Look at Nick Skelton and Big Star.

In the world of show jumping, over the years Nick Skelton has become a household name. During his career, which begun in the mid seventies, he’s had numerous successes on horses such as Apollo, Dollar Girl, Arko and most recent, Big Star.

Nick has always been a regular member of the British team, and was rewarded with an abundance of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at all major championships, as well as top individual results.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Nick’s riding ambitions looked like they had come to an end, when he sustained a broken neck in an accident and things looked really bleak for him. In 2001 retirement from his beloved sport seemed inevitable, and he made the heart breaking decision to stop. Against all odds, he made a remarkable recovery and in 2002 came out of retirement, and found himself back in the saddle.

Slowly but surely, he returned to his winning ways and once again was a part of the British show jumping scene. In 2004, with Arko, he won the British Open Show jumping Championship together with other top prizes, and at the 2004 Olympics the combination was leading in the Individual Gold Medal class up until the final round when mistakes they made were costly, and the gold medal out of reach.

Following the retirement of Arko, Nick was offered the ride on talented horses from Gary and Beverly Widdowson, one of which was a Dutch bred stallion called Big Star.

In 2012, Nick and Big Star were chosen together with Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Peter Charles for the British team to compete at the Olympic Games in London. The team was amazing and won the Team Gold medal on home soil, against the very best horses and riders in the world.

Although Nick was able to keep himself fit and without major health scares, Big Star was less fortunate and incurred ailments that kept him out of action for nearly 2 years, looking like he’d reached the end of his formidable career.

With very professional and sincere love and care from his groom, Big Star was re-introduced to the show ring at the beginning of 2016, and made a remarkable comeback. Although Nick was reaching quite a mature age of 58 and Big Star 13 years old they were chosen for the show jumping squad to represent GB in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Together with Ben Maher, John and Michael Whitaker the team was not lacking in age and experience. The Individual title was finally fought out between 5 of the best and Nick with Big Star were the first to go. He rode a skilful round going clear in a fast time so made it very difficult for the following riders to beat his incredible performance. End result – Nick Skelton and Big Star win Individual Olympic Gold medal in Rio !

The win for this very special combination aroused emotions all around, not least by Nick himself but for the team that were right behind this amazing horse.

Quotes from Nick Skelton:

“You always dream about it but when it actually happens it is real life,” he said, fighting back the tears. “To be in the sport all this time and win this caps it.”
“Big Star was amazing, justice has been done for him today.”
“It has been a hard road. The last competition he won was in 2013 so today was a good day to win.”
“It has been tough but the last three years I knew if we got him right he was capable of doing it.”
“He is the best horse I have ever seen. He’s an incredible horse, he knows what’s going on and knows when it is important.”

An amazing story, so remember, in whatever circumstances, follow your dreams.

They often do come true.

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During 2015 / 2016 I’ve found myself very busy doing what I love to do, meeting people and matching them with suitable equines. Spending so much time out and about, I really neglected my site so now it’s time to get behind the computer and back in the (writing) saddle again.

2016 has been a great year in all the Equestrian Sports, and of course it was Olympic Year. It was great to see successes in Rio from various countries, France winning Team medals in both show jumping and Eventing and Germany successful in taking team Gold in the Dressage. The British Dressage team won Silver and both Charlotte Dujardin with Valegro and Nick Skelton with Big Star won the Individual Gold medals in Dressage and Show Jumping. Fantastic results.

What is very noticeable, is that not only Valegro and Big Star are Warmblood Horses both with a KWPN pedigree, but an abundance of other horses participating in the Olympic Games were also warmblood. Nowadays, there are more countries where horse breeders have taken notice of the success of the KWPN and have followed the same system, resulting in warmblood sport horses being successful throughout the world.

Over the years, I have helped many people find suitable horses most of which were bred in Holland, and neighbouring countries. Many of these horses have been very successful in various equine disciplines and all have made their current owners very happy.

With this in mind, I decided to start a second website to get in touch with people around the world looking for European contacts in the heart of Warmblood Horse country.

Anyway, I would like to introduce you to my new website, and hope it gives some insight to who I am and what I do.
Happy reading!

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We have just started the New Year and what a way to begin 2015 for the Brits.

Scott Brash has retained his number one position in the show jumping, Charlotte Dujardin her top position in Dressage and William Fox-Pitt leads the Eventing rankings.

All three riders have had considerable success with their horses in 2014 and with an abundance of world class riders and horses in the three disciplines,  the competition is fierce.

Congratulations to Scott, Charlotte and William.

Keep up the good work and make us “Proud to be British ” !

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Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin reigning Olympic, World and European Champion  together with the amazing Valegro,  finished 2014 with new world records both in the Grand Prix and in the Grand Prix Freestyle.

At Olympia Horse Show in December 2014 they scored 87.46% in the Grand Prix and if that wasn’t enough the pair excelled in the Grand Prix Freestyle being awarded 94.3% by the judges, surpassing the records they already held .

Charlotte and Valegro also hold the world record in the Grand Prix Special with a score of 88.022%  which they achieved in Hagen in 2012.

This fantastic pair perform to near perfection. something that most riders can only ever dream of, and we all wait in anticipation – what next?

.

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British Equestrians enjoyed a successful 2013, the Show jumpers winning team Gold and the Dressage riders Team Bronze at the European Championships in Denmark.

Charlotte Dujardin also won Individual Gold at these Championships and Show jumpers  Ben Maher and Scott Brash  took Individual  Silver and Bronze, together with their fantastic horses.

Scott Brash won the Global Championship’s Tour Grand Prix in Doha with Hello Sanctos

and was crowned GCT overall Champion, and finished the year as Number 1 in the Longines World Rankings,  knocking Ben Maher down to Number 2.

Olympia Horse Show takes place in the third week of December and is the final event of the year that many riders dream about.  It’s a fantastic Christmas Show with many aspects of Equestrian sports and past times.

Once again, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro delighted home crowds by winning the World Cup Freestyle to music and in doing so scored 93.975% to set a new world record.  This combination already hold the world record in the Grand Prix (85.94%) and Grand Prix Special (88.02%).

Ben Maher and his Olympic Gold Medal winning horse Triple X won the Grand Prix Finale at this London International Horse Show at Olympia, putting the icing on the cake for some very successful British Equestrians.

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I’m sure that most  riders in all levels of Dressage are accustomed to hearing the words “Classical Dressage”,  but I often wonder if everybody really understands the meaning.

I’ve always been taught that classical dressage is something beautiful to do and to watch.  The harmony between horse and rider, with the intention of enhancing the natural gaits and movements of the horse. If we look at equines when they’re free in their fields we see many things that can be recognized in a modern day dressage test. Transitions from walk, trot and canter to halt. Horses stepping backwards,  making flying changes in the canter and sometimes we see a sort of trot on the spot, resembling piaffe. Excited equines leaping and jumping from the ground, reminding us of the movements we get to see at performances given by The Cadre Noir and The Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

Horses  enjoying  freedom in a field or paddock  always look proud with their heads held high and they show off or want to impress. If you think about it, horses are really noble creatures that have always inspired great artists to paint and sculpture them, and they are nearly always portrayed in a majestic way. Most of us  marvel at  statues and beautiful old paintings we see of proud horses with their riders.

Classical Dressage has existed for a very long time and over the years there have been many books written on the subject, the earliest work that we know of in the Western world is that of Xenophon (427 – 355 BC). Through the centuries horses have been very much a part of our lives. Unmissable on the battle fields, essential on the farms and of course played a major part in transport, often the only means for people or cargo to be moved over land. In the last century horses started to be used more and more for pleasure activities and horse sport has become increasingly popular.

Consequently, breeding of sport horses came into shape, and this has played an important part in the Equine sport as we see it today. I am aware that through the centuries and throughout  our lives things change and we often need to adapt. The facilities, the saddlery and equipment and veterinary products are endlessly being modernized and updated. The actual way we sit astride a horse and guide it with reins that are attached to a bit in the  mouth has stayed  more or less the same, although the position of the rider may vary,  depending on what sort of equestrian activity is being performed.

Now in the 21st Century we also ride “classical dressage”,  at least, that’s what it’s supposed to be. Many times changes are made and  new ways  found to train horses with the intention of scoring high in front of the judges. The horse and rider performing together with the idea of using the natural ability of the horse in a harmonious, graceful and athletic way, often seems to be something of the past. We regularly  see riders who try to intimidate these beautiful creatures by pulling their heads down with the use of  all sorts of equipment to strap them in place, not thinking of the consequences for the horse.

Forcing horses into all kinds of unnatural positions and movements is not the idea of “Classical Dressage”.  In most cases  this causes resistance, and does not achieve the required result. Producing horses in dressage needs a systematic, deliberate and somewhat sympathetic approach and short-cuts normally lead to problems. Horses have to be obedient in order to understand and learn from their riders, but they should also feel relaxed and happy in their work, and be rewarded. A healthy  balance between trust and respect for the rider and horse is so very important, and this should be maintained throughout the partnership.

I feel that dressage riders in general should take time to dig out books from some of the ‘old Masters’ and take note of how they trained their horses. Try to learn from them or chose a trainer who at least understands and teaches “Classical Dressage “.

We all expect so much from our equines, we owe it to them to treat them with dignity!

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Totilas is the name  that many dressage riders all over the world will recognize and I’m sure reflect on.

A stunning black stallion that captivated the hearts of so many, and I’m sure he featured in lots of peoples’ dreams.

The combination of Edward Gal and Totilas looked like they were on top of the world and there to stay for many years to come, until the announcement on October 13th, 2010 that Totilas had been sold.

His new rider was the young German rider Matthias Rath, and Totilas would be used to cover mares at the Paul Schockemohle stud in Germany.

Now it’s October 2013 and although there has been some news bulletins now again about Totilas and his rider, we know little of the whereabouts and progress of this combination and they have failed to compete for Germany at any major tournaments.

When Totilas was sold the Dutch felt robbed of the chance to continue  conquering  the dressage world, and  their closest rivals Germany were expecting to take their place with Andreas Rath and Totilas leading the way.  Up till now, new riders and horses have appeared on the scene, but no Matthias and Totilas!

Like me, I’m sure that many of you  often wonder what’s happened.  Will we still see this fantastic horse in the Grand Prix with Matthias Rath, or possibly another rider?  I even wondered at one point if there was a chance that Totilas would be reunited with Edward Gal, but quickly realised that would most likely never happen.

It looks like the partnership of Matthias Rath and Totilas hasn’t turned out to be what was expected of them.

I sincerely believe that a horse and rider need to form a team in order to be successful together.

I’m sure that many of you know that special  feeling when you sit on a horse for the first time and  know,  this is  “the one” !

Maybe that wasn’t the case with Matthias and Totilas.

Totilas is a legend and for many years to come I’m sure we’ll still think and day dream  about him.

He has children and I imagine there are more on the way, so we can wait and see if  his sons and daughters follow in his footsteps and  be curious about what they achieve.

Time will tell!

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In 2012, dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin with her wonderful horse Valegro won Team and Individual Gold at the London Olympics, and now in 2013 won Individual Gold medals in the grand Prix Special and the Freestyle, as well as team bronze, at The European Championships in Denmark.

This wonderful combination with her accurate and harmonious display also added new records to the record books.

Now, she tops the World Rankings, a position that she truly deserves.

The British show jumpers have been doing their bit as well.

At the London Olympics 2012, the quartet of Nick Skelton, Scott Brash, Peter Charles and Ben Maher won team Gold, and a few weeks ago in Denmark Ben Maher and Scott Brash joined up with Michael Whitaker and William Funnell and  were victorious in the team jumping at The European Championships.

In the individual event, both Ben Maher with Cella and Scott Brash with Hello Sanctos were battling for medals, and after superb displays from both combinations, Ben got silver and Scott deservedly, bronze.

With his continuous successes this year, which include winning the King George V Gold Cup at Hickstead and being a member of the  Nation’s Cup team that won in Dublin, Ben Maher moved up from 19th place and now heads the Show Jumping World Rankings with fellow Brit, Scott Brash moving up from 25th to  9th position.

I know that top riding from any Nationality is a joy to watch, but I am really patriotic and love to see British riders with their wonderful horses, top the leader boards!

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Over the last few days the European Championships Show Jumping and Dressage have been taking place in Denmark.

Teams from all over Europe are participating and all with the hope of becoming  the Champions of Europe.

Michael Whitaker, Ben Maher, William Funnell and Scott Brash made up the British team.

The Show jumping started on Tuesday, and riders from 19 European countries participated.  This first competition was the start of a qualifying process and the horses and riders had to jump a course of jumps up to 1.50 mtr. in height.

Great Britain started very well, with Ben Maher and Cella, a grey mare belonging to an American lady called Jane Clark, deservedly winning the class.

The following days, Wednesday August 21st and Thursday 22nd, saw  the teams competing over 1.60 mtr. courses  and the total scores of three of each team were counted and of course the team with the least faults came out on top.

To my great delight all members of the British team rose to the occasion, and although Cella with Ben Maher hadn’t touched a pole up till then, it was for the other 3 members of the team to come up with the goods when needed.

That is exactly what they did.

Great Britain were in the lead when Scott Brash entered the arena as the last rider for the team, a great weight for such young shoulders.  He could afford to have one jump down but as the Germans were very close in second place, two jumps down would have cost the team the Gold Medals.

Scott’s lovely horse Hello Sanctos negotiated the beautifully presented but quite difficult course in a splendid way,  but unfortunately touched a fence half way round giving him 4 faults,  putting great pressure on him to get to the finish  line without any more mistakes.

Again, he showed what a great competitor he is, and he steered his mount carefully around the rest of the course without making an error, and securing the European Championship title for Team Great Britain.

Congratulations to a very successful British team, which included Ben Maher and Scott Brash who together with Nick Skelton and Peter Charles won Team Gold at the London Olympics 2012.

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To many peoples’ surprise, Nick Skelton and Big Star are not in the British team that have been chosen for The European Championships in Denmark  next month.

Nick and Big Star were of course in the team that won gold at the London Olympics last year, and this fantastic stallion won the very prestigious Grand Prix at the Aachen Show a couple of weeks ago.

The owners of Big Star, together with the British Equestrian Federation and of course Nick Skelton, have decided to spare him from the European Championships, with the 2016 Olympics in their sight.

Great Britain shall need to qualify for the Games being held in Rio De Janeiro and it’s expected that Nick and Big Star will play an important part in this.

After winning team gold in London, Nick was very close to taking home the individual gold as well, but had a very unlucky 4 faults which blew his chances of a medal

It would be fantastic to see this combination qualify for Rio.

By then, Big Star will be 13 years of age, so probably still in his prime.  Nick will be 58, and I’m sure, still going strong.

I believe that many people just like me hope that this fantastic combination will get a second chance to take home the Individual top honours at the 2016 Olympics, and between now and then give us some great sport.

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