The “Derry Boys” Score a tbird Hat-Trick for Ireland

They Trapp family made music together, the “Flying” Wallendas owned the circus high wire.

And the Coyle family of Derry, in Northern Ireland? They’re quickly proving that the family that posts zeros together become heroes together.

That’s just how it went down on Sunday, June 1 at Tbird, when Daniel Coyle (Farrel), his brother Jordan Coyle (Chaccolino), and their cousin Christian Coyle (Extravaganza Semilly)—along with honorary Coyle-for-a-day, Conor Swail (My Lady Levista)—took the $75,000 Nations Cup CSIO4*, defeating Canada in second place and Mexico in third.

It was the third consecutive win at this event for Team Ireland, which ended round one on a total score of zero. Irish chef d’equipe Michael Blake says he didn’t hesitate to call upon the talents of two of Tbird’s most successful riders, Swail and Daniel Coyle.

“I could say I chose them because they’re the only ones here, but actually, I chose them because they’re all very good,” Blake joked of his team after their victory. “Conor and Daniel have been on every winning team here, which have been quite a few. We’ve won the last three runnings, and a few before that. So, this, to be honest, is one of our favorite shows.”

Swail, for his part, had a tall order ahead of him on Sunday, helping to coach some relative Nations Cup newbies in the form of his teammates, Christian and Jordan, and Swail’s own ride, the 11-year-old Holsteiner mare, My Lady Lavista.

“She’s had a lot of good results lately, and I just thought [the Nations Cup] was a good fit for her,” Swail said of his choice to gear the mare toward this particular competition. “The first round, she tried hard, and we got a nice [clear]. Honestly, I thought the second round was a little bit smoother, but unfortunately, we had an early rail—so it’s funny how it goes.

“At the end of the day, it’s about getting the team result, and thankfully, it was good enough today for us to win again.”

Jordan Coyle, who put in a double-clear performance for the Irish after kicking off his week more than 2,900 miles away at the Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania, said that the hardest thing about his Nations Cup experience was getting on the plane.

“[Chaccolino] had enough jumping, and I had enough people around me to keep everything rolling, and all I had to do was show up,” he said.

For the unofficial man of the hour, Jordan Coyle—who’s coming off his own string of successes at Tbird, including taking home the Leading Rider award for two consecutive weeks—getting to jump with his brother, cousin, and longtime mentor was a full-circle moment

“Farrel hasn’t jumped a Nations Cup in six years, so it’s pretty impressive for him to come back to this level,” Coyle said. “Conor’s been a big help to me from the very beginning, and I also see him now helping Christian and Jordan whilst I’m getting ready. It’s actually a very cool moment for me and for us all.