Kellett’s Mespil Riding School also counted Eddie Macken and Paul Darragh amongst its graduates.

“Looking back, I’ve been really lucky to spend time with many riders who combined coaching and riding,” recalls O’Connell. “I spent a summer with Captain Con Power and worked for a year with Tom Vance but it was the time spent working at Waterside Stud for Paul Darragh and Alain Storme that really influenced me. I learned so much from Paul, not only in terms of knowledge, but by how professional he was with his coaching clients.”

Explaining the principles Darragh employed in his training, O’Connell says: “It was a combination of really getting the basics right, while also giving students this huge confidence.

“While we would spend hours working through gymnastic exercises, he also gave me the confidence to compete Princess Haya’s horses, Scandal and Rock And Roll.”

O’Connell adds that he tries to use the same principle of “really nailing the basics while giving riders the utmost confidence.”

“The people I have seen that inspire success give confidence, they make riders bat above average by really believing in them,” he maintains.

While working in Waterside in 2000 O’Connell began his coaching career in earnest.

Training a group of pony riders; Adrian and Barry Griffin, Claire Cawley and Tara Dunne, his results soon began to speak for themselves.

Within a short time period, the entire group qualified for the Dublin Horse Show and both Adrian and Barry Griffin made the shortlist for the Irish team for the 2000 and 2001 European pony championships respectively.

When the group made the transition to horses, two riders - Adrian Griffin and Tara Dunne - focused on the 2002 Junior European championships as their goal.

“At the last trial, both riders were fantastic, with Adrian making the team and Tara just missing out as reserve,” recalls O’Connell. “I was bitten by the bug at this point. I had always loved competing but I had never really seen it as my career and I believed training was where I really fitted into this business.”

As a coach, O’Connell has the advantage of training with a rider’s perspective. Over the years, he has won the American Hunter Championships at the Dublin Horse Show, the four-year-old championships at Cavan Equestrian Centre and took the runner-up position in the first ever Future Event Horse class at Blarney Castle, qualifying for Burghley in the process.

Among the many horses who began their careers with him were Edward Doyle’s Nations Cup mount, Effective; Luigi, who jumped World Cup qualifiers with Canadian Andrea Strain; Killossery Kruisette, a Nations Cup mount of Captain David O’Brien; Aresse M, currently jumping with French rider Penelope Leprevost, and Walterstown Don, a four-star eventer with Clayton Fredericks.

More recently, O’Connell has been involved with the regional Showjumping Ireland training. Although this regional training is an annual event for SJI, more emphasis has been placed on it this year because of the introduction of a compulsory Bar One qualification in the SJI Five Bar Training System for pony riders and children on horses who wish to compete in the RDS qualifiers.

The Five Bar System’s function is, according to SJI, to support the progression and maintenance of standards at all levels. Aimed at improving the standard of riding, the focus is on developing performance and competition skills, as well as general horsemanship either through the national training available or through private coaching.

O’Connell maintains it is a great step to improving riding and stable management, which can only be a good thing.

“The system will maybe open people’s eyes to the importance of training and get children involved in a long-term programme,” he says.

“Even the most talented of riders can benefit from mentoring. I think serving an apprenticeship to a professional is essential in this business, people need to use the knowledge that’s out there,” he adds.

“The role of a coach, in my opinion, is to improve the skill set of your student while ensuring they get plenty of good practise in over courses. It’s important to simulate an event to give the real experience. You also fall into the role of mentor with confidence giving, support and planning for a rider,” he says.

While O’Connell travels extensively for his coaching commitments, he has a useful base for clinics in the form of Kilronan EC. With excellent facilities for training, Kilronan has both an indoor and outdoor arena, a full set of fences and plans to add a second outdoor arena later in the year exclusively for events and clinics.

Having been involved in many aspects of the show jumping business producing young horses and riders, coaching seems to be O’Connell’s niche, whether that is sharing the success of a winning student or problem solving after a difficult round.

“It’s just really something I enjoy doing,” he says.