For Conor Swail, 2013 was a rollercoaster year of highs and lows. With the stallion Lansdowne, the rider amassed 1,355 points during the season, propelling the pair into the top 10 combinations in the world from a total of 4,648. By the end of the year, they were the eighth best show jumping combination in the world.

Among the many wins that helped to push the pair up the rankings was their victory in the €400,000 Pan American Grand Prix in Spruce Meadows in July and their Nations Cup appearances throughout the year. The pairing helped Ireland to a Nations Cup win at Spruce Meadows in Canada with a double clear round and were also part of the Irish Aga Khan team for the Nations Cup in Dublin, where the team finished in third position.