They are only 22, 20 and 18… but the Wachman siblings Max, Tom and Alice have been setting international showjumping arenas alight over the last years. Plenty of impressive performances at Nations Cup and Championship level as well as international five-star competitions underline their massive talent. To put that into context: the trio are barely old enough to drink the champagne they’re regularly spilling on podiums, but their cool, calm and collected demeanour belies their young age.
Team Ireland are always a force to be reckoned with when it comes to European Championships, even more so when the name Wachman appears on the entry list. This week at Riesenbeck International 18-year-old Alice will be competing in the Junior division, while her older brother Tom will boost the Irish Young Riders team’s chances.
Equestrian heritage
It comes as no surprise that Alice and her brothers are involved with horses, their family is iconic in racing circles: Their great-grandfather, Vincent O’Brien was one of the most revered names in horseracing. Grandparents John and Sue Magnier are the owners of Coolmore Stud, one of the largest Thoroughbred breeding and racing operation in the world. Their mother, Kate, was a successful eventing rider and their father, David, spent many years as one of the top Flat trainers in Ireland, sending out Group 1 winners in five different countries.
The siblings all started out with ponies and progressively moved up the ranks and age divisions. Yet despite horses being in his life from birth, Tom was something of a late starter in riding. It was only when Max started going for lessons that Tom’s interest was piqued too. The boys were on as many as six European Championships together. Last year they were once again part of the Gold-medal winning Under 21 European Championship team. Alice first dipped a toe into international CSI waters in 2020 and has since racked up some impressive wins herself.
Representing their country
In 2021 Tom said in an interview that his long-term goals were to represent Ireland at the very top level of showjumping. Only two years later he did just that, being selected for his first Senior Nations Cup with Ireland for the five-star event in La Baule, France. Riding on that first team was a huge moment for Tom: “Representing your country at any level is amazing, when you can put on the green jacket, it’s very special, but you have to earn it, it’s not easy to ride for Ireland as there are so many great riders going for the team.” Last weekend the 20-year-old impressed with clear rounds over the most challenging courses at Aachen. For Riesenbeck he is saddling up Obora’s Laura, his partner from the five-star shows at Rotterdam, Ocala and Dublin. The ten-year-old Estonian-bred mare and Tom have been a successful combination for two years.
Despite his many successes the young rider stays humble: “It’s a difficult sport, it’s not a linear way to the top. Maybe this year you are riding Nations Cups and next year you are not. So it’s about enjoying it while we can and make the best of all the horses. I have been lucky this year!”
Tom and Max trained with Michael Condon and Dave Maguire before Olympic bronze medalist Cian O’Connor became their coach and mentor in 2017. Alice is also coached by Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill. The Wachman’s showjumping stable in County Tipperary is called Coolmore Showjumping, bearing the same famed name, but the siblings are keen that it is its own entity. Nonetheless Max, Tom and Alice are regular attendants at race days and bloodstock sales. In the meantime it is rare that parents and grandparents are not supporting the trio at a showjumping event — just like at Riesenbeck International this week. After all, horse sport is still all a big family affair.
Loving Riesenbeck
This year it is Alice’s first European Championship, but not her first time wearing the green jacket and performing under pressure. In June she and her partner Killarney produced two clear rounds to help her team win the CSIOJ Nations Cup at Hagen. It’s not their first time jumping in Riesenbeck they say, “the stables here are probably the best of any show in the world, it’s brilliant venue for the Europeans” Tom and Alice happily agree.
While Alice is still attending school, Tom finished his commerce degree a few weeks ago. There’s zero sibling rivalry between the three Wachman kids, just close camaraderie and unlimited support. “We get on well together and it’s nice that we can all do the same thing, travel together and share the same passion. We always help each other, so that one of us can get a ribbon,” they say. “But Alice could be the best one of us yet,” Tom proudly adds.
