PROMOTING IRISH HORSE - Defence Forces

A BrIEf hISTOrY Of ThE
ArMY EquITATION SChOOl
The brave decision to form an Army Show Jumping team back in the infant days of the State in
1926 has been variously termed an ambitious undertaking, a foray into unknown territory, a mission
impossible. But perhaps the best comment on this far reaching development came, at the time from
the French equestrian writer, Captain Montergon, when he declared, “How fine the courage of the
young Irish Army thus flinging itself boldly into the water in order to learn how to swim!”
Some eight years later this same author had changed his opinion. Writing in Revue de Cavalerie, he
declared “Ireland has indeed begun to swim and its swimming master Col Paul Rodzianko chose the
proper method.” The master referred to there was the Russian riding instructor, Col Paul Rodzianko,
whose genius helped bring the new Irish team from the status of novice to one of the most feared
squads in the world.
The formation of the Army Equitation School had come about very quickly in 1926 following
contact between Judge Wylie of the RDS, Col Hogan (Quartermaster General), and the then head
of the new Free State, President William T. Cosgrave. Through a miracle of far sighted initiative,
the funding was found to have Ireland field teams for international show jumping competitions. Its
purpose - to advertise the new State and to promote the Irish horse, which in the long run would
rebound to the benefit of farmer breeders around the country.
Recruitment began in early 1926. One of the first to be called, Ged O’Dwyer of Limerick, later
declared, “we were all hunting and racing men and knew nothing about show jumping.” Another
recruit, Dan Corry of Galway, noted “when we got to the barracks, the only horses there were
pulling carts in the yard.”
With what now has to be seen as a super-human effort, the newly formed team of Corry, O’Dwyer
and fellow Limerick man, Cyril Harty, prepared themselves and horses selected by Judge Wylie to
compete just three months later at the Dublin Horse Show against practiced sides from Switzerland,
Great Britain, France, Belgium and Holland. On the Friday of the first Aga Khan Trophy, record
numbers turned out at the RDS. So much so that the gates had to be locked hours before the
competition began, to prevent any more people cramming into the Ballsbridge grounds. To their
credit, Captain Corry on Finghin, Captain O’Dwyer on Oisin and Captain Harty on Cuchulainn
were placed second behind the Swiss, who were all mounted on Irish horses and who bought 75 more
before the show was over!
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