WHEN husband and wife, Susanna Francke and Peter Cole, went to Badminton Horse Trials for the first time back in 1991, they imagined what it would be like to own a horse competing there. Little did they know that some 26 years later that dream would become a reality.

November Night (Bonnie Prince x Flagmount King), a mare they bought as a four-year-old at the Going for Gold sale, was the horse which brought them back to Badminton as owners in 2017 and, throughout her career, allowed them to experience the joy that comes with owning a five-star eventer.

For some, this chance only comes along once in a lifetime; but for Susanna and Peter, it appears lightning may have struck twice. Grantstown Jackson (Clover Brigade x Right Win (TB)), another one they purchased as a four-year-old at the Going for Gold sale, has just completed his first five-star in Pau, France, under Sarah Ennis, and is tipped as a potential pick for the Paris Olympics.

Earlier this week, Susanna spoke to The Irish Field about their life with horses and the delight that their two superstars have given them.

“We both grew up around horses. I lived in North Tipp and had a pony, so it was Pony Club and hunting with Oriels, and all of that, as a child.

“I developed a huge interest in the sport and remember going with a gang of mates in the early 90s to watch Badminton and thinking ‘Wow, imagine having a horse here’.

“I have had horses all my life and compete, eventing at a lower level myself.

“How it all began really was we got involved in a syndicate called Going for Gold, funnily enough. It was a group of about 40 or 50 of us, who got together before the 2008 Olympics to sponsor a few event horses.

“We got involved in event horse ownership in a small way then. We had a stake in a horse with Louise Bloomer; we had a stake in a horse with Austin O’Connor and amongst the horses we sponsored was Ciaran Glynn on Killossery Kruisita and we got to know Ciaran through that. I was sort of the contact person for the group at the time.

“It was after that Peter and I then decided we’d buy a horse for Ciaran to ride. We went down to the first Going for Gold sale, which was held in Monart and we bought November Night down there.

“She was not an expensive mare, there was very little interest in her, but Ciaran rode her and felt that there was something about her. She went all the way to five-star. She was the first proper event horse we owned; we were very lucky to end up with her.

“She did five five-star events and a European Championship without a single cross-country penalty, she was an incredible mare. She retired in 2019 through injury, sadly.

Jackson town

“Before she retired, we had bought Jackson. That was eight years ago and he was just four at the time.

“He was a very different type of horse. I really liked his breeding. He was small and sharp and a bit mad; I’m not sure Ciaran was ever crazy about him, but he rode him for a few years and then suggested that we pass him on to Sarah (Ennis). He felt he was more a horse for her than for him, we said okay and had a chat with Sarah and he moved over to her when he was about six or seven.

“She got on really well with him from the time he came to her. He was a work in progress, and we didn’t necessarily feel he had the potential to go all the way, but she enjoyed him and we had fun along the way.

“He wasn’t ready, for example, to go to Le Lions D’Angers as a youngster, whereas November Night had gone there. Jackson, at seven, was still really learning the ropes. But Sarah, as she does, very persistently and with a lot of hard work and dedication, managed to get him on the right track.

“We still weren’t sure if he was really top-level, but then in the middle of last year, something fell into place with him. He started going better and producing much better show jumping rounds and good cross-country and we began thinking of him as a proper horse.

“He went to Boekelo last year and was fantastic, jumping a double clear. He has progressed hugely over the past year and a half, culminating in the five-star in Pau just the week before last.

“He’s very quick cross-country. He’s such a blood horse, he’s 7/8ths thoroughbred. He’s very quick to turn very clever cross-country and that’s probably his biggest strength. Although he’s also a very solid show jumper.

“He’s great fun and has turned out to be probably a better horse than we ever thought he would be.

“He has surprised us all a little, at one stage we thought he would be a junior horse for our son Philip, who was just out of ponies, but he won’t get a look in now…

“We are very much enthusiasts rather than experts in eventing. We love the sport, but our own involvement has been at an amateur level as riders, but we have been extremely lucky as owners to have bought two young inexpensive event horses, who have gone on to be five-star horses.

“We feel he’s on an upward trajectory now, there’s a lot more to come. He may just be knocking on the door of potential Olympic selection, but a lot can happen between now and next summer. That would be a dream come true; that aside, we would be aiming for Badminton next spring. We haven’t finalised that yet. We have to sit down with Sarah and have a chat, but hopefully there will be another five-star for him next year.

“Sarah has a lot of plans for training over the winter, he’ll have a little break first and then come back to work.

“Sarah is fantastic to work with. Lovely to deal with, such a hard worker. Just a great rider to have.

“Both our horses were never bought to be sold. They were bought for us, and for the rider to campaign. Which means we can take as long as we like to get them up and running. Horses develop at different speeds and it’s nice not to have to rush them when they are young.

“Jackson will come home here to Kildare for his holidays. It’s nice to have him to chat to on a daily basis. He’ll go out in the field with his rug and live out there. I keep a paddock for him that’s currently knee deep in grass, so once he gets here the head doesn’t even come up; he goes out and stuffs himself and winds down. It’s lovely.

“He’s a really nice, cuddly little horse to be around. He loves his treats and is very straightforward to handle, so we enjoy having him home for his holidays before he goes back to serious business...”