Wellington, Fla. - August 25, 2021 - QBS Equestrian is pleased to announce that it has named three-time Australian Olympian Matt Williams to develop Doonaveeragh Balou. Sourced in Ireland by QBS Equestrian’s M. Michael Meller, the 6-year-old Irish sport horse by Wild Ballou Bill out of Creevagh Grey Rebel is the latest addition to QBS Equestrian’s initiative to pair promising young horses with talented established and up-and-coming riders.
Matt Williams and Doonaveeragh Balou. Photo By: ESI Photography
Arriving in the U.S. in mid-July with 1.30m mileage under his belt, the young chestnut, known around the barn as Gary, literally hit the ground running at HITS Saugerties weeks V and VI. Gary and Williams clicked immediately, producing clear rounds and earning ribbons in the 6-Year-Old Jumpers. They qualified for the 2021 USHJA Young Jumper Championships where they will represent QBS Equestrian during the Traverse City Tournament of Champions.
“Balou has a really great brain and could be a horse for the big sport in the end,” expressed Williams. “He’s a very straightforward horse and I think Balou really enjoys doing the job. At the moment he’s just playing with the jumps. As he gets a little bit older and starts jumping a little bigger I think he will come into his own.”
Williams is one of Australia's top show jumpers, representing Australia at three Olympic Games: Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. He also was a part of the Australian team at the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Lexington, Kentucky. Growing up in rural Victoria, Williams began riding horses at a young age. As a junior rider, he won the Australian Junior Jumping Title and was named the Junior Rider of the year. He later went on to be named the Young Rider of the year for jumping and moved to England to further his career. He is now based in the United States with a fantastic team of young horses.
"I began working with Matt earlier this year. I am very excited about his partnership with Balou," stated Meller. "When I saw the horse in Ireland I knew Matt would be an excellent match and they hit it off right away at HITS Saugerties. Matt has a proven track record of producing top horses. Dennis and I are very excited to see these two continue to compete and develop together."
The goal of QBS Equestrian is to create a world-class team of horse and rider combinations. As they continue their mission to find and produce some of the world's top young show jumping mounts, they look forward to watching the progress of Williams and Doonaveeragh Balou’s partnership. For more information, please visit www.QBSEquestrian.com.