Belgian rider Nicola Philippaerts (right) offers tips to a young rider during the Internations Camp at Al Shaqab, on Tuesday.
Belgian show jumping star Nicola Philippaerts has heaped praised on Qatar for ‘investing in youth development’, saying the current crop of riders in the country are improving at a rapid rate.
Philippaerts, 26, is born into a family of show jumpers - his father Ludo Philippaerts is revered in Belgium for his services to the game. Nicola has a twin brother Olivier who is also a rider.
“I think what Qatar is doing for our sport is very big and hopefully they can do it for many years,” Philippaerts said in an interview.
“If you see the infrastructure, if you see the trainers, the teachers, everything is so great. They have invested so much into this sport, they have become one of the main countries of our sport,” the tall Belgian added.
“Hopefully they would want to do this for many years,” he said.
Excerpts from the same interview:
Question: You are a young rider, aged 26. How do you look back at your career?
Answer: I am still very young. I am only 26. I can be very proud of things I have achieved so far. I have had many good horses in the past. That’s also very important to my successes. Hopefully I still have a long career in front of me. I still have a lot to learn but so far, I am doing very well. I am very happy to be here.
Q: Do you think it is advantageous to come from a show jumping family?
A: For sure, no doubt, it is a big advantage. I have been in show jumping for many years now. I can learn so much for so many years. But there are so many places now because if you are young and talented, you can do well if you have big stables and learn the same things. The sport is getting so big. The sport is only at the beginning and it will only grow in the years to come.
Q: What are your plans this year and in the future beyond 2020?
A: This year is an Olympic year so it is an important one. Everything is possible. I can be in the Belgium team to go there (Tokyo). That’s the first goal for this year. For next year, I need to develop myself, be in good health, get better horses and get to ride better and be on top of the sport for many years. I have big stables at home. Buying and selling horses is also a main goal. I will try to improve and get involved in the sport. I have two younger brothers. I have to involve them also. Hopefully we can have a nice family business together.
Q: Was show jumping the only sport you started following when you were younger?
A: My parents never pushed me into this sport. They only gave me a couple of very good ponies (smiles). At a young age, I started well and started winning. I had nice ponies. My father gave me the experience but I tried many things - I played, soccer, I went swimming and came back to the horses. I liked horses. I grew into the sport.
Q: Julien Epaillard (three wins in Doha) has had a good time here. How much of a competition is he in Qatar?
A: I think every rider has good form for a few years. If you have super nice horses, if you are a good rider, things can go your way. He’s one of the best riders in the world at the moment. You can learn from the way he structures himself and the way he rides. For sure, we try to learn from top riders.
Q: What’s your take on Qatar trying to invest in young riders?
A: To be honest, I taught some guys with a lecture yesterday. I trained them last year also and to see such improvement in one year is amazing. I think what Qatar is doing for our sport is very big and hopefully they can do it for many years. These riders are the future. Hopefully you will see them at big events in the future. That’s how important it is.
Q: Do you think they just ride well or even ask the right questions?
A: Yes, for sure. But they also have everything they need right here. If you see the infrastructure, if you see the trainers, the teachers, everything is so great. Qatar have invested so much into this sport, they have become one of the main countries of our sport. Hopefully they would want to do this for many years.
Q: How long does it take for a young kid to become a polished rider?
A: To be honest, it depends on so many things. It’s like with soccer or tennis players. It takes time to develop a good rider. If you start at 10 years of age, you can do well. By 25 or 30, you can do really well. It also depends on the horses. But they get all the facilities here.
Q: What is the age that a rider gets to his or her peak?
A: It’s a hard question. You can be the best rider in the world but if you don’t have the best horse, you can’t get there. It’s to find a good balance with a good horse and good rider. If you see, top riders are getting younger and younger. It is because they have good horses. That’s what makes our sport special. Somebody 18 can be really good and somebody 45 can also be good. So the balance would be 60-65 percent goes with getting a good horse. The rest is the rider.
