Biography

It will be a first Badminton for American professional rider Megan O’Donoghue (34). With Palm Crescent Megan has completed four 5* events including Burghley in 2022.

Megan is based in Round Hill Virginia at her home yard Enduhring Farm, where she rides, trains, and teaches most of the year, and Florida where she spends the winter.

She comes from an eventing background. Her parents Mark and Jill O’Donoghue operated an eventing training yard in Carbondale, Illinois for 44-years. Her mother competed to intermediate and her father competed at Kentucky three-day in 1987. Her sister Kelty is a professional rider working alongside Megan at Endurhing Farm.

Megan was five-years-old when she got her first pony and she grew up producing horses for the sport. As a teenager she spent her summers at Jan Byny’s yard which led to a full-time position from 2009- 2012. She then spent a year as a rider for Will Coleman during this time achieving her first 4* completion and her first Open European at Blenheim Palace (2013).

Palm Crescent (Palmer) is an 18-year-old thoroughbred gelding. He is by Quiet American out of a mare by Silver Deputy. Megan has known Palmer since he was a four-year-old purchased by Jan Byny as a sales prospect for eventing. He was initially produced and competed by Chase Shipka and Megan was given the ride in 2015 by the Shipka family. Megan and her fiancé Will Duhring acquired the horse in the spring of 2020. Megan has produced him through the grades from 1*. The pair has completed four 5* events including Burghley in 2022 (24^th).