Wellington, Fla. – May 7, 2021 - Continuing its initiative to support exceptional young show horses and world-class athletes, QBS Equestrian is pleased to announce its newest partnership with international show jumping athlete Andrew Bourns of Ireland. Founded by Dennis Sisco and M. Michael Meller, QBS Equestrian is joining forces with Bourns Show Jumping to support the development of Sea Topblue and Darquito.
Andrew Bourns and Sea Topblue
“I have watched with admiration Andrew and the Bourns Sport Horses team source top-quality jumpers and develop them to compete successfully at the highest levels of our sport,” said Sisco. “With Andrew and his team, the horse always comes first. Each one is given the attention they need to achieve its potential and is never asked for anything it is not ready and capable of achieving.”
Sea Topblue, known as “Blue” in the barn, is a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding out of Chacco Blue and Sea Top Lady. Blue has been showing competitively in the U.S. since 2020 and has competed at some of the top venues in the country, including Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS), Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) and the Kentucky Horse Show (KHS) series. His recent achievements include competing at the 2021 Winter Equestrian Festival and having top places in several CSI4* and CSI3* Grand Prixs. Before his import to the U.S., Blue was competitively showing in the 1.40m and 1.45m jumpers in Europe.
“Blue is very determined. Not many people realize that SeaTop Blue is almost more competitive than I am sometimes. My family bought him as a foal, so we have had him for his entire life. Last year I brought him to America, and he has just been fantastic ever since,” says Bourns.
Andrew Bourns and Darquito won the $50,000 Griffis Residential Grand Prix CSI2* during the 2021 Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo Credit: Sportfot
Darquito is a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding out of D’Inzeo 6 and Carly 10. He has been competitively competing in the U.S. since 2020 and has been in the top 10 placings in several CSI4* and CSI3* Grand Prixs at WEF, TCHS and KHS. Most recently Darquito won the $50,000 Griffis Residential Grand Prix CSI2* during WEF.
“Darquito is a little easier to ride than Blue. He is very intelligent and is a very fast horse. At the end of the day, the two of them are great compliments because Blue will jump the really big track, whereas Darquito can go in and win the jump-off,” says Bourns.
Sea TopBlue and Darquito were both produced in Europe by Bourns parents, Richard and Deirdre Bourns, in their world-class young horse production system. Both horses were brought up through the ranks in show jumping thanks to the teaching of the Bourns family.
Bourns was born in Galeway, Ireland, and started riding at only 3-years-old and eventually went on to represent Ireland during the European Junior Jumper Championships and the European Young Rider Jumper Championships. Bourns continued to excel in the show jumping world in Ireland and Europe and began developing a reputation as a rider who could develop young horses up to the Grand Prix level. Today, Bourns continues to represent his home country of Ireland at the top international level and helps produce some of the brightest young stars.
“I see both horses going to the top of the sport and competing at the five-star level. I honestly think that they both are pretty much comparable in their abilities. They each have their strengths and weaknesses,” says Bourns.
“Both of these horses showcase all of the qualities we look for at QBS Equestrian,” concluded Meller. “They are top quality competitors in the ring with exciting futures and we are thrilled to be supporting Andrew as they continue to compete at world-class competitions.”
As QBS Equestrian continues its mission to find and produce some of the world’s top young show jumping mounts, Meller and Sisco look forward to watching the progress of Bourns with Sea Topblue and Darquito.
For more information about QBS Equestrian, please visit www.qbsequestrian.com.