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“Nowadays, it's not just about being a good rider – that is probably only 40% of the job,” Ireland’s Trevor Breen tells World of Showjumping about the reality of being a professional showjumper. “You've got to be a lot more than a good rider; you have to be good at all other aspects of the sport as well.”

With his home-bred gelding Highland President (Clinton x Kannan), Breen won team silver with the Irish squad at the 2023 European Championships in Milan, Italy. However, after a stellar 2023, Breen had a freak accident while competing in Hamburg in May last year – breaking his neck and parts of his upper back. The initial prognosis was that Breen would never ride again, but the 46-year-old has fought his way back to the top. Five months after the accident, Breen returned to international competition, and in January this year he won the CSI4*-W 1.55m Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi with Luidam’s Warrior (Luidam Elite x Warrior), followed by a double clear with Highland President at the Longines League of Nations™-season opener in February.

“It is good to get back to the top level of the sport so quickly,” Breen says. “I’m really happy with that and very grateful to my family, my wife, my kids, my staff, my owners and my sponsors. I’m very grateful for their support and that they have given me the opportunity to recover and get back to what I love doing. Hopefully we can come back bigger and better than ever.”

With Highland President, Breen was gearing up towards the selection process for the Paris Olympic Games when the accident turned his life upside down. “It was one of those unfortunate things that can happen in our sport. Highland President was jumping fantastic; he was third on the first day and was clear in the Grand Prix up until the fall. I landed on my head, breaking and dislocating my neck and upper back,” Breen tells.

At first, Breen was told he would never ride again. “However, when I got transferred to another hospital, they had a totally different outlook,” Breen tells. “They put me straight into surgery. I was meant to be in surgery for just over an hour, but it actually took them over eight hours. My oesophagus was crushed as well and that's where they went through to fix my back and my neck. It was more complicated than they originally thought from the x-rays and the MRI, but the medical care I had in Hamburg was absolutely unbelievable. I think that if this had to happen, it could not have happened in a better place. They had me walking two days later, even though I did not believe it would be possible.”

In his mind, Breen had no doubts he would not recover fully. “I was always sure, I didn't really think any other way,” he explains. “I was 100% focused on getting back. I did a lot of rehab and physio. I worked very hard behind closed doors. It was painful at the start, but I pushed through and did all the possible treatments. All those things were tough at the time, but I think it’s all paying dividends now.”

With a talented string of horses, Breen is now looking forward to an exciting season ahead. “I have a really good team of horses at the moment, maybe the best I’ve ever had,” he tells. “The European Championships are this year, and I would love to get some opportunities with the Irish team and see where that leads. Long-term, I obviously try to gear towards the 2028 Olympics. I was in contention for Paris 2024, and it was pretty frustrating to be in the mix and then not be able to go. I've done the Europeans, and I would love to do the World Championship and Olympics.”

“Team Ireland is in a fantastic place at the moment,” Breen – recently double clear in the CSIO5* Land Rover Discovery Nations Cup™ of St. Gallen – continues. “Our chef d’equipe Michael Blake has done a great job and our results in the last few years have been incredible. Personally, I love riding for Team Ireland. When we have the green jacket on, we all fight and we get stuck in. I think there's always a great team spirit and everyone puts their best foot forward, which is crucial. Everyone wants to wear the green jacket and everyone wants to be on the team. That creates competition and competition creates good teams.”

3.6.2025 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.