Saturday, 29 June 2013 International star horses

Welcome to GLOCK’s horse paradise

They have their grooms with them, freshly prepared feed every day and any special equipment they might need. If a muscle hurts, the masseur comes. They are looked after round the clock and get red carpet treatment at the GLOCK HORSE PERFORMANCE CENTER. Like any stars of international repute, just with four legs. The star horses at the GHPC! 

Originally called Lord’s Classic, Noltes Küchengirl is no longer really a girl, more like a lovely lady. When her present owners, Nolte Küchen, a kitchen company with an interest in horses bought the Bavarian bred mare and talented jumper in 2005, they gave her a new name. Germany’s renowned show jumper Marcus Ehning then made the name famous worldwide. With wins in the world’s most difficult courses such as Zurich, Paderborn, Aachen, Hickstead, Rio de Janeiro and Geneva. With medals such as silver at the Europeans in Mannheim and bronze at the Worlds in Aachen. With overall victory in the Global Champions Tour. “She has the right mix of ambition, great ability to jump and sensitivity,” says Marcus Ehning when describing “Küche”. That is what he affectionately calls the 16-year-old mare.

Also 16 years old, Yves G. Piaget’s mare Jalisca Solier is a fighter. The leading patron of the eponymous watch brand bought the Selle Français mare for the Olympic champion Steve Guerdat (SUI). What the two have in common is a will to win and several victories in many of the world’s famous arenas, as Jalisca Solier is an absolute fighter when jumping. “At home she’s always sweet and easy to handle. However, at a competition our ‘queen’ doesn’t want anything to do with other horses, just peace and quiet. That’s why she always gets a corner stall where she can relax.” 

He is 13 years old and a Royal Dutch Warmblood. With his celebrated rider Marc Houtzager (NED), Sterrerhof’s Tamino has seen the world’s most famous show grounds and his performances in the jumping arena have earned him fame in his own right. These include wins such as in the World Cup jumping at the five-star event in London, the Grand Prix victories in Paris, London and De Steeg, sixth place in the Prize of Europe in Aachen, a double clear contributing to the Dutch win at the Nations Cup in Dublin and team silver with his Marc at the London Olympics. In the famous rankings published by the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH), the elegant dark bay gelding also excels in second place.

An animal answering to the name of Mops must be a dog... Far from it, as Mops is a 15-year-old Holstein gelding of noble blood with a suitable name to show for it: Cellagon Lambrasco! Ridden by Germany’s famous equestrian Janne Friederike Meyer, the nimble bay takes part in the most important shows across the globe and is called Mops by her for short. “When it matters, he always gives his all,” is what she says about him and he has not only proved the fact with his legendary win at the Grand Prix in Aachen, but also with gold medals at World and European Championships.

If you want see him and many other horses and their riders and watch them in action, simply come to the show at the GLOCK HORSE PERFORMANCE CENTER starting on 4 July. Admission to the competitions is free.