O’Connor: New mount ‘the greatest’

Considering the horse power Cian O’Connor has put through his hands, when he describes a new mount as “the greatest” you take notice.

The Olympic bronze medallist is referring to Cooper, a nine-year-old German-bred gelding he sourced last month.

“I have him two weeks. Most of the time you like to see the horse do the talking, but he is head and shoulders above other horses. I know that’s a strong statement, considering some of the horses I have had, but he is without doubt the greatest horse I have ever sat on. He’s got a great temperament, he’s very intelligent, he’s easy to ride, very quick with his front legs and jumps big fences effortlessly. He is a dream horse. He had jumped up to 1.45m before I got him and I jumped him at 1.50m at the tour in Magna Racino in Austria and he went clear. The real reason for buying him was to help the Irish team qualify for the Rio Olympics at next year’s World Equestrian Games,” said O’Connor.