I THINK many people would have been surprised last week that Cian O’Connor’s emergence into the top 10 of the Longines World rankings was for the first time in his career. I certainly was. Cian has long been Ireland’s most recognisable show jumper, most capped team rider and Ireland’s only equestrian Olympic medallist.

“This time last year I would have made a conscious effort to try to tackle the world rankings a bit more and have a go at it,” he told The Irish Field. “If I go back a little bit to when I started riding, it was all about Nations Cups and getting on teams. I always had one good horse but now, the way the sport has gone, it’s so competitive and there are so many shows, I decided I wanted to try and have a go.”