Meet Burghley’s oldest rider making his five-star debut with his precious skewbald horse: ‘I was going to quit eventing’

Declan Cullen is the oldest rider at this year’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials, aged 56, and this five-star debut has huge significance for him as he also rode his mount Seavaghan Ash’s sire, Glenhill Gold. Both horses are skewbald, a rare sight in top-level eventing.

“I’ve left it late in life to take on this challenge so I’m happy,” said Declan after scoring 35.2 in his dressage today. “He was fabulous outside and it is different when you go in with the tension – I didn’t ride as I did outside, so I did leave marks in there.”

Declan won the CCI4*-L at Ballindenisk 2011 on Glenhill Gold, who also covered two mares for The late Queen during his stud career. The Irish rider twice nearly made it to Badminton Horse Trials on Glenhill Gold, but changes in qualification requirements meant that as an amateur rider with just a couple of horses, he wasn’t able to go.

“My wife Becky rode at Badminton in 2004 on a horse called Wee Hot Toddy and that lit the flame in our bellies for the sport,” said Declan.

“For many years I was going to quit – it’s hard financially, motivationally, in terms of horse power. We all question the effort and reward as we don’t get the same rewards as other sports so it’s a credit to all the riders and owners who keep going. I kept going because I believed Seavaghan Ash was a five-star horse. I hope he proves that.”

Declan bought Seavaghan Ash – named after the townland (a name for a small area of land in Ireland) where he was born – as one of a group of three foals. He named him Cassidy – the other purchases were Butch “and the palomino was Sundance”.

Becky backed Seavaghan Ash while she was pregnant.

Declan says: “He’s a sloth, Mr Laid-Back. He is idle, but he has a great temperament and he’s a great soul-mate. His father was brave, bold, honest and genuine. He’s a chip off the old block – similar but with a bit more blood in his genetics, but not in his engine. He just loves the easy life.”

The Irishman works for Pegus Horse Feeds as an equine feed consultant, working with plenty of high performance horses, and also has his own consultancy business, Cullen Equine Solutions.

Declan Cullen described himself as “the grandfather of the house” among the Burghley Horse Trials competitors and said it’s a dream and a fairytale to compete here. He and the skewbald Seavaghan Ash sit 18th after the first day of dressage and will now progress to Saturday’s cross-country.

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