Behind every top-level showjumper lies a breeder, a pedigree, and a set of breeding decisions taken a decade or more ago. This article delves into the breeding details of the horses who claimed victory at five-star Grand Prix and World Cup level in 2024, analysing their parentage, damlines and breeders that set the foundation for their success. 

Discussions will centre around equine reproduction, young horse production, and the demands of top-level show jumping, offering attendees an excellent opportunity to hear directly from experts in their field.

Following the success of the sold out inaugural event in 2024, Connect, Select & Grow returns to Tullamore’s Bridge House Hotel on Thursday 27th February 2025. Plusvital, a leader in equine science and supplements, is title sponsor of this year’s event. 

13 CSIO5* team competitions were scheduled in 2024. The cancellation of the St. Gallen Longines League of Nations (LLN) reduced it to 12. 8 Irish bred horses accounted for 13 CSIO5* team appearances, representing four individual nations.

This past Friday, 19th July, marked one week from the opening of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Including those listed as ‘Reserve’, a total of 94 individual horses are named on the ‘Definite Entries’ list for jumping. Having studied the pedigrees of all listed horses, here are my breeding insights.

Setting out to establish a breeding programme in my 20s, I sought out successful breeders at every opportunity. I wanted to understand how the best did what they did.

'Connect, Select & Grow' is a sport horse breeder event, consisting of sessions on Networking, Stallion Selection & Growing Your Market. The event takes place in the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore, on Thursday 18th April 2024.

Including the Nations Cup final in Barcelona, sixteen CSIO5* Nations Cup events took place last year. Impressively, an Irish-bred horse contested ten of these team competitions. Ten individual Irish-bred horses lined out for 5* team duty throughout the 2023 season, representing four different countries.

The FEI/WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championship for Young Horses takes place in Le Lion d’Angers, France, this week. A total of 28 Irish-bred horses will contest the championship across the Six Year Old and Seven Year Old divisions.

Having gone through the pedigrees of all 85 horses competing at the FEI Jumping European Championship 2023, here are my breeding insights.

Over 1/3 of the horses competing at the Longines Global Champions Tour in Mexico this week, are the offspring of stallions who themselves competed on the Longines Global Champions Tour circuit in past seasons

In recent times, many top riders have also developed a breeding element to their business

This Thursday, 14th April, I will be hosting a Hippomundo webinar with founder, Koen Terryn, and Hippomundo COO, Eric Goosens. The webinar is free for all to attend.

In February, the breeding world lost one of its greats when Diamant de Semilly passed away at Haras de Semilly in France, aged 31. It is fitting therefore, that the former World Number 1 sire would be the most represented stallion in Doha, with an impressive five offspring entered to compete.

As you know, I strongly believe that Hippomundo is an exceptional service for those involved in the sport horse sector - especially us breeders. There are vast quantities of verified pedigree & performance data, rankings and tools available at the click of a button. The breeder, owner & rider contact pages make you globally accessible.

Who have been Ireland’s highest ranked breeders in 2021, across the three Olympic disciplines of Showjumping, Eventing and Dressage? Let’s delve into the Hippomundo Breeder Rankings and find out.

Well done to each of these Irish breeders on their respective ranking and breeding successes. Your home-bred horses have been fantastic ambassadors for Ireland’s sport horse sector throughout the 2021 season.

The FEI/WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championship for Young Horses takes place in Le Lion d’Angers, France, this week, from the 21st to 24th October. A total of thirty Irish-bred horses will contest the championship across the Six Year Old (CCI2*-L) and Seven Year Old (CCI3*-L) divisions.

The FEI/WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses got underway in Lanaken, Belgium, this morning. A total of thirty-six Irish-bred horses will contest the championship across the Five, Six and Seven Year Old divisions.

Irish-bred horses are represented across all three of the equestrian Olympic disciplines; Dressage, Eventing & Showjumping. In total fifteen Irish-bred will compete at the games. One in Dressage, twelve in Eventing and two in Showjumping.

Today marks exactly 8 years since my very first foal was born in Quarryfield. I can still remember the excitement, and good fortune, of being able to watch from the gate as Knightfield Mena give birth to healthy colt foal (pictured) by the previous year's World Cup winner, Flexible. I was 'as green as grass', had bought Mena with a loan that spring and did not have any existing customer base.