On Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Central time, join Eric Dierks for a live stream interview with David O'Connor.
David was an alternate for the 1988 Summer Olympics, and riding Wilton Fair, was part of the U.S. team at the 1990 World Equestrian Games, where he placed 35th individually and the team finished fourth. At the 1994 World Equestrian Games, he placed 44th individually riding On a Mission and was also an alternate for the team. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, David finished fifth individually riding Custom Made and he also helped the team to a silver medal with Giltedge.
At the 2000 Summer Olympics, again riding Custom Made, he won the individual gold medal and helped the U.S. team to a bronze medal aboard Giltedge. During the individual competition at the 2000 Games, he led each stage of the event, and made Olympic history with a record-breaking dressage score. David and Custom Made won the 1997 Badminton CCI4* (now CCI5*-L), becoming only the second American rider to do so. In the 1998 World Equestrian Games with Giltedge, he finished sixth and helped the U.S. team to fourth place. Also with Giltedge, David won silver at the 1999 Pan American Games and contributed to the U.S. team’s gold medal performance. The pair also won team gold at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain.
David was consistently ranked as one of the top three-day event riders in the world by the FEI with a first place in 2000, third in 1997, and fourth in 1996. He was also the top eventing rider in the U.S., topping the USEA leaderboard in 1998 and 1999. He was a three-time winner of the Kentucky Three-Day Event; once at the CCI4* (now CCI5*-L) and twice at the CCI3* (now CCI4*-L) level.
Four horses ridden by David - Giltedge, Custom Made, On a Mission, and Wilton Fair - have held positions on the list of the top 50 USEA high-scoring horses.
In 2004, David retired from competition to focus on other aspects of the sport, taking on administrative and coaching roles as well as being a three- and four-star course designer. He was an FEI Bureau member from 2008-2011 and served as the President of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) from 2004 to 2012. In 2006, David was appointed the International Technical Advisor to the Canadian national eventing team. In that capacity, he led the team to silver medals at the 2007 Pan American Games and the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. In January 2013, David left the Canadian team after being appointed chef d’équipe to the USEF eventing team.
Click here to register for the live stream interview.
This live stream is provided by the Illinois Dressage and Combined Training Association.
Sunshine was Friday's first star at Galway Downs International after Thursday's long afternoon of heavy rain, and Tamie Smith ended the day in her same starring role with the first, second, and third spots in the CCI4*-S after show jumping.
Myakka City, Fla. – March 31, 2023 – At the end of the second dressage session in The Estates at TerraNova CCI4*-S, Will Coleman (USA) took the morning lead with a whopping 19.6 with the stunning Chin Tonic (Chin Champ x Wildera/Quinar Z). Coleman and the Hyperion Stud LLC-owned Holsteiner bay gelding won the Carolina International CCI4*-S two weeks ago.
Temecula, Calif.—March 30— "World class." That's what Galway Downs Spring International dressage judges Helen Brettell and Robyn Fisher said in unison of the two rides that put Tamie Smith in the one and two spots in the CCI4*-S after dressage.
Myakka City, Fla.—March 30—In the third year of hosting FEI three-day events and recognized horse trials, TerraNova Equestrian Center welcomes an eventing date to their busy spring competition schedule. Riders from all walks of life, Olympians to young eventers, flocked to TerraNova to experience the previous two fall three-day events. The addition of the spring date gives riders an opportunity to run an FEI event and horse trials before heading home after the winter season.