Text © World of Showjumping
Listed as the best showjumping nation in the world on FEI’s Longines League of Nations™ Ranking for two consecutive years, Ireland currently boasts seven riders within the top fifty on the Longines Ranking and six riders in the top fifty on the FEI U25 Ranking. In 2024, Irish riders produced 77 clear rounds during the Nations Cup-season – making Ireland the best of all participating countries, while their own Cian O’Connor was awarded as the most successful Nations Cup rider of the year with his fifteen clear rounds on four different horses.
According to some of Ireland’s very best riders, High-Performance Jumping Director Michael Blake is to thank for much of this success. Blake, however, is quick to credit the riders and their own private teams. “In my job, you also need to recognise that beyond the riders, there is a larger team – owners, grooms, staff, farriers, physios, and vets, as well as the national federations. We all work together to achieve results. There is a shared trust, purpose, and belief in the Irish showjumping system which has brought everyone on board to work towards the same objective – winning or earning a podium finish."
Blake was appointed as Ireland’s High-Performance Jumping Director at the end of 2019, when he succeeded Rodrigo Pessoa. However, Blake had a long history with the Irish showjumpers prior to his appointment. He had been Senior Development Jumping Manager and Assistant Team Manager since 2017, as well as in charge of much of the activity in the youth squads together with Comdt. John Ledingham before moving on to the senior riders.
The key drivers to Ireland’s success are according to Blake a mix of heritage and tradition – “Ireland’s rich history in equestrian sports”, access and education – “grassroots programmes and elite rider education”, work ethics – “including being skilled at balancing business, competitive demands and logistics”, “team environment”, and a “strong camaraderie and mentorship within the team” as he puts it.
Education and mentorship
"I would tell them to put a photo of a miserable, rainy Irish day at the end of their beds, so when they woke up in the morning the first thing they would see was that and they would only want to go back home for Christmas,” Blake laughs as he tells about the bursary system which helped many younger Irish riders go to the U.S.. Photo © Lexey Hall Photography.
Especially close to Blake’s heart is education, and, perhaps even more so, mentorship.
When Blake was still involved with the youth squads, he, Maureen Bagnall and Tomas Ryan, decided to take action – introducing initiatives particularly aimed at the younger riders to not only ensure smooth progression to elite level, but also to build for the future. The goal was to secure a big group of younger riders coming through behind the older and more experienced ones.
“At the time, we didn’t have enough horsepower among our younger riders, so we were swimming around in the same circle in this small pool – not achieving anything. We had great senior riders – Cian, Conor, Darragh, Denis, Shane – but nothing to back them up with,” Blake says.
“In 2014, we introduced a bursary system where we could send up to ten of our younger riders to America or somewhere in Europe on an annual basis,” Blake continues. “We sent the likes of the two Michael Duffys, Michael Pender and Eoin McMahon out of Ireland – normally it was for around three weeks. My advice to them would be to make themselves invaluable. I would tell them to put a photo of a miserable, rainy Irish day at the end of their bed, so when they woke up in the morning the first thing they would see was this and they would only want to go back home for Christmas,” he laughs.
Many of the more experienced Irish riders would take on someone younger, and several of them still do
“The bursaries we created were financed by a sponsorship from Horse Sport Ireland and Red Mills,” Blake explains. “We would cover the flights and a bit of pocket money and for the rest they would have to work. Many of the more experienced Irish riders would take on someone younger, and several of them still do. That created a little community too, especially in America.”
“The second initiative we launched to try to improve the situation was an educational academy that the younger riders based in Ireland had to attend,” Blake explains. “It was introduced in 2017, and aligned well with the Rolex Young Riders Academy which was launched in 2014. Through our own Irish academy, the riders had already done their homework – they had been taught about everything from horsemanship and horse welfare, to accounting and media management. Looking back, I believe it was beneficial for the Irish riders – until now we have had eighteen riders selected for the Young Riders Academy, a big number for a small nation. Bertram Allen, Eoin McMahon and Michael Pender are just some of the Irish Nations Cup riders that have come through the Young Riders Academy,” Blake points out.
“These younger riders grabbed every opportunity and have garnered incredible success both on the sporting field and financially,” Blake says. “They are a credit to themselves and their families, and I am very proud to have played a small part in helping formulate their path to success.”
Knowing what’s under the hood
“The Irish know how to work because many of us were born with not so much,” Blake says. “Take my own story. I wanted a pony. My father, he was a veterinary surgeon so he could easily afford a pony, but he wouldn't see that he would buy me one until I proved it to him how much I wanted it. When I was eight years old, I milked a cow for a year. Then I got the calf, which I went on to sell and I bought a pony for that money. That's how I got going. By doing all this my father knew I was committed. And my story is exactly the same as every other story, like every other Irish rider. In school, they went to friends down the road who had horses, or they worked hard for a chance to get a riding lesson, or a chance to compete. So, I suppose when the Irish riders get an opportunity, they know the value of that opportunity. They also know the value of money because they all had to work for it.”
“Darragh Kenny, how hard he worked when he went to the U.S. to Missy Clark,” Blake says of the man that Clark now refers to as ‘one of the best students of the sport’ that she ever worked with. “That took character – nothing of what he has today came for free. He got up in the early hours every single day to work with any kind of horse, whether it was for the hunter, equitation or jumper ring.”
Some riders from certain nations think that the horse was born at the mounting block with the tack on, and that is the difference
“I would say that the difference between the Irish riders and riders from a few other nations is also that the Irish riders know what's under the hood. Some riders from certain nations think that the horse was born at the mounting block with the tack on, and that is the difference. It's perhaps brutal to say, but it's true,” Blake says.
“I think it’s also important to remember that when we talk about work ethics today, there are a lot of aspects to be balanced,” Blake says. “As a rider you have to balance competitive demands, with both the business and the logistics. First off, I suppose when many of our riders went over to America, they only thought about competing, and I was trying to get their head away from that – there is a lot more to our sport and there are many people who are good in the ring. So, unless you can prove yourself in every other facet of the sport too, you won’t stand out.”
Creating chances
For a decade, Blake has worked relentlessly on creating chances for the Irish riders – and he is the first to confess that he would take an invitation to a Nations Cup on the moon if there was one. “The way I look at it, if we do all the Nations Cups available and possible for us – that’s realistically somewhere around 20-23 senior Nations Cups a year – and multiply that by four, that’s 92 chances that we can give to different riders, plus the alternate,” Blake says. “But it’s also not that simple. First of all, some of these Nations Cups are really difficult to get into – there were a few times last season where I had to ring up the organisers again and again to get a team in. Secondly, we also have to make it palatable for the horse owners as many of them need to balance different obligations such as for example participation in the Global Champions League or the Major League Show Jumping, or other lucrative Grand Prix classes.”
“In 2024, we only used around 30 different riders because we were focusing a bit more towards the Olympics and wanted to give the championship riders more chances. We had 15 podium finishes out of 21 starts. But, in 2023, we actually used 39 different riders and we had 13 podium finishes out of 19 starts,” Blake tells.
We have very consciously tried to emphasise blending experienced senior riders with up-and-coming talent
“We have very consciously tried to emphasise blending experienced senior riders with up-and-coming talent,” Blake continues. “By now we have depth in the team; Ireland boasts 35 senior elite riders to draw from, which creates flexibility in our team selection.”
“What I’m also proud of is that when we won the Nations Cup in Rome in 2023 – for the first time in history – two of the riders that were part of the squad had come through our own academy and three of them had been through the Rolex Young Riders Academy. Paired with the experience of Denis Lynch, Michael G. Duffy, Michael Pender and Jack Ryan went out in Rome and set the record straight. I love these young riders because I suppose I have a long working relationship with them, so that was something very special. To me, it also confirmed my philosophy of how nothing will prepare you for a Nations Cup other than being on a Nations Cup team, and that these mentorships between the seniors and the younger generation are really important,” Blake says.
“We are a well-oiled machine now, one of the best in the world when you look at the last seasons. But, like any other nation, there are days we miss out and very sore days – one of them being the Olympics,” Blake says. “Then again, if you would have said upfront that Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, and Switzerland, would not be on the podium, and Switzerland wouldn’t even qualify for the team final, few would have believed you. That’s the nature of our sport; it’s unpredictable.”
A unique sport
"This is a unique sport on so many levels,” Blake continues. "First of all, in our sport, we have two athletes – one being a highly-strung flight animal. The level of precision, partnership and preparation required is unmatched. Riders at the elite level know that and while it may look easy to an onlooker or outsider, it absolutely is not."
Our sport cannot be compared to any other sports in terms of coaching, training or selection principles
“Secondly, our sport cannot be compared to any other sports in terms of coaching, training or selection principles,” Blake points out about the singularities of showjumping. “A normal team training on a monthly basis, like in many other sports, would be unthinkable for any top showjumping nation – especially Ireland – as the riders are scattered out all over the world with different demands and schedules. On top you have the expenses and logistics that come into play, which are very different from any other sport.”
“Hence, the job as chef d’equipe is to advise, to link in with the riders and their coaches, and to help horses and riders prepare for competition. We must also not forget that most of these riders and their coaches are elite, and will leave no stone unturned in the preparation for any big show they attend,” Blake says.
Analytics and planning
Next to being an advisor, Blake is as High-Performance Jumping Director also in charge of the planning of the Irish team – something that obviously has to be done in collaboration with the riders and their horse owners. "To speak about leadership is interesting because leadership means different things to different people. For me, it begins with managing and leading myself,” Blake points out. “I need to organise and map out all competitions not only for the next year but for the next four years, working backwards to plan horse-and-rider combinations for teams."
"Once I have the overall plan mapped out, I engage with approximately 50 riders to outline both individual and team plans for the coming month, year, and years ahead. Forward planning is key, but communication is just as critical,” he says. “I spend a significant amount of time on the phone, talking with riders – something anyone who knows me will attest to."
When it comes to Nations Cups, there’s nothing like the experience of a Nations Cup to prepare both horse and rider
“The long-term planning revolves around the four-year Olympic cycle,” Blake continues. “Our riders are great to plan though, and we work with them at the start and end of every year, helping them formulate their plans for the coming months and years.”
"Within this planning, some horse-and-rider combinations will focus on individual jumping to gain more experience, particularly for young horses,” Blake explains. “However, when it comes to Nations Cups, there’s nothing like the experience of a Nations Cup to prepare both horse and rider. This is why three- and four-star Nations Cups are critical to the overall development of the team,” Blake says.
“I also keep my own “little black book” with every course and its strides collected over the years – a personalized database of analytics,” Blake reveals of a tool he always uses when at a Nations Cup show with the Irish riders. “This rivals modern computerized systems as it allows me to quickly reference past performance and tailor strategies.”
Balancing expectations
“I would always like to give the riders a say in which shows they would like to do,” Blake continues. “But, of course, if seven people want to jump the Aga Khan in Dublin, then that's going to be a little difficult so we would have to have a little chat about that. At times it’s necessary to balance expectations, because you can't have everyone everywhere.”
"I understand that for some competitions, people may feel disappointed if they’re not selected for the team. I only have four spots to fill, and tough decisions are part of the job,” he says.
I do think we have created a culture where you don't put up your hand unless you think you can deliver
“As a team manager, each decision you make must consider the unique nuances of every horse-and-rider combination, ensuring optimal performance,” Blake says. “That involves careful preparation of each horse to perform at its best during critical competitions. Strategies for long-term horse management, including rest and rehabilitation post-events is also part of the job.”
“This means that sometimes I also like to use the lower level Nations Cups to test new horse-and-rider partnerships,” Blake tells. “I’d rather do that test in a three-star Nations Cup than in a five-star Grand Prix with one round and a jump-off, because the latter won’t give me the same information. A Nations Cup will tell me more about what I need to know than any Grand Prix will.”
“I do think we have created a culture where you don't put up your hand unless you think you can deliver,” Blake points out. “Everyone who wants to be on the team is putting their best foot forward and are beyond averagely committed. You can't do a Nations Cup on route from one show to another, and nothing will prepare you for a Nations Cup like a Nations Cup – it’s different to anything else. In 2 1/2 hours you’ll jump two rounds over 14 fences, and do the open water twice. Plus, you have the added pressure of your country.”
It takes a village
“I strive to foster a spirit of camaraderie, strong work ethic, and a ‘get-it-done’ attitude,” Blake says. “I aim to lead myself, my riders, and inspire them to lead themselves as well. This extends to encouraging riders to support and advise each other, fostering a sense of pride and unity."
I'm proud of their commitment to representing Ireland in the Nations Cups around the world
“As for the riders and horse owners, I'm proud of their commitment to representing Ireland in the Nations Cups around the world. I'm proud that they want to do it because if you for example win a three-star Nations Cup, you probably get around 4000 Euro in prize money if you're lucky. So, it’s not for the money they're doing it,” Blake points out.
“I suppose securing top quality horses is something that remains a critical challenge, but I have to say the Irish riders excel at getting investors and owners to back them,” Blake says. “And if you look at the horses, there are also a lot of owners outside of Ireland supporting Irish riders – which is something we are really grateful for.”
Future vision
Blake’s focus is now on sustaining Ireland’s dominance. “I will continue to focus on developing the young riders and U25 riders as a pipeline for senior success,” Blake says. "Mentorship between the senior riders and the younger generation will continue to be one of our most important tools in that regard. My vision is for Ireland to continue being one of the best teams in the world. Within that, we focus on specific competitions and work together to build team cohesion.”
“I think it’s critical to realise that in this sport the most important thing we can do for the riders is to create opportunities and teach them how to grab those opportunities,” he points out.
"Our riders know what to do, and they do it,” Blake concludes. “I’m incredibly proud of their hard work, dedication, and commitment to represent Ireland. This pride and sense of shared purpose are the cornerstones of our success."
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