LOCATION, location... growing up near Banner Equestrian Centre was the first stroke of luck for Philip McGuane, one of a multitude of successful Irish expats in the United States. Florida is a prime location too, attracting riders from home, Europe, South America and worldwide for its winter circuit. Recently, Philip and the Evergate Stables team made the annual pilgrimage south to Florida from their upstate New York base.
McGuane has already scored several wins on the Florida circuit and is relishing the prospect of another season there.
How, though, did the pony-mad youngster get from the Banner County to the States?
“I was raised on a farm in Corofin, County Clare, not far from the Banner Equestrian Centre, operated by Noel and Simone Barry.”
Following the lead of several classmates, Philip took up lessons at the local centre which, in turn, led to his first competition experience in local show jumping competitions.
Opportunities started to roll in after Philip met Jimmy Quinn, a former rider with the Army Equitation School and an accomplished course designer. “Jimmy introduced me to his friend, Barry O’Connor, which opened new doors.”
Philip was already “spending every possible moment at the stables” and although a career with horses wasn’t initially part of his plan - he completed a year of Business and German Studies at the University of Limerick - made a leap of faith when another opportunity came his way.
“Barry O’Connor offered me the chance to work for him, producing young sale horses.”
Philip McGuane and Orphea HQ at North Salem \ SEL Photo
Dublin treble
From one foundation in business to learning the horse trade first-hand from O’Connor’s vast experience in horse sales. Not only did this Clare apprentice’s seven-year spell at Malahide Stables include opportunities to travel and compete at international shows, but his boss also paved the way to make more contacts within the industry.
“Barry arranged for me to work with prominent equestrians like Conor Swail, Captain Brian Cournane and Michel Hendrix,” said Philip about this range of riders, who each became mentors and imparted invaluable lessons at the start of his career.
“Each year, Barry set a goal for us to bring the young horses to compete at Dublin Horse Show. One of our proudest achievements was consistently finishing in the top placings of the seven/eight-year-old final for three consecutive years.”
The first of the trio - LVS Wizard (Cobra x Diamond Lad), fourth in the 2016 final - had a Banner County connection.
“LVS Wizard was owned with Barry by Martin and Lisa O’Dea from West Clare Equestrian Centre. He won and placed in a lot of classes from five to seven-year-olds, before being sold to a client of Greg Broderick’s.”
The following year, the Belgian-bred Hey Jude (Ugano Sitte x Mr. Blue), originally named Judas van de Donkhoeve, finished third. In 2018, the Selle Français mare Antigone Gravelotte (Breemeersen Adorado x Caretino) matched that result and completed an O’Connor-McGuane treble in this Dublin final.
And a star-studded final the 2018 results have proven to be. The line-up included the victors, Daniel Coyle and his Paris Olympics horse Legacy, plus Mikey Pender and HHS Calais, winners of the five-star Barcelona Grand Prix this October.
Irish-American scene
Swiss links also feature in McGuane’s story, ranging from Simone Barry to Beat Mändli. Originally from the Lucerne area, Simone met her husband Noel when working at Max Hauri’s yard in Seon, before they set up Banner Equestrian Centre.
Mändli represented Switzerland three times at Olympic level, capped with a team silver medal at the Sydney Olympics.
Again, it was Barry O’Connor who opened doors, arranging for Philip to work with the Swiss rider in Wellington and pivotal in facilitating his move to the United States in 2018.
“Beat, who trains USA-based rider Katie Dinan, brought me on board to ride and compete with several of the horses under his care,” Philip explained.
What began as a temporary opportunity evolved into a full-time position and the knowledge and skills gained under Mändli’s tuition transformed Philip’s US venture.
“Working with Beat was an invaluable experience,” he noted. “I gained deep insights into all aspects of horsemanship, from meticulous horse care and flatwork to ensuring each horse was fit and strong for competition.
“Beat’s dedication to detail and his remarkable work ethic left a lasting impression. The experience was challenging, but it ultimately paid off,” adding that he would strongly advise any young rider to spend time with a top professional.
Any Irish rider making the move stateside would soon feel at home amongst a cohort of expats. You only have to look at Hippomundo’s show jumping rankings to see that our top-three show jumping riders - Conor Swail, Darragh Kenny and Shane Sweetnam - are all based in America.
In fact, looking at the riders by nationality rankings, no less than seven of the top-20: brothers Daniel (seventh) and Jordan Coyle (10th), Paul O’Shea (12th), James Chawke (13th), Richie Moloney (15th), David O’Brien (16th), Simon McCarthy (18th) are currently based in North America or Canada.
Philip McGuane and Orphea HQ being congratulated by Nayal Nassar and Jenn Gates Nassar \ Ashley Neuhof Photography
Evergate team
Not far behind this group is Philip (23rd), who has risen up the ranks thanks to the opportunity of joining the Evergate Stables team, working alongside Nayel Nassar and Jenn Gates Nassar in America.
Another member is Dutch rider Harrie Smolders, who coincidentally won this year’s Dublin seven/eight-year-old final with Devino vd Weretherback Z (De Flor III Z).
Nayel and Harrie are Hippomundo’s top-ranked show jumping riders for their respective countries: Egypt and The Netherlands; both also qualified for last summer’s Paris Olympic Games.
“I joined the Evergate Stables team in 2022. My experience in developing young horses and maintaining top-level competition horses made the role in Evergate Stables’ developing programme especially appealing,” continued Philip, about the next career move that provided him with an ideal opportunity to apply and refine skills already acquired here.
“We operate primarily out of New York and Florida. It’s a privilege to work alongside someone like Nayel. As a professional, he brings a calm and patient approach to his work with the horses, balanced by a strong, competitive drive in the ring.
“We often share competition horses and regularly ride each other’s horses to exchange insights that might help us bring out the best in each horse.
“Harrie is based out of Belgium, he competes and also sources horses for Evergate. Last year, he found the Irish Sport Horse ESI Ali (Stakkato Gold x Tygo) from Seamus Hughes Kennedy, a great addition to Nayel’s string, having won multiple classes this year.”
And what’s the plan? “My main goal at Evergate is to help produce quality young horses that can achieve success in the future, whether under one of our own riders or with others and to achieve strong results along the way.”
Florida winters
After packing up and shipping south, the team has settled in Wellington for the winter season. It’s a considerable undertaking to transport horses, equipment, vehicles, staff and, of course, the yard dogs, however, as Philip points out, the move is well-planned in advance.
“It does require careful coordination and we’re fortunate to have a dedicated team working behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly. Like all horses that travel around the US, our horses must have a recent health certificate and Coggins test before going south for the winter.”
And Evergate is not the only yard that makes the move southwards. “It’s common among major show jumping barns, typically taking place between October and December. While the main 13-week circuit in Wellington kicks off in early January, FEI competitions begin as early as November, so many horses and riders move down to Florida then.”
Wherever there’s horses, there’s the Irish and the Florida and US circuits is well-staffed by expats.
“Yes, there’s a vibrant Irish community in the US equestrian world. Not only riders, but also dedicated grooms, farriers, managers and trainers. Everyone is always ready to support and uplift a fellow Irishman!”
“Wants to be good”
Top of Philip’s Evergate string in Wellington is Orphea HQ. This 10-year-old mare is by Emerald, the stallion Harrie Smolders competed at the Rio Olympics and is a popular sire too amongst Irish breeders.
“I have ridden her for the last two years. She is not very big, but always tries hard and has a great brain. She has given me my biggest career win to date in the CSI3* WEF IV Challenge Cup last February.”
Just last Sunday, the pair finished fourth in a 1.55m Grand Prix class at Wellington to get their latest Florida campaign off to a strong start.
Any other Evergate horses he’ll compete over the winter? There’s Edgard de Prefontaine, a 14-year-old Contact van de Heffinck gelding.
“He has a lot of blood and is very sensitive, so he took a while to get used to, but he wants to be good. He has had some good results this year with both me and Nayel and I’m looking forward to the Florida season with him.
“Linguini de la Pomme is a 13-year-old mare by Marius Claudius. She has had a lot of success this year, winning classes for both Nayel and I. She is very careful and knows her job once she’s in the ring.”
And then there’s the youngest of the group: My Lady van de Krekel. “She’s a seven-year-old mare by Aganix du Seigneur. She’s small, but has a lot of blood and quality. Together we won the $25k seven-year-old final this March in Wellington. We will slowly produce her now and see how far she goes.”
Over the past two years, working for the Evergate team, what was his biggest accomplishment?
“Definitely winning the WEF Challenge Cup with Orphea HQ during this year’s circuit. Competing on the Trelawny Trailblazers in the Major League Show Jumping series was another highlight of 2024.
“This five-star series showcases some of the best riders in the world and, with a couple of older horses to compete, I feel very lucky to have been able to participate in this growing series.”
All sports
Cara Raether-Carey owns the Trelawny Trailblazer team that Philip is a member of and is married to Offaly native Niall Carey. The couple, plus a host of other Irish expats, have taken up the latest sport to sweep America: pickleball, a cross between tennis and squash.
“There’s a large group of Irish in upstate New York, where we’re based for the summer. This year, a group of us when we are not at shows or travelling, started playing pickleball at a local indoor court.”
In addition to the Careys, there’s a near-neighbour in the group: Padraig O’Connell from Cooraclare.
“I grew up with Padraig, both of us riding ponies in Co Clare and he’s now a farrier based over here. Then there’s Stevie Moore and Darragh Kerins’ son Daniel, to name a few, plus other horse people in the area who play too.”
Two more hobbies are F1 motor racing and travel - Brazil is on his bucket list one day. Philip’s priority though is the show jumping career that began with those first lessons at Banner Equestrian Centre, his talent spotted by Jimmy Quinn, then followed by learning the art of horse sales from Barry O’Connor and being mentored by the Olympic trio of Beat Mändli, Nayel Nassar and Harrie Smolders.
His is another great story of Irish riders making good abroad in a demanding sport - Philip McGuane’s career, built on golden opportunities, is on an upwards climb.