Meryl moved to Ireland  with the aim to continue what she had started in the UK of producing top class Event and Sport Horses.  Very soon she started working along side Susan who is an Irish native and had been producing top class horses from her base in Longford for over 20 years, they both quickly realised that their combined talents could bring top class horses and riders together and Connaught Sport Horses was born. Meryl and Susan were joined by Suzanne Jordan in 2022 to enable Connaught Sport Horses to broaden their reach as the business expanded.

 

Meryl came up through the Pony Club, gaining her A Test and competing at Area and Championship level and doing Junior Trials with British Eventing.

 

Meryl completed her Diploma in Equine and Business Studies at Warwickshire College,  then spent two seasons based with six-time Badminton Winner, Lucinda Green where she learnt the important art of competition horse management, whilst competing alongside Lucinda. In the winter seasons she spent time based with Grand Prix Dressage rider Stephen Moore in the UK and in Germany starting young warmbloods and improving her dressage.

She taught regularly with the Pony Club and privately and was awarded two prestigious training scholarships from the British Horse Society and The Pony Club. 

 

She has been fortunate to train with some of the top international coaches and competitors including -

 

• Richard Waygood MBE (High Performance Director to GB Olympic Equestrian Teams)

• Capt. Mark Phillips

• Yogi Briesner

• Keith Doyle (Nations Cup Team Show Jumper)

• Caroline Moore (5* Rider and Trainer of World Champion Ros Canter and the GBUnder 18 Eventing Team)

• Adam Kemp (Grand Prix Dressage Rider)

• Peter Storr  (Trainer to British Gold Medal Dressage Pony Team)

• Nikki Barrett (UK Grand Prix  National Champion)

• Roland Ferneyhough (Olympic Show Jumper)

 

All of these people have had a huge influence on her development as a rider, trainer and producer of competition horses.

She also produced and competes her own horses. Some of which she sold  including World and European Champion Toytown to Zara Phillips and horses to Sam Griffiths (Badminton Winner 2014) and international Event rider Ginny Howe.

 

 

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