(upbeat music) - Now listeners, before we dive in to this episode of the Agra Horse for Lifetime series on the Agratings authentic podcast, some big news because Agra, who are the world's oldest specialist pet insurer and who have quite frankly rewritten the rules for equine insurance in the UK since launching its revolutionary lifetime vet fee cover for horses over the last couple of years. Drum roll please, a launching in Ireland from the first of October, you will be able to get the lifetime equine insurance which covers horses for vet fees, loss of use and mortality and has been a real game changer since it launched in Britain two years ago in Ireland. It sets the standard in vet fee cover for a number of reasons. I'm gonna list them out for you now because if you're in Ireland, you need to take notice of this. If you're in Great Britain and you haven't already considered Agra for your horse insurance, these are a few reasons that you might wish to do so. Their policies offer up to 10,000 euros of veterinary fee cover a year. They have a affordable monthly premiums. Policies can be taken out from 30 days of age and there is no reduction in the vet cover offered as the horse grows older. And we've all been there with an older horse and looking at insurance options and there just isn't the choice that Agra have the answer to that problem. Horses can be insured from 30 days of age up to any age for illness as well as injury. Cover is offered for both horse and pony to you either own or that you have on loan. And if a horse is sold, the new owner may take on the existing Agra insurance policy if they wish with full continuity of cover. So that is a huge one if you are selling horses as well. So brilliant news from Agra and now launching in Ireland to back up what has been an incredible launch. And to be quite honest, they've really changed the game of insurance in Great Britain over the last couple of years with the lifetime insurance cover. Do go and check them out for more information. You can find all the details on their website and we will link it in the show notes too. So now let's dive in to the show itself because on this episode of the Agra Pause for Lifetime series is the rider who when he was last on the show was a huge hit. He is one of Ireland's leading campaigners. Joseph Murphy, how are you? - Thank you, Nicole. Yes, happy to be here. - Okay, Joseph. I had an idea as to where this horse for lifetime was going to go. Piss is all out of our misery. Who is your horse for lifetime so far? - Okay, so Alexis Cruz just shares in Sportsfield Hotel. He's been an amazing horse for me for my career. So has Sportsfield Hotel, but I think Alexis Cruz, he just had that something special and we had that bond. So I'm gonna nominate him, I think, as my at the moment, my horse for the lifetime. - Okay, I love that. - Okay, so Electric Cruz, he went to the Olympic Games in London at finished top 15 there. He took him to Khan to the World Championships, took him to two European championships as well. He was a real championship horse. Take us back to the start of your Electric Cruz journey. Where did you first meet and what were your first impressions of him? - It's like, oh, so how has this sort of come into your life and you don't really know what's ahead. And it was certainly the same way for him. He came to me as a seven-year-old from an owner, Kevin Monroe, with another horse at Sportsfield. And I was just working away doing a little bit and Oliver Towning came and looked at him. Kevin contacted him and Oliver bought the other horse and Electric Cruz ended up staying with me. And we decided I'd do a few events with him and get him going and that's where the journey really started. It wasn't anything fancy when he arrived. He was just a normal Irish-looking horse, fluffy and chestnut and probably not the most attractive, but I suppose he grew and made his time with Don. - What was he like as a person when he was a youngster? - To be honest, Nicole, he had a character that he kept through his whole career. And I'm not saying it was a good character. It was nearly a little bit chippy sometimes. And he'd do things and he'd sort of let you down. You'd just say, "You're some, you know what." But on the other hand, it probably made him good. And that sort of probably brought intrigued me a little bit about him. So the first event I went to with him, I remember it so well, it was in Anna Harvey, a one-day event, and he led the dresser and show-jump. And I couldn't get him around cross-country. He just took this thing about a skinny coming out of water and it wasn't a difficult fence. And he just said, "No." I was so, so disappointed, you know. And, you know, when I think back to that time, that was his character the whole way true. You know, he had this little thing, if things weren't right, you know, he could question you. But the one thing I did do after that, I remember saying to Kevin, the owner at the time, "You know, Kevin, I really like this horse, but you need to give me five or six weeks before you, you know, I need to bring him to another event." And on the cigar, Nicole, he just came out and he won about six events in a row because at that point, he knew where he stood. He went, he was prepared and away he went. So, you know, that was, you know, a turning point for him and me and then, you know, we started on our journey, the eventing journey. - I was gonna say, because quite often, these horses have a lifetime. Not only have they got kind of a turning point for them, but they teach you so much and you learn from them as well. And they become pivotal in your career for learning and for results and everything else. Was that a moment that actually, a light bulb moment for you that kind of went, okay, this is the key to unlocking this horse, but actually I can adapt this for the future for other horses to make me a better horseman. - Oh, listen, Nicole, I was just thinking about it last night before I was doing the interview and I was just, you know, that horse really shaped my career in so many ways, you know, from veterinary to training to preparation. You know, like I was a slow learner. He did that to me at the first event. Every time he moved from one star to two star, three star, four star, he did exactly the same. Every time, and that was over a period of maybe seven or eight years. And I just think how foolish was I? But he just, it was, you know, I went to Patterson's one year to do the four star and it jumped out by a corner. And then I went to Bramham a week later and he was fourth or third or fourth. You know, he was incredible. And he just kept doing that to me the whole way up. But nobody knows that because when he was on song, you know, he was just unbelievable. It just, everything felt so easy. It was incredible. - Do you think that that slightly chippy character, actually, was the bit that made him special, was the bit that made him dig deep when things got tough and was the bit that made him go round those championship courses? - Oh, definitely, because, you know, you hear stories all the time of riders that, you know, difficult horses when they're young and you never think, but what to do is to make you work harder at the training and the preparation. And, you know, we all know that, that, you know, an easy horse, ah, you take it for granted and he's lovely. You don't really work as hard on them. Whereas a horse like him, he was keeping me on my toes. And, you know, I remember 2014 at the World Games, Nicole, and you know, and a lot of people, the listeners, will remember the ground. It was absolutely hideous. And I was stopped to fence three on the cross country. I hadn't even got going. And the ground was horrendous. And I should have fallen, I'd say 10 times around that course. And I didn't. And he just kept going even, and he jumped around and it was amazing. But I remember feeling so shit really in my riding. 'Cause I was caught, you know, what am I doing wrong? But, you know, the conditions were so bad there was no one getting around, but he actually did get around. And, you know, he pulled out the next day and we went up the can to the big stadium. And he went in and jumped the clear round after doing all of that. Like, what a horse he was. You know, some things he did were just, you know, phenomenal. But what that day did for me was, I remember going home in 2014. It was September time. And I ran Christopher Barton. I said, Christopher, I'm going to pole. Can I drop in and get a little bit of training on the way? Because I just was really disappointed how I rode at the championships. And that's where my relationship started with him. So, you know, one thing leads to another. And that's what this horse did to me. He made me reach for other things and, you know, try harder and work harder. And, yeah, it was a lot of good stories now. It's interesting because, actually, you mentioned that pole results, or you mentioned going to pole. And he went clear inside the time cross country and pole after you'd been to Chris. The second horse inspection didn't go to plan for you that day. But actually, the cross country bit did. Take us back a couple of years because he's obviously played a massive part in your career. But at what point did you think, actually, he did have the ingredients to be a five-star and championship horse? I-- there was no real point on it. I was just desperate to get to badminton, Nicole. I didn't care if it was a donkey I was riding. And, unfortunately, for Sparky, what we call him at home, he was the one that was getting to that level at that time. So he's the one that had to step up. So there was no-- not much thought went into it as regards his ability. And we-- I suppose that determination from both of us, you know, just was-- that's what happened. And it just led from one thing to another, then, you know? I was going to say, though, that you had that determination. But it very much sounds like you didn't get your way. If he didn't want you to get your way. So he was 100% on board with this plan, but he just did it in his own time. Take us back, then, that first badminton, the dream to get to badminton. Because you were a little bit later coming to top level of editing. That's right, doesn't it? You were in your 20s, weren't you? Yeah, I was thinking about that this morning. I think me trying to make myself feel good, Nicole, because I was thinking, both people my age have 15 years riding experience in the bag before I even started. So I'm probably only just about to peak now. So like, I've never met 15 years over everybody, but-- yeah, so, you know, I did my first 3D event when I was 23, nearly 24. And when I was 34, I did my first badminton on him. So, you know, it was mind over matter. It was perseverance, you know, whatever you want to call it. But I was just desperate to get to badminton, desperate to get to a 5-star. And I was doing everything I could to get there. I didn't care what it was. I probably neglected so many things that I shouldn't have. But it was just, I have this sort of passion. And I had the belief in the horse. I really did have the belief in him. And, you know, just the time came, and we just-- we headed there. So your first badminton, 2011, you're 34 years old, you jump double clear. And you come home having completed badminton. And that then sets off a chain of events for your first senior call up in Lemulam for the Europeans. And then 12 months further on than that, the Olympic Games in London. What was the feeling like coming home from that badminton, knowing that this horse had gone to one of the biggest dimensional worlds and delivered for you? That, you know, I still have the videos of that year. And the horse got so much admiration for how he went around it that year. He was phenomenal. And it didn't feel that difficult, Nicole. And that's a hard thing to say, because that level of competition, and later years, it felt more difficult. But whatever it was about that year, he just was amazing. And then you just knew pulling him out. His track record on the last day was just phenomenal. So, you know, I went with a lot of confidence, but it way, way exceeded my expectations. And when I came home out there, I just thought I was the business. You know, I can rule the world. Do you think he was the business? Oh, yeah, I mean. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, he'd-- then he'd just come out with a feeling and just jump to get into the yard. Or, you know, he'd just do these things to just make sure that I knew that, you know, he's as good as he was. You know, he was-- there was some-- he was, you know-- in the mornings, Nicole, our yard is quite almost on our premises for our houses. But he could hear our back door every morning. And he would start talking to me in the morning. I could hear him in the yard. And, you know, it was really sad when he retired. Because I really, really missed that. He was just special to me. Like, he really was. He was just like a dog or, you know, a pet or somebody. He was just, you know, he was just a love about character, really. How much of bringing out the best in him, obviously, he was tricky. But he sounds like he would-- he kind of had his own way at home a little bit as well. How much did you have to kind of embrace those elements of his character to get the best sparky? Um, he was just like, you know, you know, just a spoiled child that just keeps testing you. And he was just one of those. But he didn't phase him. You know, that was the relationship we had. We had to do whatever we had to do to make it to the top of the sport. And, you know, I had good people in my corner at that time. You know, Jill loved him, my wife, Lisa Savgroom Forum. And she was spectacular. She talked to her. She understood him. She kept me out of picture when she needed to, you know, there was all that. Then Gini Elliott was on board at the time. And she was incredible. She had this belief in me and this first. And then she, you know, as a result, she sent me to the Olympics. Marcus Swale as regards veterinary. You know, Nicole, I'd be trotting around the arena and him at home before a championship. And I'd ring Jill and I'd say, are we mad going here? I don't know if this horse is right. And then we'd just arrive at the event. And it was just like, it was just a different horse. Trot it up, perfect. Road perfect. He just, it was just, you know, you'd nearly think he was doing it to test me, you know? And he did all that through his career. It was, and, you know, Gini, you know, implemented things. We always let him from the right-hand side because he liked to drop his shoulder and he left even walking. And he nearly looked a little bit on level or bridle him. He would probably call us. So we implemented this plan for a couple of years. You know, everyone will lead him on the off side. And when we get to the trough, you know, then we'll just, and the horse will be used to, you know. And, you know, Mark, what I learned from Marcus Swale and how to trough a horse up and these little things that were difficult. You know, it was, you know, again, it was a huge education all around, you know, what that horse created in our yard and our set up. And for me, you know, in particular and for the rest of my career, there were so many highlights, really. Take us to one of what has got to be one of the biggest highlights, the London Olympic Games, your first Olympics. And pretty much as close to a home Olympics, really, you know, so close to home, I'm sure plenty of your friends, family, everybody were out supporting you. First of all, getting the call to say that you were going to London with him. What was that moment like? I was just unbelievable. You see, I've been trying every four years since to get there. And, you know, I've been in quarantine twice and, you know, picked again and the horse broke its leg. And, you know, so there's all of these variables that can happen, Nicole. And that just happened for me. But I believe that that was down to, you know, Ginny and that she believed in us, you know, they, she believed, I believed in the horse. She could get that vibe. She believed if she brought me, I could do a good job. And, you know, I, to this day, I still believe that you need somebody behind you that gives you that feeling. And when you, when someone gives you that feeling or believes in you, what you can do for them is just can change the world. You know, there's just that. And she was able to do that to me, you know. The highlights of my career were definitely when, you know, Ginny was there and, you know, was able to negotiate things. Because we went to her final trial that year in Barbra. And we did the normal class, but also there was an Olympic dress as class. And I did that on electric cruise. And I can't turn down the center line and a whole of it. And he just railed up and spun round. And I just thought, like, I am, you know what? I'm fact here. Because, you know, this is, no, no. Why would anyone send me to an Olympic Games? You know, three weeks out and the horse doing this. And then he, then he came back into the normal force there. You know, Ginny was just fine. Just, you know, you know what to do. And, like, he was lying second or third. He was leading for a good while lying second or third and after dressage in an incredible field of piggy and all of these people. He just, you know, it just came together. And that's what, you know, that's what that horse kept doing to me. And it was probably a good thing because, you know, it didn't give it to me easy now. I feel like the emotional roller coaster that he put you on in terms of, like, the highs and the lows and the gray hairs that we all inevitably get with horses. Actually, he had you basically in an intensive boot camp, Joseph, like, for the rest of your career. He set you up. It did, but, you know, the, the amount of people that loved that horse, Nicole, like, definitely, I know on true electric cruise because, you know, on song on a day, you know, it was amazing. It, like, it looked effortless. You know, he jumped clear rounds. He just, he just did everything he should do. And I remember the year when he was lying second to Ingrid in Paul after such a brilliant round in that time. And, you know, he should have got through the shot up. Definitely, like, there's plenty of times I know I shouldn't have, but you do. But that year, and I remember, Tracy Robinson was there, Liz, the vest, Ingrid, everyone was in floods at Hairs because I didn't pass the shot up and the horse didn't because he really, really deserved it. And I remember Ingrid coming to me after, you know, and saying, Joseph, I'm happy to lobby for you to see why you didn't pass. You know, it wasn't me as in the support. And obviously, for me, you know, it happened. There's nothing you can do. You can't change it. I did talk to the ground jury and the stewards. But, you know, everyone else has their own canoe to paddle. So that wasn't their, their business. But, you know, he had a lot of admiration, you know, and he just sort of touched the hearts of a lot of people, which was great. It's great to have had a horse like him, to be honest. Oh, it's going to say that. I mean, that is probably one of the biggest compliments that you can get when you're in a big event. And you're close to challenging somebody and they're offering to go up to bat for you. Because, actually, that, I think, shows how respected you are about how special the horse is and how he's kind of captured their imagination as well. London final day. Well, first of all, actually, the crowds in London. Let's talk about the crowds. Because I feel like we saw, you know, a kind of a glimpse of the crowds in Paris more recently whereby everybody got so behind it. But, actually, rewind 12 years to London, the noise on that cross-country course and the atmosphere. What was that like? And did he enjoy that? Because that was something that you can't really practice. Like, badminton is badminton sure. But London was something totally different. It took a bit of getting used to now. It was fairly intense, Nicole, to be honest. And, you know, the warm-up for the cross-country and everything, there was thousands and thousands of people. You know, the area was, in a way, very small. So everybody was packed together. And he didn't mind the crowds. But, you know, it was daunting as a rider, that's for sure. You know, it was because you were going up and down and around, and it was strong quite tightly. And there was a lot of people around. But, you know, probably what you'd expect at a championship or particularly at an Olympics in somewhere like Greenwich, you know, that's what was going to happen. But, you know, I was well-established with him now at this stage. And I had a plan that I believed in us. And I knew what I could do. So that gave me a good bit of confidence and I would be honest. Final day. Jumping for a top 15 finish at an Olympic Games. You know you're sashed on a good jumper, but it's something entirely different jumping on the final day of an Olympics. Oh, geez, it was a dream there in the cold. It was just a dream there. I got hopped up morning and I had some pep in my step because I have dreamed or I did dream for a whole year about jumping two rounds, clear rounds at the Olympics. I just, you know, I had that horse to do with. It was just going to be a big occasion and was I going to be able for that occasion? But, you know, I went in and I jumped in the first round. He jumped really well and jumped the clear round. So that was, I think it was lying maybe 20 or 21st going, you know, in the team competition. And so that brought me down then into the last, you know, well, I think it was the last 20 or whatever, and I jumped on the final day. So I was comfortably going to be in the afternoon's jump. And so that was, that was, it was a tense couple of hours, but, you know, it was so exciting. Did you feel the pressure knowing your sat on a very good jumper? Um, I don't think you really think about that so much, but I don't know if I sort of related a story to you before about, you know, the final day and the jumping, but I remember in the afternoon, getting up on, on electric crews and walking into the, it was very warm, though he didn't have to do that much warming up. The, the muscles were warm, the horses were ready, they were after jumping in the morning. And Ian Fern was the coach and Ian was just incredible at, you know, absorbing all the atmosphere and the pressure for you. He was able to do that. There was that way, that sort of connection. And, you know, I came out and had a trot around in the practice ring, you know, six or seven horses before me. And, you know, I was getting this feeling that was on this indescribable, really, it was, I put my legs on and my felt and with my hands. And it was just soft. It was just, it just felt unbelievable. And it's, it's nearly like how you describe when you peek on a particular moment, everything just feels perfect. And that's what it felt, it just felt perfect, Nicole. I was just feeling so confident. And I remember there was a smallish vertical up. I jumped at once, a bigger vertical and I jumped an oxer. And there wasn't even a warm spoken between Ian and I in the practice. He sort of looked at me, I looked at him, it was just like a sign. You're ready. And, you know, at that moment then we had to tander down and go into the ramp into the big arena. And I just, you know, to this day, I remember saying, Joseph, the only reason you'll have a fence down today is if you make a mistake. And because the hearth felt and it was a dream round. I just, he jumped incredibly, he jumped this day around. It was a moment of my life, really. What has he done for you? He has made me love this sport. He has, he, you know, he gave me a great start in this sport. He made me familiar to everybody that, you know, it was easier for me to do this sport. And he made me love good and he made me love good. And, you know, sometimes we did that all with a little confidence boost. So, you know, he did a, he did a lot for me. He, he taught me, you know, we learned together, we worked together. We had the ups and downs, but, you know, what a relationship it was. What's the biggest thing, actually, that you implement now in, in your career and in your system, that you look back and you kind of can attribute to him and how he shaped your way of doing things? Oh, definitely, oh, definitely. Because, you know, down to the care of the horses and, you know, the vigilance and, you know, no one if they're ready to go to an event or not and the preparation and, you know, all of those sort of things, yeah, there's, there's again, like everybody, the some horses teach you and some horses don't. And he taught me a lot. And I had to strive to be a better person and a better rider and a better planner to, to ride them. So, you know, in the end, you know, the most of those things are positives, aren't they? They obviously are, they, and they all stand during good stead. And you look back on those kind of character-defining moments and, like I say, the emotional rollercoaster training scheme implemented by electric crews. You know, and, and, you know, I had a natural talent who owned about the time in his, and, and all good, they're two good friends of mine. And, you know, they, they, of course, as owners, they had their ups and downs and they had their good and the bad days. But, you know, the support that they had and, you know, the icing on the cake for them, everything was forgotten when we did what we did at an Olympic Games. Nobody can take that from you as a rider, as an owner, you know, as a groom, you know, as a supporter or as being part of your team. That's something special that's now engraved in, in everybody that had pulled a hand on that horse. So, you know, that was a great reward for all of them. What, what about when he retired? Obviously, he made a massive kind of hole in your yard and he didn't get your morning conversation when you back door opened and things like that. But, actually, what did retirement look like, him? Oh, geez. It was, it was so funny because he broke down really badly one year, getting ready for Paul. And we were all absolutely devastated, Nicole. We were devastated, we taught. And Jill and I, we put her minds to, we are going to get this horse back. We, we just, you know, it was, it was nearly like, you know, again, he was testing us. Are you going to give up? Are you going to, what are you going to do? And we got him back to full fitness and he came out when he won his first three events afterwards. It was, but, you know, again, he, he defined everything of, you know, what he should have been and what he shouldn't have been. And, you know, then we retired him and it was a great feather in our cap, but what a horse to to come back from a life-threatening injury. And to just come out and say, listen, you know, I can do this, you know, what are you talking about, type thing. And so, you know, we retired and then he's in the field with Jillian that, that works with me. Um, sports field of hello and himself, art together, both from the day they retired, their friends, they'll always be together, they'll never, ever be separators. They come back to us in the winter and we put them into a big shed of straw and pat them and feed them and do everything with them every day. And like, we just love them. It's Nicole. Does he still have those little character traits that, um, he showed all through his career now and his retirement? Oh, yeah, because we put a horse out with him, not that long ago in the field, and he chased the horse out over the fence. You know, so he just still keeps reminding us about, you know, just, yeah, you know, eyeing the king and, oh, yeah, you know, you live in his world. And he's the boss of that world. Um, we mentioned there sports field of hello, um, who he's retired with. And he was the other horse that was kind of in the reckoning for this horse of a lifetime at this point in your breath. Just give us a word on him because again, he was another one that has given you so many big day moments. Yeah, he was and really, you know, he was more consistent and more of a trier, you know, all around probably in a way, you know, his character was better. He was, he wanted to do it. Not as talented. That was the only thing for him, but my God, I get some results at him. He turned up to seven badminton's in a row on the call. You know, when you have a horse that does that, like, I know now how hard it is to get one to a five-star. Every single year, he, in one year, he did badminton limule in Ampol. In one year, he was just made of iron and he had everything wrong with him. He was just, you know, a cripple. He had kissing finds. He had, you know, but he wanted to do his job. And, you know, the last COVID was that 2020, that he was meant to go to his last badminton and retire and it didn't happen. And the minute we got the news, we had one more ride on him. We pulled the saddle off and we said, "Frankie, you're finished now." And he hasn't been ridden since. And it was just, it couldn't have happened in a better way. More people would say, "Oh, I'd have loved to have gone to badminton." And that was it. For me, it was just perfect. I didn't have to expose him again. I, he had done what he had done. And, you know, we were more than happy at that stage to, you know, say, "I ride you if you're a bit done." Life had made the plan. In terms of these brilliant horses, some of them up is the kind of the, the defining characteristics, because quite often the underlying thread with this show is, it's not the best horses in the world. Sometimes it is, but it is the ones that teach you the most and that really kind of shape your careers and shape your lives. What is it that you can kind of sum up in three, four words that they have given you now? They have given me that I respect my horses. I listen to them and I try and work with them, you know, and that's, that's the thing. Like I mentioned earlier, sorry Nicole for going on, but, you know, what I had to do as a partnership with Electric Crews, again, to do his job and focus. But, you know, there was a certain respect between both of us. And, you know, it's the same as we respect people or the people around us. Our horses are no different. You know, it's, it's showing a good attitude towards them. And, you know, enjoying them. Like, I enjoy riding. I love this sport. And, you know, they made me do that. They brought me to the top of the sport, both of them. And they, they made me fall in love with this sport. It was amazing. They have given you so many happy days. They've given you a few life lessons as well by the Sanskrit, particularly Electric Crews. The barberry sticks out for me, the one, like, I mean, final Olympic trial. You don't stand up in your, your Holton spin round and you dress up. Not naughty Sparky. Joseph, thank you so much. It has been an absolute pleasure to look back on a horse that actually I think plenty of our listeners will remember very, very fondly as well. And a horse that I think we probably all took for granted for being consistently at the top level. And actually, I think one of the things I love about this series is that you understand actually what it's taken to get them there and to keep them there. And quite often isn't as simple as it looks to people watching at home or, you know, when you just tune in for a big event and you see them, you take it for granted. And like with Sportsfield Atherla, when you say seven badminton's on the bounce, that is one hell of an achievement and one hell of an achievement by you and your team, but also from the horse's perspective as well. So thank you for sharing it with us. And looking forward to seeing if any other horses in the future might be able to muscle in and kind of put their claim down as well. All's thinking about all of them. Joseph, thank you so much. Listeners. I hope you enjoyed a very special horse for lifetime show. Brought to you, as always, as I say, by Argria, who actually came on board as the official sponsor of the Irish senior eventing team through Horseport Island a little bit earlier on this year as well, which was really exciting news for high performance eventing in Ireland. So looking forward to seeing that progress in the future as well. But massive thank you to Joseph and a massive thank you to Argria, but most of all to you guys for tuning in. [BLANK_AUDIO]
