IT was a winning week for Irish show jumping at Desert International Horse Park, Thermal, California, in the USA.

Co Down’s Conor Swail was on top form, winning Saturday’s $117,000 U.S. Bank three-star Grand Prix with the 12-year-old liver chesnut gelding Theo 160 (Christian 25 x Julia x Calando IV).

That wasn’t an easy task, though, as Swail was up against some top competitors in the jump-off, with only four out of 36 starters jumping clear over Bernardo Costa Cabral’s (POR) track; the others being Swail’s student, Vanessa Mannix (CAN), Matt Archer (USA) and Karl Cook (USA) with Caracole de la Roque, who have already won CSI5* Grands Prix.

Cook set the time to beat at 40.62 seconds and Swail thought he might have to settle for second place. Theo 160 had other ideas and came home in 40.25 seconds to take the lead by just 0.37 seconds.

“I knew I was close, but it was a beautiful round,” Swail said afterwards. “I was so delighted with him [Theo 160]. He does everything I ask and it’s another great win for him.”

Cook finished second with Caracole de la Roque, with Mannix third on Carmela Z, as the third of three double clears.

Swail has ridden Theo 160 since 2021, and together they have racked up numerous titles around the globe. He can depend on Theo to help him, regardless of the class, fence height or the competition they face.

“He’s just such a great little athlete and I think the two of us know each other really well now, so we’re very in tune with each other. I know I can take what risks I’m going to take and I know he’s going to help me out, so I take big risks.”

Count Me In

Swail followed up on Saturday’s Grand Prix success with another win on Sunday, this time riding the 17-year-old gelding Count Me In (Count Grannus x Sherlock Holmes) to claim the top honours in the concluding $32,000 1.45m Classic.

“He had a bit of a quieter year,” said Swail as he looked back on the past 12 months with ‘Crosby’. “He started off really well, but then he wasn’t feeling the big classes, so we dropped into the 1.45m and 1.50m. He seemed to be more comfortable there. I feel him getting back into good form again. This week, I just wanted to give him a jump around. It’s a nice opener for him.

“He’s the best horse I’ve ever had,” he said of Crosby. “We had one year there, where the horse took me places I’ve never been. I know I have a great group of horses that got me to the top 10, but it was mainly him. I did my first World Cup Finals and we were seventh. We were one jump away from the podium. I went to Aachen for the first time. We went to Dublin and won the Aga Khan in a jump-off.”

Swail has fond memories of that day, when he brought the Aga Khan Trophy home for his teammates in a jump-off. “That was probably the best day of my life,” he said. “When you’re growing up in Ireland, the Aga Khan means everything. To win it in a jump-off, it was just an amazing day. He owes me absolutely nothing. He is such a good guy, we’ve had such good times. If he doesn’t want to do the big stuff any more, I’m very happy winning whatever he wants to do.”

Repeat winners

Less than a week later, on Thursday, February 1, the pair took another win, this time on the grass field in Thursday's $32,000 100X Equine CSI4* 1.50m Speed at the same venue.

“I’m delighted with how Crosby [Count Me In] performed today,” Swail said of the 17-year-old Mannon Farms-owned gelding. “I think the draw helped me today; I was a little later on and I saw the way the course was going. I knew what it would take to take over the lead. Obviously then you have to go in and perform. I must say Crosby jumped exceptionally today. He was really on it. It was a lovely round from him. The round went very according to plan and he jumped it beautifully.”

Swail has competed at Desert International Horse Park over the last few seasons and, this season he has opted to stay in California and forego Wellington – a plan that appears to be working well so far.

As the show commenced last Wednesday, Ireland’s James Chawke on One Edition won the $1,500 1.40m Open Jumper class, with Swail behind in fourth place riding Nadal Hero & DB.

Chawke was on a roll and also won Thursday’s $25,000 1.45m Open Classic with Isa. Of the 34 starters, 11 got through to the jump-off, where Chawke jumped clear in a time of 63.11 seconds, more than half a second quicker than runner-up, Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet on Beau Gosse du Park who finished in 63.68 seconds.

Swail showed his class again in the $32,000 FEI three-star 1.50m Speed class, when he was runner-up with Casturano and third with Theo 160, behind Canadian winner Ali Ramsay riding Bonita VH Keizershof Z. Chawke placed eighth in Friday’s $7,500 1.35m class with Constanzehof’s Toy Story.

Saturday saw Liam Deery on Ambre de la Cense take second for Ireland in the $1,000 1.20m Open Jumper class, while Swail came third in the $40,000 National Grand Prix with Nadal Hero & DB.

Sunday saw a second place for Chawke on Constanzehof’s Toy Story in the $10,000 1.35m Open Classic.