Ireland appoints former Badminton winner as eventing team manager: ‘I want an Olympic medal’

Australian Olympic rider and Badminton winner Sam Griffiths has been appointed high performance eventing manager of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI).

Sam, who has 14 five-star starts and six championships under his belt, will lead the Irish team to the World Championships in Aachen this summer and in the build-up to the LA Olympics in 2028.

“I’m really excited to be appointed,” said Sam. “Ireland is a very strong equestrian nation with exceptional horses and riders so I’m hoping I can get the best out of everyone.”

Among his many achievements, Sam won Badminton Horse Trials with Paulank Brockagh in 2014. Two years later they were part of the team that won bronze at the Rio Olympics, finishing fourth individually. Sam and Happy Times completed Burghley six times, finishing third twice, and competed at the 2012 London Games.

Sam takes over from Dag Albert, who led Ireland to silver at the European Championships at Blenheim in September, the country’s first senior European eventing team medal in 30 years.

“This is a strong period for Irish eventing with some young combinations as well as the more established ones, and the European Championships was obviously a great result,” said Sam.

“Ireland is a nation very much on the up. I learned a lot throughout my riding career and as head coach for New Zealand and I’m hoping to implement some of the philosophies I’ve honed along the way to this programme.

“I’m ambitious, we have the World Championships on the horizon and we want to go well there. That’s also a stepping stone to the Olympics, with qualification to Los Angeles on offer and from there we have European Championships, but what I want is an Olympic medal, so let’s all pull in the same direction to get there.”

Sam added that he has an “Irish connection” through his Badminton winner Paulank Brockagh, bred by his friends Paula and Frank Cullen.

“My cousin also lives in south Dublin who I see on a regular basis, so I definitely feel like there’s a bit of Ireland in me. It’s also been fantastic to be supported by TRM, who I know have been great supporters of the HSI youth programme for many years,” he said.

“It’s going to be an exciting time for Irish eventing, and I can’t wait to get started.”

An HSI spokesperson said Sam is “one of the most respected figures in international eventing”.

“His experience spans talent development, championship preparation and performance systems aligned with best international practice,” he said.

“He played an integral part in the redesign of New Zealand’s high performance eventing program along with the high performance director, while also serving as head coach for over three years, including at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He also acted as chef d’equipe at various international events and Nations Cups.”

HSI chief executive Denis Duggan said the organisation is delighted to welcome Sam.

“Sam brings an exceptional blend of elite competitive experience and proven high-performance management expertise. His understanding of what it takes to succeed at the very top of the sport, both as an athlete and as a leader, will be of enormous benefit to our eventing programme,” he said.

“This appointment follows a thorough and competitive process, and Sam stood out for his vision, technical knowledge and alignment with HSI’s high-performance strategy. His commitment to horse welfare and to transparency within the sport reflects the values at the heart of HSI’s high-performance system.”

Mr Duggan thanked Dag Albert for his “commitment, professionalism and contribution”.

“Dag has played an important role in supporting our athletes and in strengthening the foundations of the high performance eventing programme, and we wish him every success in the future,” he said.

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