SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Flipbook
    • Subscribe Options
    • Order Sidelines Caps
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Stallions
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Classifieds
    • Horse Trailers for Sale
  • Advertise
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Saturday, March 26 2022 / Published in Sidelines Spotlight

Unbridled With David O’Connor

By Britney Grover

 

David O’Connor says he’s inspired by athletes from any sport who work to become true masters of their craft, but many would say that’s exactly what he did in eventing. By the time he retired from competition in 2004, he’d won every color of Olympic medal—including individual gold from the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games aboard Custom Made—as well as medals from Pan Am and World Equestrian Games.

 

Growing up riding, David got a lot of miles in the saddle—literally. David was 11 when his mother took him and his 13-year-old brother on a coast-to-coast ride, over 3,000 miles. Next year marks the 50th anniversary since that trip, and his cross-country time since then has been on courses around the world. During his career from 1986 to 2004 he was named to nearly every U.S. Eventing Team, and went immediately from top competition to governance at the top of the sport.

 

David served as president of the USEF for eight years, followed by four years as the U.S. Eventing Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe and being named chair of the FEI Eventing Committee in 2018. In due course, David was inducted into the USEA Hall of Fame in 2009, and last December, the U.S. Olympic Endowment gave David the General Douglas MacArthur Exemplary Service Award, presented to only five individuals so far who have given “exemplary service” to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and athletes.

Photo courtesy of USEF Archives

 

What are your best early memories of riding?

We had our own ponies but we weren’t really show kids; we lived in a semi-rural area, where we could go everywhere on our ponies and we just rode on our own. Riding your pony over to the neighborhood baseball game or football game, put your pony in a paddock and then ride home after the game—that was pretty normal. The next big memory would be the trip cross-country, when we rode from Maryland to Oregon; that was a lot of time to spend with the horses.

 

Any favorite horses over the years?

It’s always hard to separate favorites out; they’re kind of like children in some ways. There are some that really taught you a lot, there are some that helped your career at different times, there are some that really made your career and put you out onto the world map. They’re all quite different, they all had inputs in my life that were quite unique; I had a horse called The Native that wasn’t a world famous horse but he taught me a ton about horse behavior, besides the famous ones like Giltedge and Custom Made, those horses that everybody knows. They all become something quite special to your life, and when you look back you realize what an impact they had on you whether it was a horsemanship thing or being successful out on the world stage.

 

If you could tell every rider one thing, what would it be?

Always surround yourself with the best people you can find, then watch and listen. A lot of our grooms became excellent, excellent riders—we never gave them lessons, but they were just around it and that’s how they rode. Also, don’t try to break out on your own too early; take your time for your education, like you would in any other discipline or area of life.

 

If you had a week off, what would you do?

Go directly towards water. I would be out on some beach area and play golf in the mornings and spend time watching water in the afternoons.

 

Where is your favorite place you have been?

Ireland; both my grandfathers came from Ireland, and I’d spent a lot of time in England, but when I went to Ireland it felt like coming home. I really enjoy Ireland, the people and the scenery.

 

What’s your favorite item of clothing to wear?

I actually really like getting dressed up, putting on a suit like I’m going out on the town. Because I’m farming the rest of the day, that feels special.

 

Something people don’t know about you?

My interest in music, and how much that has affected different parts of my life—that influence and artistic side of music. I sang professionally when I was younger.

 

Have you had a funny horse moment that still makes you laugh?

They make me laugh all the time! But to go back all the way to the trip, they were long days and I was an 11-year-old kid, so I fell asleep and fell off. I don’t know if it was that funny at the time, but it sure is funny looking back on it now. My brother laughed at me—until he did it in Wyoming, then I got him back. But I do believe horses have a sense of humor and like to play, so they do make me laugh a lot, just by their actions.

 

What is your favorite thing about being part of the horse world?

The horses! I think what they teach you about communication is really important. In the end, we study an interspecies language. It’s not like horses don’t know how to speak German or French or English—they don’t know how to speak human. You spend your life studying that aspect and their incredible reaction to that, which I don’t know if I understand after 50 years, their willingness to give and to give themselves to you in the right circumstances, and play the games that we play. It’s pretty stunning. That’s the most fun thing about the horses, dealing with another species and you get to play a game with them. It’s a never-ending study; you never know it all.

 

Caption:

David O’Connor

 

Double D Trailers Info

Share this page:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Tagged under: David O'Connor, equestrian, eventing, horse, jumping, usef

What you can read next

Catherine Apostol: A Priceless Equestrian Education
Helping Hands for Happy Holidays — Wellington Equestrian Group’s Children’s Christmas Party
Marti Hohmann: Loving Dogs and Dressage

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Follow on Instagram!

sidelines_magazine

Sidelines Magazine
Jessica West always rode any horse that was availa Jessica West always rode any horse that was available to her throughout her Junior career, so she knew she had an advantage when she decided she wanted to ride on an NCAA team in college. Now a senior at @@auburnu and majoring in psychology, Jessica has enjoyed everything about the equestrian team and is ready to move on to her next adventure. 

Read more about Jessica at the link in our bio!

#ncea #ncaa #equestrian #collegiateequestrian #huntseatequitation #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #collegelife #showjumper #hunterhorse #horseshow #sidelinesmagazine
In the unique and challenging sport of combined dr In the unique and challenging sport of combined driving, Jacob Arnold has proven himself to be a bona fide star. It’s been said that success develops from a recipe based on hard work, perseverance, learning and sacrifice, paired with a love of what one is doing. Since the time he was a boy, Jacob has had the right combination of all of those ingredients, which have culminated in a meteoric rise to stardom.

Beginning his career as a Junior, Jacob earned the coveted @usequestrian Junior Equestrian of the Year award in 2011. Since then, he has taken the combined driving world by storm, competing successfully in four @fei_global World Championships. He also won the USEF Advanced Pair Horse National Championship in 2020 and 2021, among other victories—all before the age of 28, in a sport that has historically been dominated by older drivers. Last September, he placed 12th—the highest of any American driver—at the 2021 FEI Driving World Championship for Pairs in a field of over 100 top-level drivers.

Read more about @jacobarnoldcombineddriving at the link in our bio!

@alex.banks.photography #combineddriving #drivendressage #dressage #driving #carriage #horsedriving #equestrianstyle #equestrianlife #horselover #drivinghorse #carriagehorse #showhorse #sidelinesmagazine
@rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the f @rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the first equestrian Major of 2022, winning the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters. In doing so he also claimed an additional bonus for non-consecutive Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping wins, following his victory at CHIO Aachen last year. The German champion’s outstanding performance riding his trusted partner Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z once again makes him the live contender for the coveted Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.

Catch up on all the action and watch the free highlights video on the Sidelines Show World blog (link in bio!)

#showjumping #rolex #grandslam #rolexgrandslam #showjumper #dutch #netherlands #dutchwarmbloods #equestrianlife #hunterhorse #hunterjumper #equestrianstyle #showhorses #showjumpersofinstagram #jumpinghorse #grandprixjumer #grandprixhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 ac Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 acres in Jupiter Farms, Florida.

Jupiter Farms is an equestrian community with a trail system and a sand riding arena at the park. Charming home features vaulted ceilings, custom trim, custom lighting in master bedroom that changes color with a remote. Granite countertops in kitchen and laundry room. New 2022 stackable washer/dryer. Privacy fenced backyard with beautiful tall pines for shade, many palm trees also on property.

Secure fenced  25’ x 25’ pen with wood fencing , for a horse, dogs or a garden.  Wonderful property in desirable Jupiter Farms. 45 minutes to Wellington, 25 minutes to Jupiter Dog Beach. Perfect oasis for dog and horse lovers, close to everything in South Florida. MLS# 10778333, Agents welcome.

$655,000
Contact 561-246-9317
Load More... Follow on Instagram

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • IRT - Your horse. Our passion.

    Join one of IRT's weekly flights from Europe to the US.

    • Over 45 years experience flying horses
    • Global network of offices including UK, Germany and USA
    • Unrivalled levels of care from our flying grooms
    irtaus@irt.com,

    [Read more]

  • Gracie Street Interior Design, Inc.
    Timeless interiors enhancing the lifestyle of horse lovers and their extended-families no matter where you live. Our studio & boutique is right in stride with original “collected-not-decorated” ideas for making your home, office or stable facility uniquely yours. Call for a complimentary consultation to discover why our designs are so widely recognized in the equestrian community &

    [Read more]

Sidelines Articles by Email

Subscribe to Sidelines Magazine Articles by Email

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • A Paris Horse Adventure: Saut Hermes 2022
  • Better Business with Malvern Bank: Michael Meller’s Secrets to Success
  • Third Annual Painted Ponies Art Walk takes over Southern Pines, NC!

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • Jung Ends as He Began — On Top — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™
  • ROLEX TESTIMONEE DANIEL DEUSSER WINS ROLEX GRAND PRIX AT 2022 DUTCH MASTERS
  • STABLE VIEW IN AIKEN POSTPONING ‘A’ RATED $400,000 H/J CHALLENGE SERIES DUE TO RESTRICTIVE MILEAGE RULE

Category

Recent Posts

  • Taylor Land: A Positive Outlook on Show Jumping

    By Cheyenne Lord Portraits by Kristie Scholten ...
  • Unbridled With John Roper

    By Britney Grover     John Roper absolutel...
  • Unbridled with Bev Bedard

    By Britney Grover     Other than leaving f...
  • Katie Duerrhammer: Driven by Love and Respect for Horses

    By Kimberly Gatto Portraits by Melissa Fuller &...
  • The Importance of Finding the Right Bit for Your Horse

    By Liz Halliday-Sharp Anyone who knows me is aw...

Copyright © 1987 - 2021 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!