Capt. Brian Cournane was introduced to horses at his father’s trekking yard, riding around the Irish countryside. The experiences would be a precursor to a tremendously successful career that has spanned the Atlantic and across multiple disciplines.​

Accepted into highly competitive Cadet School, Cournane was posted to the prestigious Irish Army Equitation School, where he quickly developed his natural talent and horsemanship. In the military for more than a decade, he spent 12 years competing primarily in the sport of eventing, where he thrice competed at the World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses in Le Lion d’Angers(FRA), was shortlisted for the London Olympic Games and selected for the European Championships Fontainebleau, while also achieving Grand Prix wins at the national level of show jumping.​

Cournane retired from the army in 2014, electing to keep his Capt. title. He jumped his First Nations Cup in 2015 in Drammen, Norway, where he posted a double clear, while also continuing to event a the highest level. In 2016, he relocated to Wellington, FL, in the U.S. and fully committed himself to the sport of show jumping. He quickly ascended the ranks and has become a fixture on the international show jumping circuit with a strong string of horses.​

Cournane and wife Jules now run their Glenbeigh Farm operation out of Wellington, and Cournane has become a regular member of Team Ireland’s jumping squad. In 2018, he contributed to Ireland’s victory in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Canada in Langley, BC. He’s posted victories around the globe, from the Winter Equestrian Festival to Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair, New York and beyond. With a great commitment to the sport, his horses, his family and his country, Cournane has his sights set firmly on show jumping’s major championships.

Saddle: Renaissance F

Source: captbriancournane.com

Photo credit: Catie Staszak – Horse and Style magazine