August 14, 2025 
“You’ll never jump him again…”
The words no horseman ever wants to hear: your horse’s career is over.
These were the words spoken to Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Ariel Grange not long after their superstar gelding Farrel suffered a cyst in his stifle. According to Coyle, some witchcraft must have taken place, because not only is Farrel back to jumping, but he’s back in winning form, topping the CSI5* FACES Magazine Opener at the Ottawa International.
Thursday marked the now 15-year-old gelding’s eighth FEI win in 2025. Pre-injury, Farrel only had three victories at the 3* level and above, so it’s safe to say he is better than ever.
Part of Coyle and Ariel Grange’s team since he was age 7, Farrel ascended to the “top horse” position in Coyle’s string by age 10. Then, they thought his time in the limelight was over—until the magic of medicine/surgery brought him back into fighting form.
“He was already not comfortable enough to stand in a field, so he had to get something done,” Coyle reflected. “It’s a really special story. He’s one of the most winning horses in show jumping this year. He owes us nothing, but he does not want to go back to the field so it’s really cool to see.”
At this point, it’s almost a given that Farrel will be a top contender every time he comes out. To date in 2025, the pair has finished in the top 10 100% of the time at 1.55m, and 67% of the time at 1.45m, the height of the CSI5* FACES Magazine Opener. Their win rate at 1.55m is 50% (Jumpr stats).
Reflecting on the class Thursday at Ottawa, Coyle remarked, “It’s nice that it’s a two-phase because you have the time to get everything going. Then in the second phase it becomes really close with the times because there’s not so much to do. Everybody can do the same strides and patterns. Thankfully, it worked in my favor today.”
Coyle is back in Canada after a trip to the Dublin Horse Show, a favorite stop for the Irish and beyond, and broke into the world’s top 10 for the month of August.
With the constant travel across continents and oceans also comes added stress and jetlag he has to shake off to stay at the top of the sport.
“It’s very difficult to go from different time zones to different horses in different parts of the world,” he said of the toll the travel takes. “That’s how you stay at the top of the game. You have to do it to stay at the top. Is it tiring and frustrating at times? Of course, but like any other athlete you have to get up and get on with it.”
Now back on North American soil, he’ll gear up for more jumping to come this week, with his eye on Sunday’s $340,000 CSI5* RBC Royal Bank Grand Prix.
Coyle hopes the winning form from the first eight months of 2025 continues, but he’s grateful for all that Farrel has brought him to this point. “He’s been my top horse before and now he’s 15 years old and he’s still one of our top horses,” he concluded.
“Everything happens for a reason.”
Watch the RBC Ottawa International live on ClipMyHorse.
