Biography

Padraig, a regular member of the Irish team, has completed Badminton three times, the last occasion being in 2022 with two horses. He finished eighth at his first attempt, in 2018 on Mr Chunky, the pair going on to be team and individual silver medallists at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA, later that year.

Lady Ophelia, his ride this year, came from Ireland as a five-year-old, where she was bred by part-owner Denis Hickey at the Garyrichard Stud in Co Wexford; she is a half-sister to the 1.60m showjumper GRS Lady Amaro. Padraig has produced her through the grades since 2021 and last year she finished 15th at Pau CCI5*-L and 22nd at Bramham CCI4*-L.

Padraig had an unusual route to eventing: he originally show jumped and trained in Europe with top riders Rolf Goran Bengtsson, Max Hauri and Hans Horn as well as in America and didn’t start eventing until 2013. Prior to that, he spent five years in academia, studying for a PhD at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, plus he read economics at Bern University in Switzerland and international business at the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany on the Erasmus programme.

He has represented Ireland in six championships, including at the 2016 OIympic Games in Rio, and was a member of the silver medal team at last year’s European Championships at Blenheim, riding Pomp N Circumstance.

He is married to Lucy (nee Wiegersma), a former British team member who was runner-up at Badminton in 2008 on Shaabrak. They run MGH Sport Horses, training and selling competition horses, in Devon, and have three children, Moss, Gus and Mimi.

Padraig is trained by Anna Ross.