THERE are many titles that would sit comfortably on Michael Condon’s shoulders, among which are rider, coach, mentor, show jumper, sport horse producer, huntsman, farrier, breeder and dealer.

Indeed, all describe him perfectly, but would barely skim the surface of his equestrian skills. A complete horseman, with an astute eye and attention to detail, Condon is a man of many facets.

Recognised as an ‘iron man’, he has met with more than his share of adversity, yet bounces back like a good horse looking for the next fence ahead.

Raised in Co Waterford, in between Dungarvan and Cappoquin, Michael was one of four children born to Tony and Nancy Condon. Condon senior, who sadly passed away some three years ago, was a prolific dealer in an age when the Swiss and Italian buyers swept through the country in droves.

The family also ran a trekking and a hireling centre, and as a result, the young Michael together with his three sisters, Frances, Louise and Caroline rode from an early age. Hunting, which was to become such an important factor in Michael’s later life also featured strongly, as did show jumping together with an increasingly capable string of ponies.

At the same time, the indoor facility at Ballyrafter Equestrian Centre had just opened and, right on the Condon’s doorstep, it was a gift for the competition mad siblings.

Condon senior was a mentor throughout. “He taught me everything,” said Michael about his father. “From the riding, through to loading the lorry every weekend to go to shows with eight or 10 ponies. I would hop up and down off them and he would have the next one ready to go. At the time he would also be selling thousands of horses to Switzerland, and the whole time I would be watching what he was buying.”

Michael had several good ponies, but singles out the 138cms performer Silver Mac for special mention. “She took me to the RDS and was pure machine,” he recalled. Another top mare was Three Timer with whom Michael was selected to jump for Ireland at the pony European championships.

The pair never made the final squad however, as just weeks beforehand, she was sold. “I didn’t go to the championships. But she did – jumping for the Swedish team.” Always pragmatic, the young Michael barely felt the disappointment, commenting: “You just had to take it on the chin. At the time we hardly knew what the Europeans were, and to be fair everything on the place used to get sold, it was part and parcel of life.”

Michael also fondly remembers Carnival Duchess, who won three classes in the RDS in the one week. “She was only a little chesnut mare about 15.1hh but she really did jump.”

Different times

Unsurprisingly, formal education was not at the forefront of Michael’s life, so on leaving school after his Intermediate Certificate he went to work for John Halpin, a local farrier from Dungarvan.

This led to a 20-year spell of shoeing horses, which dovetailed perfectly with his competition commitments. “I still have a shoeing box, but it’s getting rusty now! Although it does get pulled out an odd day to put a shoe on.”

The dealing life continued, and some horses were sourced with good friend and supporter Finbar Harrington. Among the many the pair bought and sold was the Grand Prix show jumper Clover Heights, while another was the great stalwart Carling King. “It was easier to find them in those days and we were fairly successful.

“We also had a horse called Lismore who went to the army. We spotted him at a gymkhana and at that time you could go to shows and, if you had enough money, you could fill a lorry with good horses – different times.”

Michael Condon (right) and Brian McMahon at the Dromin Athlacca Ride

It was during this period that Michael, at the age of just 21, married Catherine Buckley, sister of fellow show jumper Michael. The couple had five children together: Anthony, Claire, the twins Michelle and Karen, and the youngest, Sarah.

All five rode, and while current Irish team rider Anthony is the best known, Claire also represented her country at pony level. Indeed, both Anthony and Claire were members of the bronze medal-winning team in 2003, a feat dear to Michael’s heart. Although Michael and Catherine eventually went their separate ways, they remain on the best of terms, continuing to share a joint pride in their family’s achievements.

Priorities

By now Michael was well-known in connection with sport horses, but he quietly began to wind down his show jumping activities, and turn his attention to his hunting. “It began when Anthony and Claire had the ponies, which took up a lot of time,” he explained.

“They were able to ride pretty well, so I was able to buy more ponies and get them sold. They were actually making me money, so as the horses began to take a back seat and got fewer and fewer, I was also looking for a new adventure.”

While hunting had always been a passion, it was rapidly growing to priority status. “I have hunted since I was six years of age. I hunted the Dungarvan hounds for few years (as did my father) and it was through the hunting I met Mary Kehoe, who was hunting both the Bree and the Wexford hounds.”

This proved to be a turning point for both individuals, and having initially whipped-in for Mary, Michael moved permanently to join her in Enniscorthy in 2004. Their shared love of the sport makes them a formidable and respected couple in hunting circles, while an added joint-interest in the sport horse industry completes the union.

Another member of the resident team at Enniscorthy is fellow producer Jason Higgins, who now has his own very successful yard a few miles away. “Jason used to come up here for the holidays with his pony, probably from the age of about 14, and never went home. He lives here with us, although works from his own yard.”

It goes without saying that both Michael and Mary have been an influence of his career, leading Higgins to explain: “They have been a huge help to me throughout. Michael’s teaching technique is very calm, and that approach transfers through to life – you weigh up before you dive in. We have been through the ups and the downs and the highs and the lows together, and always come out the other side with a good word and a laugh,” Higgins said.

An astute mentor

Having mentored his own children to international honours, Michael’s demand as a coach increased. Among his early clients were the Kenny family from nearby Gorey. Michael trained the entire family to great success, including Shane who progressed to win a medal at European level.

The next approach came from Bert Allen, father of the phenomenal Bertram and Harry. “I was with the Allen family for about four years. From day one Bertram was brilliant, as is Harry, a great little rider as well. The two girls, Grace and Lucy, also jumped at Grand Prix level and were both good girls to ride.”

Currently Michael takes out at least two days a week to coach, often travelling to his client’s base. Others come to Michael’s yard where he teaches during the evening.

He recently spent four years at Coolmore Showjumping training the Wachman children. “It was a brilliant time,” he states. “I coached Max, Tom and Alice, and they had a lot of success. We still get on really well and I had a great time there.”

Michael Condon with Tom Wachman \ Sporting Images Photography

Once the hunting season commences, it’s all systems go. Mary and Michael hunt a minimum of three days a week – two with the Wexfords and one with the Bree. In addition, Michael usually takes another day somewhere and a fifth if time allows.

“I would also try to get a day with the Island or sometimes the Wards. We also keep a horse for Shane Breen to hunt, so when he’s over we have a bit of a party and would head off to the Scarteen. We chat every week on the phone – he’s as much a hunting fanatic as I am.”

Asked whether he is as brave as he was in his youth, Michael fires back. “Yes, every bit! The day I stop getting brave I will hang up the boots.” Jason Higgins, who himself is no slouch across the country confirms this by adding: “He’s not getting any younger, but when he gets up on his best buddy Romeo and you spend the day following him, it’s like following an 18-year-old possessed!”

Tough times

Mary and Michael have endured plenty of tough times, initially when Mary was battling cancer a few years ago. During this time her brother-in-law Johnny Howard took the horn for a couple of years, while her sister Muriel looked after the hounds.

“Without them we would really have been in trouble,” said Michael. This family support came into play again, when following two separate serious incidences, Michael was hospitalised for quite some time.

The first occurred about three years ago, when a hunting fall left him with multiple fractures. “My leg got stuck in the iron and I was dragged,” he recalled casually. “To make matters worse, the horse saw me and started kicking at me and broke me up in bits. I broke seven ribs, punctured the lung, tore the kidney and things like that.”

Having recovered from this set back, far worse was ahead, and this time in form of Weil’s disease, a potentially fatal bacterial infection. “That almost took me all right,” he commented.

“I was on life support for a couple of weeks. They even came in one morning to unplug the machine but I must have heard them and blinked or something, because they decided to leave it be!

“It was a situation we can all laugh about now, but at the time it was extremely serious. I was unconscious for about two weeks, and I was later told that a very good friend of ours, Father Daly, came and sat with me every day and prayed, which was obviously a big help as well.”

Recuperation took the best part of a year, but, “I’m flying now. I’m like a cat with nine lives – I only have three or four of them used and we’ll push it to the limit!”

Breeding and producing

Having both returned to full health, the intrepid couple currently have six hunters between them, and Mary is now back in charge of the hounds. Out of the hunting season, she helps Johnny and Muriel at the kennels and walking puppies, but still finds the time to work with the three-year-old horses.

A skilled producer, she does the lunging and the driving, and when they are ready to progress further, she passes them on to Jason or the invaluable Alice Martin-Jones to continue their education.

Although Michael still buys horses in, he and Mary are also breeding. They have four mares at present, and buy additional foals to run with those born at home. “We’ve been doing this for the past five years and have now built up a routine which seems to work,” Michael said.

Unsurprisingly, their breeding programme is largely continental, but as Michael qualifies: “We would try to buy an Irish pedigree if we could, but unfortunately they are becoming scarcer and scarcer to find. I can remember going back 30 years ago when the local farmers would send in a horse to do a bit of jumping.

“They had all the old breeding and were by stallions like Clover Hill, Diamond Lad, King of Diamonds all crossed with thoroughbred mares. In those days too, the likes of Max Hauri used to come in and anything really nice he would buy.

“To me though, if the farmers at that time could have afforded to keep the likes of those good mares our breeding would be in a different situation now. When you look at Marion Hughes, who tries to get mares back for breeding, she makes the effort to keep the old breeding and bloodlines in the background. They are probably getting far back in the pedigrees and getting weaker but to me, the mares are a big part of Irish show jumping breeding.”

That said, Michael is optimistic that Irish breeding is on the up. “You have the likes of Greg (Broderick) and Ger (O’Neill) who are now very big into their breeding, as are Jason (Higgins) and Brian (Flynn). I think the young horse jumping classes in Ireland are very, very strong now. The lads are buying very good pedigrees from abroad, and when buying them as foals I think putting them on the Irish land makes a big difference.”

Proud father

Without a doubt, Michael is hugely proud of his children’s achievements, and memories of all their successes are numerous. The sporting ones are naturally spearheaded by those of his own son Anthony, who now 32 years old, is based in Cheshire with his partner Laura, and young son Hector.

Anthony was, according to his father, “exceptional from the start. He had a good eye, combined with a good feel and a good temperament. Everything just clicked.

“His sister Claire was every bit as good, and at the time was equally successful. If one had a bad day, the other would step up – they were very competitive against each other. We were also lucky that we were in a position that people would give us some good ponies to ride as well as our own.”

Michael remembers watching Anthony represent his country at the pony Europeans at Zangersheide in 2002. “We had hardly been out of Ireland, let alone go to jump the Europeans in Belgium,” he recalled. “Anthony finished up winning the individual bronze medal on a pony called Another Riot which had been loaned to us by Mary Quinlivan. She was a special pony, and we never dreamed we’d have something like that for Anthony to ride.

“The following year, we were a bit short of ponies again, so our good friend Walter Reape gave Anthony the ride on Mr Polo Bear. Both Anthony and Claire were selected for the championships in Necarne that year, returning home with a team bronze. They were super moments.”

Following school, Claire went off to college and, like her three sisters, is a social worker. She does still ride and hunt however, and may resume her competing on an amateur basis.

In more recent years, Michael cites another stand out moment when, in 2018 Anthony played a vital part in helping Ireland secure the Division 1 Longines FEI Nations Cup at Hickstead. Taking on Britain’s Holly Smith in a nail biting jump off, Anthony produced a brilliant fast clear to clinch victory in the final moments.

Anthony Condon and John Hales' stallion Aristio jumping clear for Ireland in the FEI Nations Cup at Falsterbo, Sweden \ Rolf Stenberg

He is now a major part of Ireland’s show jumping future, and is well supported by the ebullient racing owner John Hales. “He’s doing well for himself, and has been lucky in his connection with John Hales,” explained his father. “When Nick Skelton retired, Anthony more or less took over and John and his family have been a big, big help to him.”

Living his varied life to the full, Michael’s continued enthusiasm is infectious.

His obvious pleasure in training the young riders is tangible, and on home ground he is enjoying the pursuits and talents of his young grandson Shay Healy, and his younger sister Abbie.

“Shay comes up at weekends, and hunts two days a week. I can see I’ll soon have to fill the lorry up with ponies!”

And so the genes continue.