Text © World of Showjumping

With former world number one Harrie Smolders in the saddle, the 11-year-old stallion Uricas v/d Kattevennen (Uriko x Cassini I) took the first major win of his career when topping the CSIO5* 1.60m Longines Grand Prix in St. Gallen, Switzerland, at the beginning of June. A little less than two months later, the talented stallion proved that he is no one-time-wonder, taking the top honours in the inaugural CSI5* 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Riesenbeck. 

"This is what I expected," Smolders beamed after the victory at Riesenbeck International. "I knew in St. Gallen that it would not be the only win for Uricas. You can see that he is only getting better and developing in the right direction. I will probably take him to the Europeans in Milan, to see how he handles a championship and hopefully then with more experience on his back we have another option in him for the 2024 Olympics – you never know. It is still a very long way to Paris, but I am thinking long-term and we are aiming for the highest level with him." 

Born a charmer, Uricas has been carefully produced to the star that he is now turning into – first by Alexander Housen, and for the past three years by Smolders. While Uricas’ talent has always been evident, his recent success not only rewards the time and patience invested in him, but also honours the legacy of the late Leon Spronken – who was his owner. When Leon unexpectedly passed away in 2019, his then 26-year-old nephew inherited Uricas – and 153 other horses – and though unfamiliar to the sport of showjumping, took on the challenge as an effort to respect his uncle’s memory. 

Leon Spronken bought Uricas as a foal from his friend Otto Boje Schoof – a renowned Holsteiner breeder – and gave him the v/d Kattevennen-affix. Leon recognized Uricas’ exceptional quality, and was impressed by his dam line: Uricas’ great-grandmother Wodka II produced several offspring that jumped up to 1.60m level, including Conway, Carassina, Clearway, Classic Way and UT Wodka, as well as Uricas' grandmother Chika's Way.

As a three-year-old, Uricas was sent to New Nordic Horses, where Alexander Housen got him used to the saddle. “I fell in love with Uricas the first time I rode him,” Alexander Housen tells about his immediate impression of the stallion. “He was beautiful, and had a super nice character. At the time, I was riding a few horses for his owner Leon Spronken and we wanted to see how good Uricas was going to be. Funny enough, many people thought he would not be good enough for the top sport, but I think he has proved them wrong now. I always believed in him; he had a nice attitude. It was his looks that played against him: Everyone thought he was too beautiful and too nice to jump the biggest classes, and that he would not have the last scope.”

“However, he has something that is more important; he has the right mindset,” Housen points out. “He thinks he is the best; he believes that he can jump anything. He is a kind, sweet horse with an unbelievably big heart; he is like a big teddy bear. He has an unbelievable mind; he is willing to work, willing to jump and wants to be in front of the line – he loves attention. He is a special horse, but simple at the same time. I could talk for hours about him, but there is not much more you can say; he is a kind, smart, horse with a big heart – he has the heart of a lion. He is for sure the best horse I ever sat on.” 

In March 2019, Leon Spronken unexpectedly passed away at the age of 55 and, overnight, his family found themselves responsible for 154 horses. In honour of Leon's passion, and more than two decades of dedication, his family decided to carry on his legacy – despite having little experience in the equestrian world. Leon's nephew, then just 26, took over the responsibility for maintaining the breeding programs and managing the stables. 

Alexander Housen was also determined to keep Leon’s legacy alive. A few months after Leon's sudden passing, Housen – 17 at the time – guided the then 7-year-old Uricas into the final at the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Lanaken. “Our goal was to become World Champions to honour Leon’s memory,” Housen explains. “We had the last fence down in the jump-off, otherwise we would have won. It was my nerves coming in the way – I was only 17 back then, and not experienced – but I must say Uricas always fought for me. He wanted to jump clear and knew it was important.”

“I think he is the easiest horse that I ever sat on,” Housen continues. “The feeling I had on him was like he was not able to touch the poles. I had days at home, playing around with him, riding only in a headcollar – he is that simple. However, he is so chill that sometimes it worried me; as an example, in Lanaken at the World Championships, he was so cool the first two days that I thought he maybe was not fit enough. However, on Sunday morning, when I was hand-walking him, it was like he knew it was an important day and he was really fresh – jumping around.”

When Uricas was eight, he moved on to Harrie Smolders. “The plan for Uricas was to stay with me, but then Leon passed away and my situation also changed so he was sent to Harrie,” Housen explains. “I am very proud to see them together and I could not wish for a better man to sit on him. Seeing them jumping in Aachen last year was a really special moment: It was Leon’s dream that Uricas would jump in Aachen one day and it was really nice to see that dream come true. It gives me goosebumps just thinking back on it. I wish Leon could have seen it, but I believe he was watching from above. I think Uricas’ wins in St. Gallen and Riesenbeck were only two of many beautiful moments to come.”

While Smolders has had the ride on Uricas for the past three years, he has taken things slow and produced the talented stallion extremely carefully. “It is difficult to have patience, but I think you have to listen to your horses,” Smolders tells about his approach. “Horses will tell you when they are ready. With Uricas, I wanted to make sure he felt at ease before we did the biggest five-star classes. He is really smart and clever and has such quality that I had to be careful and take my time with him. Now, he feels ready. Last year, he placed third in the CSI5* Grand Prix at the Stephex Masters, and then he was fourth in the CSI5* World Cup in La Coruna. However, winning the Grand Prix classes in St. Gallen and Riesenbeck have definitely been his biggest achievements so far. He is already eleven, and I got him when he was eight, so we have been waiting long enough. Last year, he went everywhere with me; I took him to all the big shows, but as the second or third horse – just to get mileage. He always gave a lot of effort, so I wanted to give him enough experience and confidence first before putting him in the biggest classes. Over the last few months, he has really stepped up. He has really started to understand the game now. He does it so easy, so effortless, I think his career is only just starting.” 

“He is a stallion, but he is very sweet and super intelligent; I can put my sons on him at home, and when I do Uricas really takes care – he has a lovely character,” Smolders continues. “His offspring are starting to get into the sport now too and they look very promising as well.” 

“I will listen to what he tells us,” Smolders says when asked about what kind of expectations he has for Uricas. “He is going to decide his own future; we are going to go where he wants to go and do what he wants to do.” 

“We have no doubt that Leon would be incredibly proud,” the Spronken-family tells World of Showjumping. “In addition to Uricas' success, we also celebrate the exceptional performances of his oldest offspring. His first-born daughter – Uri van de Kattevennen – now seven, has achieved numerous accomplishments with her Belgian rider Wim Vincks. As a 5-year-old, Uri placed 3rd in the Belgian Championship. Uricas’ offspring all inherit his remarkable scope, classic good looks and charisma, along with his kind, trainable, and brave temperament. As Uricas continues to develop, we dream of many successes, both in sport and in breeding. However, we don't put any pressure on either Uricas or Harrie. Our primary goal is for Uricas to remain healthy and happy at Evergate Stables while traveling to incredible venues worldwide. When he's ready to retire, he'll be warmly welcomed back home for a peaceful, evergreen life.”

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