240 L’Année Hippique Scouting Ludo: In recent years, we have put a lot of effort into finding talented young horses. That involves a lot of scouting. We employ one teammember who does nothing but scout horses. I myself am also very often on the road looking for and watching horses. Buying horses, I think, has a lot to do with feeling. It is difficult for me to explain why I buy one horse and not another, but I often make the right descision. Last week I was in Sweden watching and buying horses. From Milan after the European Championships, I flew on to Fontainebleau in France, where we bought four horses. In Gesves at the Belgian Young Horse buy talented horses, you also have to sell top horses regularly. That is something we all realise very well here. It also gives a certain satisfaction when you notice that a horse trained and sold here is doing well with the new owners. You can’t compare that to winning a GP, but it is confirmation that you have worked well. Ludo: With the horses, but also with the riders, who learned the job and the business here. Yuri Mansur. Marlon Zanotelli, Edwina Tops Alexander, Karel Cox ... They have grown into top riders. That also gives a nice feeling. Championships, we bought 11 young horses. We watch a lot of horses and we also know which ones are the better ones. On the one hand through our own scouting work, but also thanks to a very extensive network we have built up over the years. And it is also good that I am still in the sport myself. That helps me to feel horses better and to buy better horses. It helps me to know and understand what the needs of the modern sport are. I am currently working day and night buying and selling young horses and that takes a lot of time and energy. But it is great that we sell horses to riders as McLain Ward, Kent Farrington, Peder Fredericson; ... and that such absolute top riders are successful with them. Nicola: When you see how many horses are competing at the highest level that we have found and that have been in our stables, it is quite impressive. If you want to grow, if you want to Ludo Philippaerts with Parco an individual fourth place at the Olympic Games in Athens 2004,
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