25/08/2026
The FEI Jumping World Championship in Aachen were an incredible few days of sport, full of excitement and so many special moments. It would be difficult to find more popular winners than Steve Guerdat and Dynamix De Belheme.
Dotted around the stadium, amongst the 40,000 or so spectators, were the breeders and their families who first dreamt up these incredible horses and the prospect of one day getting to see them in an arena like Aachen. The people who oversaw the births of those 145 horses and guided them through their formative early stages of life. And far too often, the hidden figures of our industry.
When the first start lists appeared it gave me hope. In addition to the usual rider and horses details it listed owners, grooms and breeders. It seems like such a simple thing, but for breeder's names to appear on start lists, it means a lot, costs nothing and should be an absolute minimum. Given that this information was now present on the start lists, I did expect to hear many breeders getting their mention on the live commentary over the few days, but breeder mentions were few and far between.
What gave myself and my fellow members of the Next Gen Professionals (NGP) Breeder Advisory Committee great satisfaction, was to hear the new NGP Breeder Prize of $10,000 being referred to, across multiple languages, during the final round of competition. We couldn't have wished for more deserving winners than Frederic Aimez and his daughter Laure, breeders of the sensational Dynamix De Belheme.
I was delighted for Tony & Mieke Raman, when their superstar home-bred Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z claimed silver under Thibeau Spits, and great that they were in Aachen to witness it. We had a lovely visit to their farm in recent years, and also enjoy bumping into Mieke at shows.
With all that said, my ultimate highlight was the moment that we realised Harry Charles & LT Holst Freda had won individual bronze, to add to their team bronze. Why this was my highlight was not just down to their impressive come back, the short length of their partnership, or the incredible way in which they performed. It was because this wonderful mare was bred by our friend Ewen Mackintosh in New Zealand, and he was there to soak up every second of it.
Apart from being a great guy, what I admire about Ewen is how much thought and energy goes towards helping he has put into trying to help improve the sport horse industry in New Zealand. He is someone who things beyond himself. Endless phone calls, providing advise, assistance and motivation to others, organising events and speakers for the benefit of his fellow Kiwis.
I'm delighted for any breeder who gets to experience a day like Sunday, but Ewen, you deserve every moment of this success and more.
Finally, it was wonderful to see footage, and hear stories, of how kind Steve Guerdat, Thibeau Spits (& family) and Harry Charles were to their horses respective breeders, and to see them sharing moments with each breeder on their social media. You guys have no idea how much these moments mean to these breeders. Congratulations one and all - incredibly inspiring!
๐ธ Penny Tapley, Ewen Mackintosch, Harry Charles & LT Holst Freda
