February 4, 2022 
Who needs the luck of the Irish when you already have the speed of Conor Swail and Nicky Galligan?
The Irish riders made sweeping the $37,000 Marshall & Sterling 1.50m CSI3* look easy on Friday at the Desert International Horse Park, with Swail taking the top two spots and Galligan finishing in third—and no one else outside of the top three coming within 5.86 seconds of Swail’s winning time.
“It was one of those rounds that everything worked well,” said Swail, who took the win aboard Theo 160, owned by Team Philippaerts. “If I had to do it again another 10 times, I don’t know how well he or me would have done it to be honest. I was very pleased. I just felt everything come up the way I wanted it to, and that doesn’t happen that often like it did today!”
Swail and Theo 160 were one of 33 entries to contest the speed track designed by fellow Irishman Alan Wade, but with everything coming up easily for them, they were the far-and-away front runners, stopping the clock in 60.93 seconds.
Coming the closest to catching Theo 160 was Swail’s second mount, his own Vital Chance de la Roque, who crossed the finish in 61.33 seconds. Rounding out the top three were Galligan and Javas Miss Jordan with a time of 63.82 seconds, while fourth place with a time of 66.79 seconds went to the USA’s Zume Gallaher and Edita.
The win marks Swail and Theo 160’s ninth FEI victory together since Swail began competing the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding in mid-2021, but Swail says the best is hopefully still to come.
“He is still quite inexperienced, but he’s one of those guys that puts in a good shift every time he goes in it,” said Swail of Theo 160, who competes in a hackmore. “He tries to do his best, and we get a lot of good results together. So honestly, I think he’s going to get better. As much as we are consistent, I think it’ll get smoother and easier as time goes on.”
In regard to his bit of choice—or rather, lack thereof—Swail added, “The hackamore works with [both Theo 160 and Vital de la Roque]; whenever I am trying to balance on Theo, when I have a bridle, I take too much energy and too much scope away. Whereas when I have the hackamore, there’s a little more pressure on his nose, and he’s able to jump through the hackamore better. I feel he still has enough power and scope; that’s my theory for now!”
Swail next has his sights set on Sunday’s culminating event of the Desert Circuit III, the $138,600 Prestige Saddlery Grand Prix 1.55m CSI3*.
International show jumping competition at the Desert International Horse Park continues on Saturday with the $37,000 Premier Rehab Center 1.45m Classic CSI3*. Catch all the action live on deserthorsepark.com. For full results of Friday’s $37,000 Marshall & Sterling 1.50m CSI3*, click here.
