MARES dominated the medal positions at last week’s FEI WBFSH eventing world breeding championships for young horses at Le Lion d’Angers, with a bronze from the CCI2*-L for six-year-olds making its way to Ireland following Sunday’s prize giving ceremony at the popular French venue.

There is very much an international flavour to this result, as Cooley On Ice is a Zangersheide mare owned by Co Wicklow-based Cooley Farm and rider Amanda Goldsbury. Competing at the championships for the first time, New Zealand international Goldsbury finished 16th on her second ride, Cooley Farm’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Coolnorran Cooley.

Georgie Goss riding Sligo Just Touch at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion d'Angers \ Equus Pix

During the first three days of competition, the six-year-olds had much the better of the weather and 40 of the 46 starters completed. Of those combinations who failed to do so, one was withdrawn from the holding box during the second horse inspection, before which two were withdrawn. There was one elimination on the Pierre Michelet-designed cross-country course and two retirements, including the fourth-placed pairing of Germany’s Johanna Marloh and JS Chakalaka. Significantly, there were no German finishers in the top 12 in either competition.

Steven Smith riding Strangford at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion d'Angers \ Equus Pix

Sunday’s show jumping phase proved influential, as there were just six clear rounds within the time. One of these was recorded by the host nation’s Stephane Landois, who rose from fifth to eventually claim silver on the Selle Francais gelding Hermes du Gevaudan (27.7 penalties). Fourth at this stage, Goldsbury and Cooley On Ice maintained that position, despite picking up 1.2 time penalties for a completion score of 28.8 and then moved up a spot as Britain’s Kitty King slipped from third to sixth, when the Anglo European Studbook-registered Kantango lowered a pole (30.4).

Next in, compatriot Izzy Taylor was two seconds over the time with Barrington Alice, but that left her in second on 26.9. Unfortunately for another British rider, Mollie Summerland, who led from the first day of dressage on 25.1, her mount Mojo proved hard to settle in the electric atmosphere which defines Le Lion and the Dutch Warmblood gelding dropped right down to ninth with the addition of eight jumping penalties.

Caroline Harris riding Cooley Mosstown at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion d'Angers \ Equus Pix

A British Sport Horse mare by Cevin Z, Barrington Alice is owned by Jonny Hornby of Barrington Sport Horses. The grey was bred in Devon by Susie Holroyd out of Allercombe Mayday (by Kuwait Beach), a half-sister to the Jumbo mare Allercombe Ellie on whom Taylor finished eighth at Badminton (CCI4*) in 2016, having won the CCI3* at Tattersalls Ireland two years previously.

Brilliant result

Amanda Goldsbury, who joined Cooley Farm in the summer of 2022, was delighted with her debut performance at the championships. “It was brilliant!” said the rider and coach whose parents, Anne and David, flew up from New Zealand to support her and have since been on holiday in Ireland.

“This is an unbelievable event for young horses who would never get to experience anything like the crowds and atmosphere in Ireland.

“My mare was quite green, which was understandable as she only started eventing in June and had only completed four events as we didn’t go cross-country at Ballindenisk last month. The cross-country track ran the opposite to last year and I think this way was much better as horses have a better, galloping approach to the first two fences and most of the more difficult fences are in the centre of the racecourse, away from the crowds. I have to thank the team at Cooley for getting me here – they all put in a lot of work.”

Richard Sheane of Cooley Farm echoed Goldsbury’s sentiments when saying: “Amanda is the one who rode the mare and got the job done on the day, but it required a big effort from the whole team – the farriers, the grooms, the ones who stayed at home. Bringing two horses to an event like this requires a higher level of organisation. Jessie Law drove the horses out and Amanda went in the lorry, along with Joanna Barnes and Marah Leuders. As we had people in at home looking at horses, Georgie and I didn’t fly over until Friday.

“To have two horses of our own competing so strongly at Le Lion was amazing and it was super to win a medal,” continued Sheane who, not one to let sleeping dogs lie, added: “We would have done it six years ago if AKD Cooley Lockdown had been allowed go; the New Zealand system of selection is so fair, as it is based on results only.

“Le Lion has always been a brilliant venue and was even better this year, particularly with all the rain, as they have new, state-of-the-art stabling and the lorries were parked right beside this. The ground on the cross-country course held up really well. I’d love to see both Cooley On Ice and Coolnorran Cooley back there next year – but with different owners of course!”

Sheane purchased the Mark Hession-bred I’m Special de Muze gelding Coolnorran Cooley as a four-year-old from Mary Kehoe, while he spotted Cooley On Ice, who is out of a Diamant de Semilly mare, at Barnadown. “Clem McMahon was jumping the mare there one day and I approached him about her,” revealed Sheane. “He said he’d be interested in selling, but had to get on to his co-owner first. He rang me a few weeks later and I bought her.”

Best of Irish

The highest-placed Irish Sport Horse was the Kannan mare Global Karina, who was bred in Co Wicklow by Boleybawn Horses out of the Crown Z mare Arina. With 0.4 of a cross-country time fault, she finished 11th (33.4) under Norway’s Yasmin Olsson-Sanderson. Best of the three Irish riders in 14th place was Gilford’s Steven Smith with Terry Johnston’s Strangford, who jumped a double clear but was a second over the time in both phases for a total of 34 penalties.

This ISH gelding by Luidam, who finished second in the CCI2*-L at Kilguilkey House in July and won the HSI Studbook eventing series for six-year-olds, was bred in Co Antrim by Dorothea Wilson, out of the Cruisings Micky Finn mare Templepatrick Dara Bay. Strangford, who has 21 Show jumping Ireland points to his credit, was produced through the Young Event Horse Series and finished second at the 2022 Dublin Horse Show behind his stable-companion, CJO Kann Surprise.

Cooley Mosstown, who is ridden by Britain’s Caroline Harris, was the highest-placed ISH in the CCI3*-L for seven-year-olds when finishing fourth on his dressage score (28.9). By Celtic Hero BZ, this bay gelding was bred in Co Longford by David Harrison, out of Rabaila (by Riverman) and was campaigned on the SJI circuit here until the end of 2021 by the breeder’s son Robert.

Top 20

Three Irish riders finished inside the top 20 of this championship. With the addition of 1.6 cross-country time penalties, Padraig McCarthy completed in ninth (32.4) on the home-bred ISH gelding MGH Zabaione (Zavall VDL), three places ahead of the also Britain-based Georgie Goss, who completed on her dressage score (32.5) with the ISH gelding Sligo Just Touch (by Sligo Candy Boy). South Co Dublin’s Ian Cassells, who had earlier finished 19th in the CCI2*-L with Con McCarthy’s home-bred ISH mare Greenogue Gigi (Je T’Aime Flamenco), placed 16th here on Gerry Leahy’s ISH gelding Millridge Athos (by Grand Gayle), who had a fence down show jumping for a total of 34.7.

French riders on two bay mares, Thomas Carlile with Golden de Beliard (Upsilon) and Astier Nicolas with Gravure de la Mouline (Eldorado de Hus) claimed the gold and bronze medals on their respective dressage penalty scores – 28.3 and 28.7. Belgium’s Lara de Liedeerke-Mei split the home pair in second with the Belgian Sport Horse gelding Kiarado d’Arville (Diarado), who had costly time penalties on both jumping phases for a completion score of 28.4.

France’s Nicolas Touzaint, who took over the lead on the second day of dressage with the Selle Francais gelding Gauguin du Busson, was last to jump having gone clear across the country inside the time. However, to the dismay of the large crowd packed around the show jumping arena on Sunday, the Windows VH Costersveld bay lowered two poles and dropped to seventh (31.5). Overall 58 of the 70 starters completed, including nine of the 10 Irish combinations.