RICHARD Sheane of Cooley Farms and owner of Amanda Goldsbury’s three winning Lisgarvan International rides (see page 84) had quite the weekend.

Dashing off to Poland to help another Cooley rider, Ciara O’Connor, at the Junior eventing Europeans, Richard wasn’t there in person to help Amanda warm up on Sunday, but that didn’t stop him.

“I was at Lisgarvan on Saturday morning, I warmed up the horse for the jumping for the CSI2*-S and he jumped clear,” he explained.

“Then Cian McHugh, who has worked with us here for a long time now, he was then in charge on Sunday, because I was in Poland with Ciara. He actually called me on FaceTime, which we have never done before, and I was watching the horses warming up and discussing with them and making a plan on how to try and get them to jump clear rounds.

“It was a funny thing to be sitting in Poland but actually watching it all unfold, especially when we got the results we did. It is testament to the teamwork and trust we have really, it’s very special.

“Then at the same time, my son Arthur was in Necarne where he won the National Championships for driving and I got the text about that around the same time, which was brilliant. It was quite the weekend!”

Richard also disclosed that it was his birthday on Monday, which he spent with clients and ended up selling a horse, which is his “favourite thing to do” on his birthday. So well done all round to team Cooley!