THE VAN OLST WAY

THE OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS OF LOTTIE FRY SHOWCASES THE BREEDING PROGRAMME OF VAN OLST HORSES. CAMILLE PETERS MEETS ANNE AND GERTJAN VAN OLST TO GAIN AN INSIGHT INTO THEIR FORMULA.

From the success of British poster boy Valegro under Charlotte Dujardin to the newest star, World Champion Glamourdale piloted by Lottie Fry, the Van Olst story is one that is intrinsically connected with British dressage.

From the start, the elite level was the goal. Gertjan Van Olst founded the stud in the 1980s, his focus on jumping horses with Animo, the fi rst of several iconic stallions to come his way. The bay stallion was awarded the ‘keur’ accolade in 1995 after he became one of the fi rst KWPN stallions to compete at the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, and his image still graces the walls of the Van Olst stable.

“We had some nice jumpers, Animo, Andiamo and Calypso. The breeding operation grew and then I met Anne in the 1990s, we married and bit by bit we changed to dressage,” Gertjan explains. “The turning point for us was buying a share in Negro in 1997 when he was three years old.”

With the introduction of the Westfalian Lord Leatherdale, stable foundations were built.

Gertjan explains that the principles applied to breeding jumping and dressage horses are similar: “My idea is in fact the same. We want our stallions to compete at the highest level; even back in the jumping days we were doing this, Animo went to the Olympics, Calypso was world champion. We have the idea that if the stallions prove themselves in sport, you know a little bit more about what they’re going to bring. The basic principle for us is sport comes from sport. It’s very important that the stallion is performing well, we know then about the character, the soundness, and the capability.”

The Van Olst operation is now that of over 300 horses, around 150 of which are based at home with Anne and Gertjan in Den Hout. You only have to glance down the main aisle of the indoor barn to see Gertjan’s philosophy of ‘sport comes from sport’ come to life; the yard is home to a host of successful stallions, including Glamourdale, Tokyo team medal winner Everdale, double World Breeding Championships winner Kjento and the recent Grand Prix debutant Don Joe.

Anne echoes Gertjan’s philosophy:

“Our target in breeding is the highest level, and the highest level is Grand Prix. The Olympics is the ultimate goal, but Grand Prix is what it’s about.

Our horses are not always winning four-year-old championships but they go on to Grand Prix.

“We want to produce horses that can make it at the top, whilst temperament and character is really important. That means that if a horse has the potential to go to Grand Prix but ends up with an amateur they are suitable for both purposes. They should have quality good enough for a professional, but character good enough for amateur riders.”

The practicalities of maintaining stallions at the highest level of competition alongside busy breeding careers come down to good management, leadership and routine. The yard is a hive of activity and daily routine is intrinsic to getting the balance right. “The fi rst part of the day is my part – that’s the breeding,” Gertjan explains. “We breed early in the morning, all of the stallions have an order which they know very well. Horses need routine so we always keep it the same.”

The process is assisted by the breeding staff, part of the 25-strong team working to care for the stallions round the clock. “It’s really important to have a clear line between breeding and sport. We have staff that handle the breeding and don’t mix with the grooms that look after the stallions when they are engaged in sport. The courier arrives at 10am to transport the semen all over the world so we have to be done by then, and then it’s over to Anne, Lottie and their team.”

The team is key, they emphasise: “You can have as many good horses as you want but if you don’t have good staff and riders to look after them, then you’re lost.”

The journey from foal to breeding stallion to competition horse is what drives both Gertjan and Anne. “The nice thing with our stallions is that we mostly have them from three years old so they become used to the routine from day one, and it works really well,” Gertjan says, “It’s always exciting! We buy a lot of foals and the cycle keeps on going.

It’s not just one horse, they’re all very special to us in their own way.”

It begins with the breeding and selection of around 100 foals per year, sourced by Gertjan through his vast network of clients or from his own broodmares. “I like to know the backgrounds of the mares and the family, to know what to expect from them,” he explains. “As the stallions are mostly ours I know everything about them and what they will give, character and soundness. Then you can get an idea of the combination. When I see a foal, the fi rst impression has to be good. After this fi rst picture I look at the build, the type, the hindlegs. But the two key things for me are the background and the pedigree and the initial two second impression.” The ability to spot greatness is praised by Anne: “it is a gift.”

The real selection begins with two-year-olds, choosing those that go forward for KWPN approval and a career in sport. Gertjan believes that if they’re good as foals the chances are they will progress to great things, “Valegro is the best example, we had him as a foal; he was always a good mover – and look at where his career went. The same applies to Glamourdale, we saw him at six days old with his mother, I bought him and we’ve been on the whole journey. The same with Everdale and Kjento.

“To fi nd a top one is really difficult, out of the 100 foals, I’d be really pleased if we fi nd one – and it doesn’t happen every year. If we could have one Kjento or one Glamourdale each year, that would be perfect.”

Glamourdale was followed into the winners’ circle this year by Kjento (Negro x Jazz), who triumphed at the World Breeding Championships to claim the seven-year-

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Discover more at www.dengie.com old title – as Glamourdale himself did in 2018. Anne explains the place this FEI age category has within their competition and breeding programme. “With the sevenyear-olds you really see what you have for the sport in the future. We don’t want to overly campaign the stallions at Prix St Georges, neither do we want to rush to Grand Prix, so this is a good way to try the horses out and to show people what sort of horse we’ve got. Then you can give them a few more years before they go Grand Prix, so you don’t have to push them.”

From Gertjan’s point of view, the championship provides another opportunity to combine competition with business. “The seven-year-olds is the perfect shop window for the stallions. If you get good results at the world championships, it’s the ideal platform for promotion.”

Glamourdale, now 11 years old, was given ample time to strengthen and develop following his success.

“It’s very important that you give them the time to mature,” Anne explains, “It’s one thing that they know some exercises but they need to be strong enough to do it, if you have a horse with a good temperament then they always want to do it and give more. A Negro will never say no!

“If a horse goes to his first Grand Prix at nine or 12, it doesn’t matter for me – what matters is that they will still be able to do a Grand Prix towards 19 or 20.”

Countless prospects wait in the wings. The four-year-old Nalegro stands out; the black powerhouse won a KWPN Young Dressage Talents assessment in November with 95 points and boasts more of the Van Olst quality we’re used to seeing. Bred by the Hanse family and Van Olst Horses, his sire is Painted Black and his dam none other than the full sister of Valegro (Negro x Gershwin). There’s an outstanding four-year-old mare in Nova-Liz, by Everdale out of a Johnson mare, and another approved KWPN stallion Nacho (Negro x Krack C) who impressed at Pavo Cup pre-selection in the summer. Rising stars are given exposure to young horse classes, but with the constant reminder that the goal is Grand Prix and longevity with a healthy, happy horse.

“Ten years ago there was a big difference in young horses and Grand Prix horses,” Gertjan explains.

“We’re seeing more now that the judges want the young horses to be functional with good mechanics. They’re not just looking for big front legs, because at the end of the day those are only going to be successful until seven to nine years old, maybe to Small Tour. The two worlds are coming more and more together, the judges are so well educated and the horses without connection in the body, the big movers, they’re becoming a bit outdated. Of course, the perfect horse is the one that has correct mechanics and big movement, and those are ones we’re seeing with success in the young horse rings.”

Gertjan and Anne are constantly looking ahead, analysing the market for both professionals and amateurs and striving to breed what people want.

Gertjan comments: “You need good character, soundness, nice looking horses, with enough go that want to do the job themselves, but not too much go, and they should be easy to handle. In the arena, people want all three of the basic paces but piaffe and passage as well. That’s the future of the dressage horse, so you have to think that way.”

“That’s in our line,” Anne continues, “good hindlegs and good balance. This is what Negro started, and then with the modernity of Lord Leatherdale on top, bit by bit you try and create what the market is asking for. The market wants very complete horses.”

Negro remains centre of the Van Olst world, and his impact on their international story is without measure.

“We see stallions coming up everywhere, and we take a look at the breeding and there’s Negro in the mother-line –I’ve always said you need just one drop of Negro.”

“He gives so much power, connection, willingness to work and the attitude in the ring,” Gertjan adds.

Looking to the future, the Van Olst journey continues with the power couple aiming to breed the best of character and performance. “Stallion owners like us always want to be ahead, we keep aiming to select the best and breed the best. If you want to survive fi nancially you have to choose the best mares and the best stallions, and with technology now it’s much easier.”

But ultimately, as Glamourdale and those surrounding him continue to prove, the success of the Van Olst way is inside the white boards. “They have to do well in sport and prove themselves. We’re convinced that those horses that do well in the sport will produce horses that will go on to do well in sport too.”

LEFT AND BELOW INSET: RIDING TO THEIR JOOST PETERS-PRODUCED ‘BEST OF BRITAIN’ PROGRAMME, LOTTIE FRY AND VAN OLST HORSES’ 11-YEAR-OLD STALLION GLAMOURDALE (LORD LEATHERDALE X NEGRO) SOARED TO A RESOUNDING VICTORY IN THE LONDON CDI-W GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE, SUPPORTED BY HORSE & HOUND, WITH A NEW PB OF 90.995%.