Meet Farrel, the Horse That Couldn't Stay Away

Often, when a horse disappears from the international ring for four years, you’ve seen the last of it. Daniel Coyle even thought that was the case when Farrel, a horse that carried him to numerous top results as just a nine-year-old, was sidelined by injury in 2020.

But Farrel wasn’t done yet.

The now 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding has been in the Irish Olympian’s string since age 7, when he was purchased by Sue Grange, of Lothlorien Farm, at a VDL auction in Florida. While they weren’t the most competitive right away—”We went to Spruce Meadows the first year and every class was a disaster,” shared Coyle—they hit their stride quickly.

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“He was very green, and I was probably trying to go too fast,” Coyle reasoned of their bumpy start. “It was only in 1.30m or maybe even 1.35m, but the bond we had by the end of the six weeks [at Spruce Meadows] is probably the same one we have today. It started to get better and better. I really believe that was the turning point that we became one with each other.”

It showed in their results. At age nine, Farrel logged a Nations Cup win for Ireland, a CSI4*-W 1.60m win, and podiums at the CSI5* level with Coyle in the stirrups.

Then in 2020, their explosive start at the top level went off course.

“He grew a cyst in his stifle and he was nearly non-weight bearing,” Coyle explained of Farrel’s fate. Ariel Grange, Sue’s daughter, found a vet to perform surgery on the gelding with the goal of giving him a more comfortable retirement.

“Ariel had him fixed just to have a normal life,” continued Coyle. “It wasn’t to bring him back to the sport.”

During his time off, Farrel served as a “babysitter” for Grange’s young horses, teaching them the ropes in new environments. When their veterinarian suggested they try bringing him back to jumping, they listened.

“We didn’t have that much hope, to be honest, that he would come back to any level of the sport never mind the top,” Coyle continued. “It was a long way back. One of our riders, Václav Stanek, did a lot of homework and he stuck to the plan Ariel gave him for that time. Last year, I took over the ride again and started jumping bigger. He feels better than ever. It’s amazing now; he’s 15 years old but he doesn’t feel it.”

Like any good competitor, Farrel’s nerves light up when it’s go time. He walks down the chute to the ring, and he turns up his speed gears. Aside from that eagerness to go, Coyle says he’s a gentleman to work with and ride.

“He’s very straight forward, and there’s no big ups or downs,” Coyle said of Farrel’s demeanor. “He gets a bit anxious when it’s time to go in the ring but I think that’s good because so do I.”

Coyle is a firm believer that it’s the rider’s job to adapt their style to what the horse needs, which is what he did with Farrel.

“There’s no such thing for me as making a horse go one way,” he explained. “It’s very hard for me actually to ride Incredible and Farrel on the same day. They’re both very special horses but they’re very different and I have to adapt quickly while switching from one horse to the other. I also think that’s how it should be.”

During the 2025 Canadian Premier, Farrel added two more CSI4* victories to his name. That brings his total FEI win count to 14 and his podium count to 37. At the 1.55m height, Farrel jumps clear 75% of the time, and places in the top 10 100% of the time.

He hasn’t had much time in the FEI ring, but he’s definitely made it count. This week, he returns to tbird to compete for Ireland in the CSIO4* Nations Cup.