A conversation with Paddy Musgrave

A conversation with Paddy Musgrave
RINGWOOD Construction is a name that would be familiar to many as the owner of several successful show jumpers, both past and present, but who are the people behind the name?

Paddy Musgrave and his daughter Louise have been involved in show jumping for over 15 years. Their first purchase was prolific winner Athea Clover Mist back in 2003.

“I sent Athea Clover Mist (Clover Con VII – Lady Butler) to John (Floody) to compete and they had great success together. In 2008 they won the Grand Prix of Zagreb, Croatia, and the Banteer Grand Prix as well as taking fourth place in the Millstreet three-star show.

“The year before they had Grand Prix wins in Cavan, Kill, Millstreet, Boswell, Tattersalls, Omagh and Ballivor, and in 2003 to 2006 she was constantly in the ribbons. The success we enjoyed with her was really where it all started and it was what encouraged us to buy more horses,” Paddy Musgrave said of his star mare.

“We retired her in 2009 and retained her as a broodmare. She has produced three foals: Halltown Glen, Halltown Nala and Halltown Harry – and now we are taking embryos from her. Halltown Glen is by Kannan, he is now eight years old and is competing at 1.30m level with John.

“Halltown Nala, also by Kannan is a six-year-old mare. She has recorded good results in the six and seven-year-old classes and John has just moved her up to 1.30m level. Halltown Harry is five and is by Hermes de Reve, he has just begun his competitive career.

“Another of our horses currently competing with John is Riverside Swaziland. We bought her as a foal in 2012 she is by Hermes de Reve and is currently doing 1.30m and age division classes. She is a full-sister of Riverside Ace, another of our horses that competed with Alexander Butler.”

Riverside Ace was another mare who provided the Musgrave family with fantastic memories. “Together Alexander and Riverside Ace enjoyed many good placings and wins at Grand Prix level including first place in the three-star Lummen Grand Prix in 2012. In 2011 they won the seven and eight-year-old final in Cavan and were the highest placed Irish-bred in Dublin. She is now retired and we have retained her as a broodmare, in 2017 she was covered by Kannan so we would be particularly excited about this foal’s potential.”

SELLING SUCCESS

The Musgraves have sold horses who have gone on to do very well in the sport, including Coral Springs, who competed at the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

“Some of the horses we produced have been sold on and are doing well. They include Halltown Royale, Halltown Harley, Halltown Lucy, Carneyhough Manx, Kilbey Cool Diamond.

“We bought Halltown Royale (Ard VDL Douglas x Cavalier Royale) from Ita Brennan as a three-year-old in 2007. She competed successfully in Ireland as a young horse qualifying for the Dublin Horse Show as a four, five, six and seven-year-old.

“She went on to do well at Grand Prix level and in 2012 we sold her to Cian O’Connor. She was then renamed Coral Springs. Since then she has gone on to be sold to Korean rider Manjun Kwon and has represented Korea at Nations Cup and international Grand Prix level. They also represented Korea at the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

“Halltown Harley began his career as a jumper and did well in the four and five-year-old divisions. He was sold to the UK in 2011 to an event rider and has since gone on to win the FEI Individual Nations Cup in Weiner Neustadt, Austria, in July last year and won the CCI*** Millstreet International Horse Trails this year with Georgie Spence.

“Halltown Lucy was another of ours who went to the UK, she has enjoyed several wins most recently winning a senior foxhunter class.

“We bought Kilbeg Cool Diamond as a four-year-old in 2007. She is by Coolcorran Cool Diamond out of Briar Rose Cat. She was sold to event rider Katie Nolan in 2008 and they were part of the Irish young rider team who won a silver medal at the European Championships in Malmo, Sweden in 2012.

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