Custom Made
Encyclopedia
Custom Made is a horse that was ridden by American David O'Connor
at the international level in the sport of eventing
.
Joseph Zada imported Custom Made, whose barn name is "Tailor", in January 1995 from a Young Rider in Britain as a mount for David O'Connor
. The horse was incredibly strong on cross-country, and was not very careful in show jumping, but an athletic jumper and a very good mover.
O'Connor and Custom Made made their debut at Rolex Kentucky Three Day
in the CCI***
division in 1995. The pair won the dressage phase by almost 12 penalty points, but the horse was a run-away on cross-country and had 11.5 penalties in the show jumping. Although O'Connor and Custom Made were able to win their first three-day, by a slim margin of 0.1 penalties, it was clear that the horse needed additional training before he could be truly successful.
Custom Made was then shipped to England. O'Connor placed the horse in a Citation bridle for cross-country, which seemed to help to prevent the horse from running away with his rider. The pair won the Gatcombe Horse Trials, and was selected for the United States team in the Open Eventing European Championships, held at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. Although the pair did well in dressage, cross country proved to be a disaster. The new bridle pinched the mouth of the horse as he was approaching a ditch, and he spun around so quickly that O'Connor fell off. The following day, the horse seemed to remember the incident at the ditch and refused to jump the second liverpool on course, which eliminated the pair from the competition.
Upset with the performance at the European Championships, O'Connor began reintroducing Custom Made to the jumps he would see at an event, focusing on ditches and liverpools. They then entered the Badminton Horse Trials
, knowing that a good run there would put them back on the selector's list for the 1996 US Olympic team. Custom Made won the dressage at Badminton, and was just one second over the optimum time on cross-country. Stadium was also greatly improved from their past performances, with just one rail down, and Tailor finished an impressive third place.
Their record earned them a spot on the US team, as an individual competitor (the gelding's lack of consistency in show jumping kept him off the team squad). Custom Made did well in the dressage, but had 30.8 time penalties on cross-country and lost a shoe, finishing in 8th place. In stadium, they pulled two rails, but managed to finish 5th place overall.
Custom Made went back to Badminton a second time in 1997, and was impressive in every phase. After finishing second in dressage, he added only 0.4 time penalties on cross-country, and 0.25 time penalties in stadium. Fellow competitor Ian Stark
was in the lead after cross-country, but a poor showing jumping round with 5 rails down dropped him several places, leaving David O'Connor and Giltedge the winners of their first CCI ****.
Tailor went on to have his greatest performance yet at the 2000 Olympics
in Sydney, where he and his rider won the first eventing Olympic gold medal for America in 25 years and put up the best score in Olympic history, despite the fact that O'Connor nearly went off-course. This fantastic performance prompted the USCTA (now USEA
) to name him as Horse of the Year.
In 2002, Custom Made had a fairytale finish to his illustrious career when O’Connor rode him to victory in the U.S. Equestrian Team Eventing Three-Star Fall Championship at the Fair Hill International in Fair Hill, MD. O’Connor had announced prior to the event that it would be Custom Made’s final competition and the horse beloved by so many went out and delivered yet another championship performance.
He was retired in a ceremony at the 2004 Rolex Kentucky Three Day
.
2001
2000
1999
1997
1996
1995
David O'Connor (equestrian)
David John O'Connor is a retired equestrian rider. He won many international competitions as well as the gold medal for the US in the 2000 Olympic Games. He is only the second American to have won the Badminton Horse Trials. O'Connor sits as the President of the US Equestrian Federation...
at the international level in the sport of eventing
Eventing
Eventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
.
- Stable Name: Tailor
- Color: Dark BayBay (color)Bay is a hair coat color of horses, characterized by a reddish brown body color with a black mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs. Bay is one of the most common coat colors in many horse breeds....
- Markings: Star, stripe
- Height: 17.1 hhHand (unit)The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
(175 cm) - Sex: GeldingGeldingA gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
- Foaled: 1985 in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
- Breed: Irish Sport HorseIrish HorseThe Irish Sport Horse , also known as the Irish Hunter, is mainly the result of a cross between the Irish Draught and the Thoroughbred. It has been given recognition as a separate breed,...
- Breeding: By Bassompierre (ThoroughbredThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
) out of Purple Heather (ISH), by Ben Purple (RID) - Breeders: Kitty Horgan and Elizabeth O’Flynn
- Rider: David O'ConnorDavid O'Connor (equestrian)David John O'Connor is a retired equestrian rider. He won many international competitions as well as the gold medal for the US in the 2000 Olympic Games. He is only the second American to have won the Badminton Horse Trials. O'Connor sits as the President of the US Equestrian Federation...
- Owner: Xandarius, LLC (Joseph P. Zada)
Joseph Zada imported Custom Made, whose barn name is "Tailor", in January 1995 from a Young Rider in Britain as a mount for David O'Connor
David O'Connor (equestrian)
David John O'Connor is a retired equestrian rider. He won many international competitions as well as the gold medal for the US in the 2000 Olympic Games. He is only the second American to have won the Badminton Horse Trials. O'Connor sits as the President of the US Equestrian Federation...
. The horse was incredibly strong on cross-country, and was not very careful in show jumping, but an athletic jumper and a very good mover.
O'Connor and Custom Made made their debut at Rolex Kentucky Three Day
Rolex Kentucky Three Day
The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is an eventing competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The Rolex Kentucky is a CCI**** eventing competition, and the only four-star show in the Western Hemisphere. Four stars is the highest level of competition, the same level of...
in the CCI***
Concours Complet International
The Concours Complet International and the Concours International Combiné are ratings for the equestrian sport of eventing, given by the international governing body for the sport, the FEI....
division in 1995. The pair won the dressage phase by almost 12 penalty points, but the horse was a run-away on cross-country and had 11.5 penalties in the show jumping. Although O'Connor and Custom Made were able to win their first three-day, by a slim margin of 0.1 penalties, it was clear that the horse needed additional training before he could be truly successful.
Custom Made was then shipped to England. O'Connor placed the horse in a Citation bridle for cross-country, which seemed to help to prevent the horse from running away with his rider. The pair won the Gatcombe Horse Trials, and was selected for the United States team in the Open Eventing European Championships, held at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. Although the pair did well in dressage, cross country proved to be a disaster. The new bridle pinched the mouth of the horse as he was approaching a ditch, and he spun around so quickly that O'Connor fell off. The following day, the horse seemed to remember the incident at the ditch and refused to jump the second liverpool on course, which eliminated the pair from the competition.
Upset with the performance at the European Championships, O'Connor began reintroducing Custom Made to the jumps he would see at an event, focusing on ditches and liverpools. They then entered the Badminton Horse Trials
Badminton Horse Trials
The Badminton Horse Trials is a three-day event, one of only six annual Concours Complet International Four Star **** events as classified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale , which takes place in April or May each year in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort in...
, knowing that a good run there would put them back on the selector's list for the 1996 US Olympic team. Custom Made won the dressage at Badminton, and was just one second over the optimum time on cross-country. Stadium was also greatly improved from their past performances, with just one rail down, and Tailor finished an impressive third place.
Their record earned them a spot on the US team, as an individual competitor (the gelding's lack of consistency in show jumping kept him off the team squad). Custom Made did well in the dressage, but had 30.8 time penalties on cross-country and lost a shoe, finishing in 8th place. In stadium, they pulled two rails, but managed to finish 5th place overall.
Custom Made went back to Badminton a second time in 1997, and was impressive in every phase. After finishing second in dressage, he added only 0.4 time penalties on cross-country, and 0.25 time penalties in stadium. Fellow competitor Ian Stark
Ian Stark
Ian David Stark is a Scottish equestrian who competes in the sport of eventing. Stark was born in Galashiels in the Borders in 1954 and began riding horses at the age of 10....
was in the lead after cross-country, but a poor showing jumping round with 5 rails down dropped him several places, leaving David O'Connor and Giltedge the winners of their first CCI ****.
Tailor went on to have his greatest performance yet at the 2000 Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney, where he and his rider won the first eventing Olympic gold medal for America in 25 years and put up the best score in Olympic history, despite the fact that O'Connor nearly went off-course. This fantastic performance prompted the USCTA (now USEA
United States Eventing Association
This article is about the U. S. Eventing Association. For the United States Energy Association, see The United States Eventing Association is the organization responsible for organizing, promoting and adjudicating equestrian eventing within the United States of America...
) to name him as Horse of the Year.
In 2002, Custom Made had a fairytale finish to his illustrious career when O’Connor rode him to victory in the U.S. Equestrian Team Eventing Three-Star Fall Championship at the Fair Hill International in Fair Hill, MD. O’Connor had announced prior to the event that it would be Custom Made’s final competition and the horse beloved by so many went out and delivered yet another championship performance.
He was retired in a ceremony at the 2004 Rolex Kentucky Three Day
Rolex Kentucky Three Day
The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is an eventing competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The Rolex Kentucky is a CCI**** eventing competition, and the only four-star show in the Western Hemisphere. Four stars is the highest level of competition, the same level of...
.
Competition records
2002- 1st Fair Hill International Three-day Event CCI ***Concours Complet InternationalThe Concours Complet International and the Concours International Combiné are ratings for the equestrian sport of eventing, given by the international governing body for the sport, the FEI....
- 1st Over The Walls HT (Advanced)
- 2nd Groton House Farm II Open HT (Advanced)
- 2nd Poplar Place HT (Advanced)
- 3rd Red Hills HT (Advanced)
2001
- 4th Morven Park Three-day Event (Advanced)
- 2nd Middleburg HT OI
- 3rd Kentucky Three-day Event CCI ****
- 14th Southern Pines HT (Advanced)
2000
- Individual gold, Olympic Games at Sydney
- 7th Coconino County Summer HT OI (rider: Manuela Inez Propfe)
- 6th Kentucky Three-day Event CCI ****
- 6th Fair Hill at Menfelt HT (Advanced)
- 7th Morven Park Spring HT (Advanced)
- 5th Sharpton Winter III One Day HT AI
1999
- 4th Blenheim Three-day Event CCI ***
- 10th CDCTA HT OI
1997
- 50th Burghley Three-day Event CCI ***
- 1st Badminton Three-day Event CCI ****
- 31st Beaulieu North American Classic HT(Advanced)
- 4th Morven Park Spring HT (Advanced)
- 13th Sharpton Winter HT AI
1996
- 5th place individually, Olympic Games in Atlanta
- 12th place North Georgia International Open Invitational HT (Advanced)
- 13th Groton House Farm HT (Advanced)
- 3rd Badminton Three-day Event CCI ****
- 21st Beaulieu North American Classic HT (Advanced)
- 5th Morven Park Spring HT (Advanced)
- 3rd Sharpton Winter HT OI
1995
- 1st Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI ***
- 4th Beaulieu North American Classic HT (Advanced)
- 2nd Morven Park Spring HT (Advanced)
- 3rd Southern Pines HT OI
- 3rd Pine Top Farms HT OI