IRELAND’s most capped show jumper Cian O’Connor has made a career out of jumping on Nations Cup teams for Ireland. However, he has encouraged the FEI to up their game in order to keep up with initiatives like the Global Champions Tour.

Speaking alongside Irish team manager Rodrigo Pessoa and teammate Michael Duffy at Tuesday’s Horse Sport Ireland press conference in Punchestown, O’ Connor said: “I have, to some extent, made Nations Cup jumping my career but it is something the FEI really have to look to up their game.”

O’Connor, who is part of the New York Empire Global Champions League team, added: “Jan Tops has done a really great job to bringing the Global Tour to the fore and has created an environment where people can compete at a high level for top prize money. The FEI have to really try to match that or they will be left behind.”

Pessoa agreed and added that, as a manager, he has to understand his riders sometimes need to chase the lucrative prize pots. “Riding for your country is very important and some riders give more importance to that than anything else. But on the other side I have to understand as well, yards are very expensive to run, it’s really a business, and so the riders have to go where the money is up for grabs and I do understand that they have to do that.

“As a manager when you have 11 riders, like I do, that are going on the Global Tour, I like to see them compete against the best in the world, I like to see them win the prize money and improve – on one hand that is really good, but it is times when they are not using their horses for Team Ireland, so there is a good balance to be made.

“We try to have good communication and a good plan to fit both in because I know that both are important for the riders,” Pessoa said.

British-based Michael Duffy, who made his Global Champions League debut for Miami Celtic a winning one in Mexico last month, added: “For me, I wouldn’t be where I am today without Nations Cup jumping and without the belief of Robert Splaine and Rodrigo (Pessoa), that is what got me to the five-star level. It was only through that I was asked to go on a Global team, so there is a balance to be had and you have to look after both.”

SUPPORT

O’Connor is looking forward to the season and has added two new exciting prospects to his string for 2018 – Exelero 2 and Veneno, who have both jumped at five-star level under Russia’s Liubov Kochetova. Along with Clenur, they will back up his top mount Good Luck who is being aimed for World Equestrian Games.

“I want to be part of the team to qualify for the games and win a medal at WEG. It’s the same for all of us, we are only as good as the horses that we have and it’s a constant battle to keep reinventing ourselves and find the next superstar and the raw material to develop that animal into a top talent takes a lot of work and you have to turn a lot of stones before you get there,” O’Connor told the gathered media.

He thanked the team’s main sponsors, Devenish and The Underwriting Exchange, and a question from Devenish’s Owen Brennan on what Ireland could do better to help the team reach the next level sparked the Co Meath man to invite all parties to work together.

“I think there is opportunities there to draw a connect between international participation, the grassroots people at home and the companies who we have association with, perhaps by coming to events or working together or maybe we, some of the top riders, could go to various places and give clinics, demonstrations and so forth. So we would welcome further collaboration and we would like to all work together. A rising tide lifts all boats and we are certainly going in the right direction with your support,” O’Connor said to a round of applause.

Pessoa added: “Owners have to take a big part of the credit as without them it would be very difficult. We really want to thank them and we would like to have more Irish brands supporting us, that would be really great because we really have something to give. This team is considered one of the best in the world and we are happy to welcome anyone on board.”