Declan Cullen and Seavaghan ASH. Photo by Pan Cunningham.
Irish rider Declan Cullen wryly refers to himself as “the grandfather” this weekend, not only earning the title of eldest rider at age 56 but also laying down a healthy dose of “if I can do it, so can you” inspiration in making a long-anticipated CCI5* debut at Defender Burghley.
Teaming up with the very special, splashily-colored Seavaghan ASH (Glenhill Gold – Davys Instructions, by Safety Catch) makes the weekend that much more meaningful for Declan, who also campaigned the 15-year-old Irish Sporthorse gelding’s sire, Glenhill Gold, to the 4* level. Glenhill Gold was actually intended to go to the 5* level, but a change in FEI qualifications and the institution of athlete categorization meant he wasn’t able to get the amount of MERs needed in time to achieve the goal.
“We were qualified for Badminton 2012, we were actually qualified in 2010 [as well]. FEI changed the rules, we couldn’t go,” Declan explained. “As an amateur rider, [with] only two horses, I had more qualifications to do, and that boat sailed, and we missed it. He was getting on so then he was retired, and now I’ve had his son, which we bought as a foal. We produced him on, you could say, patiently — he’s now 15. But we were qualified last year to go to Luhmühlen. He took a wee bit of a virus. This year, we’d go back to Luhmühlen but I run my own Horse Trials called the Clare in Ireland and it was just clashing with that. And so we said, okay, let’s bite the bullet [and go to Burghley].”
That chasing of an always-elusive goal of getting a horse to an event like Burghley has had to balance with the other realities of life. Declan and his wife, Becky, run their own business in Cullen Equine Solutions, and Declan is also a nutrition expert working for Pegus Horse Feed. Becky is a 5* rider in her own right, having done two of the three phases of Badminton in 2004 with Wee Hot Toddy and is now a respected coach and mentor while maintaining her riding alongside. For the Cullens, that trip to Badminton “lit a fire” and spurred them on to make a return one day.
Seavaghan Ash was purchased as a foal, along with several other foals sired by Glenhill Gold, and he’s been produced by Declan patiently and tactfully as a true member of the family. “He is Mr. Laidback. He should be at the household calvary, just standing [at Westminter].He will not move. He is idle, but [he has] a great temperament and [is] a great soulmate. He’s very special, very special for everything that we’ve done. I can recall, as a four year old in March time riding around the muddy fiends, and that horse has never had a lead. He’s never had anyone to show him how to jump ahead or jump a ditch. He’s done it all on his own back. He’s been amazing.”
Declan Cullen and Seavaghan ASH. Photo by Pan Cunningham.
Declan and “Cassidy” scored a 35.2 on Thursday, a very respectable debut 5* score that tracks in line with their typical averages at the 4* level. Declan admits he felt he got a bit of “the yips” (known in sports as a temporary abandonment of one’s skills that ordinarily would come naturally) as he headed in for his test. “To be honest, I’m pleased the way he went. He was fabulous, I’d say. But of course, it’s a different deal when you go inside and you have the tension and following Max [Warburton’s] test and the applause. Yes, I got a bit of the yips…I didn’t really ride as I did outside. So I left it — I left marks there. What luck, it’s my first five star, I’ve left it late in life to tackle this challenge, so I’m happy.”
“Late in life” is truly a relative term when it comes to eventing, and Declan keeps his gratitude for this special horse and an opportunity he’s been dreaming of for so long close.
“It was something we’ve been looking to do a long time, and there’s so many years I was going to retire,” Declan mused. “I was going to quit — financially, motivationally, horsepower. It is a very expensive sport that we’re in. We all question the effort and the reward of all the disciplines, dressage and show jumping and eventing. We just don’t seem to get the same reward and to keep going, it’s a credit to all the riders, all the owners that do it. So what kept me going? I believed he was a five-star horse. I hope he goes to prove me that, and that’s why I’ve stood the journey.”
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