Returning to international competition for the first time since the global COVID-19 pandemic temporarily brought the sport of show jumping to a halt, international Irish show jumper Capt. Brian Cournane arrived in Traverse City, MI, with not only his strongest string of horses to date, but also two exciting new sponsors.
Cournane, a member of the Irish national show jumping squad since 2015, is proud to announce his partnerships with the esteemed companies EquiFit and Renaissance by Prestige. Competing in his new equipment for the first time, Cournane posted top results in Traverse City, including a runner-up finish aboard Penelope Cruz in the CSI2* North Face Farm Grand Prix.
Capt. Brian Cournane on Vittorio 12 competing in Traverse City. Vittorio 12 is wearing EquiFit Eq-Teq™ boots and the Renaissance by Prestige saddle. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.
“I’m extremely excited about my two new sponsorships,” Cournane said. “Both companies are leaders in their respective areas, and I feel very honored to be representing them.”
Designing and manufacturing technologically advanced products for top riders and horses throughout the world, the EquiFit brand is has become one of the most well known in the sport. Cournane’s string sports EquiFit’s Eq-Teq™ boots in the show ring and wears the company’s T-Sport Wraps™, T-Foam™ bandage liners and AgSilver T-Foam StandingWraps™ at home, among others in EquiFit’s vast product line.
“EquiFit’s products are very innovative and high quality,” Cournane said. “My horses are going great in them!”
The Renaissance by Prestige line of saddles features Italian craftsmanship, French styling, and innovative technology. Named after the historic period, the Renaissance, these saddles boast a flat, close contact seat; integrated latex panels; and a light, durable composite fiber tree. Cournane’s string is also competing in Prestige’s line of line of bridles, girths, and martingales.
“The craftsmanship and the quality of the saddles are amazing. There’s such attention to detail paid to each individual saddle, and with so many fitting options, they fit the horses perfectly,” Cournane said. “The horses are really comfortable in all of the tack.”
Normally spending his summer season in Calgary, Cournane is basing out of Traverse City for the 2020 summer circuit with international mounts Penelope Cruz, who also took runner-up honors in the CSI5* Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix this winter in Wellington, FL; Armik, who represented Ireland in the 2020 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup USA; exciting 9 year-olds Vittorio 12 and Castlefield Dream; and the always-competitive Sunny van de Hunters.
“The horses have all benefited from some time off and are in great form,” Cournane said. “I’m grateful to have such a strong group!”
About Capt. Brian Cournane
Capt. Brian Cournane brings his experiences at Ireland’s Army Equitation School and more than a decade of international eventing competition to his Glenbeigh Farm show jumping operation in Wellington, FL. A native of Co. Kerry, Ireland, 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 has 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. To learn more about Capt. Brian Cournane and Glenbeigh Farm, click here.