Aidan O’Connell
Aidan O’Connell is from Cork in Ireland, and is one of the most talented and versatile riders, bloodstock agents, trainers and coaches. He is a graduate of University College, Cork.

He has competed at Grand Prix showjumping level riding his horse Suntan that he trained after he acquired him as a recently broken and backed 3 year old. Another horse that he brought to top level showjumping was Lord Roseneath that he had many notable successes. He later sold him to Italy where he was then sold on to Switzerland where he jumped in Nations Cups, and became a champion Swiss eventer.

As a jockey Aidan has ridden three times in the English Aintree Grand National in Liverpool, and the La Touche Cross Country Race at the Punchestown Racing Festival as well as race riding in Ireland, Britain, Germany and South Africa. He also trained National Hunt and flat racing horses and rode Corbally to win many races over fences.

He started hunting with the Limerick Harriers and County Limerick Foxhounds and now hunts with many of the premier pack in Europe and North America. In one season alone he hunted 96 days with 36 packs on 46 different hunters in 7 countries.
Over the years through his bloodstock agency he has supplied horses including Amberleigh House that won the Aintree Grand National, show hunters Deep Impact and Amberleigh Ebony, eventers Esker Riada, Mister Mullins, and Gormley. More recently he was associated with the In Hand Champion 3 Year Old at the Royal Dublin Society Annual Horse Show, Dromelihy Imp. One of the best performing Irish ponies Fear Glic came 4th out of 18,000 in the North America Novice Junior Rider Event ridden by Callan Littrel from Georgia. Other Irish Draught and Irish Sport Horses, hunters, performance horses and ponies were sourced by Aidan for customers in North America, South America, Canada, Europe and Russia.

Over the last 20 years he has trained riders in Ireland, Germany, Holland, Great Britain, Czechoslovakia, and America in cross country riding through his clinics. The main emphasis is on safety which is critical in eventing today. He bases his training on the premise that while a rider can’t eliminate the risk, but by understanding what is going on one can control or reduce the risk.  Riders can also go hunting with Aidan in Ireland.

For further information contact - aidanoconnell@eircom.net

Noel Mullins
Noel Mullins is from Loughrea, in County Galway, Ireland, and is the author of ‘Horse Tales and Hunt Talk’ and ‘The Origins of Irish Horse Fairs and Horse Sales’, 3,000 Years of Selling Irish Horses. He is a freelance photo journalist, hunting correspondent and feature writer for The Irish Field. He has reported on equestrian events in Ireland, America, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand and Dubai for The Irish Field and The Farmer’s Journal in Ireland, Hunting and Country Illustrated, Horse and Hound, Baily’s Hunting Directory and Hounds Magazine in Britain, The Chronicle of the Horse, Covertside and Horse Country in America and Gulf News in Dubai.

In 2005 he made a film appearance as the huntsman riding his Irish Sport Horse ‘Walter’ in the remake of the film ‘Lassie’ which starred the well known actor Peter O’Toole. He dedicated his book on horse fairs to his exceptional hunter that he hunted for 15 seasons.
In 2006 he was guest speaker at The Royal Dublin Society on ‘The Origins of Irish Horse Fairs’, which also featured an exhibition of his photo collection.

In 2008 he was awarded a John H Daniels Research Fellowship at The National Sporting Library in Middleburg, Virginia, USA. His research was on the libraries collection of Somerville and Ross manuscripts, who were the authors of 36 books including The Irish R.M. which was made into a television series. He is currently writing a book on these two exceptional ladies.

He has hunted with the Galway Blazer Foxhounds since he was eight years old, and hunted and whipped in to three packs of hounds.

His books can be acquired from his Web Site www.noelmullins.com or contacted at noelmullins@hotmail.com

George Chapman
George Chapman from Gorey, County Wexford, Ireland is one of the most respected judges, breeders and producers of Irish Sport Horses in Ireland. He is a member of the Irish Horse Board and is on the panel of inspectors and judges assisting particularly in the Young Breeders Class.

As a producer, his horses have won at all of the premier horse shows in Ireland. One of his major successes was in winning both the Supreme Championship of the Show riding Zatopeck, and the Reserve Championship with Grenadier ridden by Billy Connors in the same year at the Royal Dublin Annual Horse Show. Other wins were in the 4 Year Old Class with a dun horse Park Heights ridden by George who went on to win the RDS Middleweight Cup. His Easter Storm and Carrigbeg won both divisions of the RDS 4 Year Old Lightweight Classes with the former going on to take the Reserve Championship.

Aside from ridden showing classes he has won numerous in hand classes including the RDS Reserve Young Horse Champion by Interchat.

His yard produces a continuous line of show horses, hunters and eventers each year that are campaigned on the Irish circuit. A horse named Ireland by Sudno was exported to America to event, and Ballydaniel jumped on the National circuit in England. The five times Swiss Olympic showjumper Markus Fuchs campaigned the Chapman produced Jed, who was a specialist speed jumper.

George Chapman is chairman of The Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association. He is a former master of the Shillelagh Foxhounds and has been master of the Island Foxhounds for the last 36 seasons. The hunting country is known for its famous single and double bank country in County Wexford. All his young horses get their early education hunting, which provides an ideal training ground for their future in competition.

George is a former committee member of the Royal Dublin Society Equestrian Committee and he has judged horses all over Ireland, America, England and represented The Irish Horse Board in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Producing quality Irish Sport Horses is a Chapman family business, with his wife Pam and son Aubrey an essential part of this successful team.