Winning 15 FEI classes in 5 months takes great talent and a top-notch string of horses—and for Conor Swail, a healthy supply of horse treats doesn’t hurt either.

“Whoever I’m riding gets a gets a little cookie or something before we start,” said Swail. “I think it sort of helps them to feel more relaxed when we when we go in the ring; then when you’re finished and you come out, they’re always looking for something which is nice as well. I always try and give them something going in and coming out as well; I want them to feel comfortable going into the ring as well as coming out of it.”  

Coming out of the ring on Sunday at the Desert International Horse Park, Vital Chance de la Roque certainly earned extra treats from Swail, as the gelding jumped to victory in the $138,600 Sun Air Jets Grand Prix 1.55m CSI3*.

From a field of 35 entries, 10 horses and riders advanced to the short course designed by Ireland’s Alan Wade, and the best was saved for last.

When Swail and his own Vital Chance de la Roque entered the ring as the final entry to return, the time to beat had been set at 36.72 seconds by Mr. Europe and Karrie Rufer, who recently began training with Swail.

“The time was very hard to beat,” said Swail, who has had the ride on the 13-year-old Selle Français gelding since early 2021. “Karrie had a great round. She put up a very, very fast time, but I did feel…I would maybe just make it. So, thankfully today, I just pipped her!”

As Vital Chance de la Roque crossed the finish and let out a buck, Swail narrowly secured the victory with a time of 36.53 seconds.

“It was a nice win. I don’t need to keep saying how great [Vital Chance de la Roque] is. You know, if you just read his results – he does that for himself,” said Swail, referencing “Vinny’s” track record that shows 11 top five FEI finishes – including five wins – in the past five months.

With Swail and Vinny taking the top call for Ireland, second place went to the USA’s Rufer and Mr. Europe, owned by Morning Star Sporthorses LLC, and third place with a time of 37.79 seconds went to Canada’s Lisa Carlsen riding her own Livestream 2.

While Sunday marked the conclusion of the Desert Circuit III, competition at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, CA, resumes on Wednesday, February 8, with the start of the Desert Circuit IV.

For more information and to watch live beginning on Wednesday, visit deserthorsepark.com. For full results of Sunday’s $138,600 Sun Air Jets Grand Prix 1.55m CSI3*, click here.