Stal Hendrix is a true family business. Emile and Paul Hendrix inherited a love for horses from their parents, and today the third generation – Tim, Michel and Janou – are all involved in running the company. With focus on all of the modern aspects of the sport – trading, training, breeding and organizing events – Stal Hendrix is based at two separate barns in the Netherlands. Emile and his son Tim run the operation in Baarlo, while Paul and his son Michel and daughter Janou are in Kessel.

“Emile was always the good jockey, while Paul was at the local shows to find the right young horses,” Janou tells about her uncle Emile and father Paul. “Ian Millar’s retirement made us look back at the old days; Emile and Ian met in 1983 in Calgary. That is how the business with Canada started, as Emile found Big Ben for Ian,” Janou continues to tell about the early beginnings of their family business, now well known all around the world. “And then everybody wanted to have a Big Ben! It has always been a good combination with Emile riding and Paul scouting, and now we are the new generation coming up. Michel and Tim both want to ride, but they like the business side of it also. I am more in charge of our marketing and events. Emile and Tim both train clients in Baarlo, where we have 40 boxes.” 

World of Showjumping went visiting Paul, Janou and Michel at the beautiful Kessel barn and got an exclusive look behind the scenes. “The original farm in Kessel was built in 1990, 29 years ago,” Janou tells. “The main barn was finished in 2006 and in 2012 we added the stallion barn. We have 31 boxes here, plus the breeding mares in 17 separate boxes, and a breeding barn that can have 80 foals. We breed around 25 foals each year, but we also buy a lot, so each year there is around 100 new foals. Since 2000 the breeding operation has been professional and since a few years back our own foals have the HX initials from Stal Hendrix behind their names. In total I think the family has 500-600 horses, many of them youngsters.”

All photos © World of Showjumping by Nanna Nieminen.