Multi-Olympians David and Karen O’Connor have achieved not only cabinets full of medals over several decades for the US, they have also established themselves as producers of high-calibre horses at all levels of eventing. Since retiring from competition, David has served as the Canadian Eventing Team technical advisor, leading them to individual gold and team silver medals at the 2011 Pan Am Games. In 2013, he took over the reins as the US Eventing Team coach.
Karen made a remarkable recovery from a serious fall in October of 2012 in which she broke her back. Now retired from eventing, she briefly switched to show jumping in 2013 while continuing her role as trainer and clinician. She has also taken on commentating duties at major three-day events, including Rolex Kentucky 2015. This January, she was appointed coach of the Mexican Eventing Team and will train the team for major events including the Pan American Games in Toronto this summer and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
After years of the O’Connors renting facilities in the Ocala area – which has become a winter training mecca for both US and Canadian riders – it was time to obtain a permanent facility. After much discussion with Jacqueline Mars, who owns Meredyth Farm in The Plains, VA, home of Team O’Connor’s High Acre facility, the first 20 acres was purchased. That original piece of property had a modest six-stall unfinished stable, and the first winter found Karen’s eventing string in temporary stables while the main barn was being designed and built.
By the second season, an adjoining 50 acres became available with another stable, eight more box stalls, and a lovely rental house. The back of that property was completely open and provided the perfect land for the cross-country course. Within the next two years another 20 acres on the other side became available, and finally Jacquie purchased the back side of an adjacent landowner’s parcel to complete what is now the 130-acre Meredyth South. With her generous support, a complete restoration and development of the properties was undertaken. The farm now provides an ideal setting for the rising four-year-olds that are brought in from the breeding farm in Virginia each year, and as the site of the southern training camp for the US Equestrian Federation.
Karen has spent time in Europe studying bloodlines and viewing potential eventers as part of her expanding sales business, with an eye to importing horses to be produced at Meredyth South. The goal: to help raise the standard of horses available to North Americans and to maintain a sustainable breeding and training program. She also hosts summer riding camps and teaches eventing clinics across the country that are open to all interested riders from both sides of the border.
The O’Connors philosophy, which encompasses the horse’s welfare, management, and training, is based on common sense and listening to each horse’s needs. To produce successful competition horses that achieve optimum performance, Karen explains, “They need to be relaxed and confident, so we must do anything we can to make them comfortable, which makes them easier to train. A happy horse is when we can bring out its character.”
