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That Special Bond – with Geir Gulliksen

Monday, 13 February 2017
That Special Bond

Photo (c) Jenny Abrahamsson.
Geir Gulliksen and Lord II Z after one of their many wins - this time in Gothenburg. Photo (c) Jenny Abrahamsson.

World of Showjumping’s series ‘That Special Bond’ continues. We talk with some of the top names of the sport, to discuss the horses that have shaped their careers, fulfilled their dreams – and sometimes even broken hearts.

This time we caught up with the Norwegian legend Geir Gulliksen – rider, businessman as well as the father of the most successful showjumping family in Norway – to learn about which horses that have left a lasting impression during his long career.

 

The Special One

“’The Special One’ for me must be Clear Rounds Than Party. I got her in 2002, and it was a funny story. I spoke to Ludger one morning, and asked if he had seen any nice horses. He said he had seen one that he thought was not going to win the Grand Prix of Aachen, but that looked careful enough. I asked Ludger to get the horse back for me to try, and he fixed that. I tried the horse and I really liked her. I took her straight away to the show in Leipzig; she was only eight then and had never been to an international show before. And she was clear from day one! She was a great horse, we were second in the Grand Prix in London, we won in Moscow… We had many top placings together. We also won the Norwegian Championships two times. Clear Rounds Than Party was such a careful horse, not only scopey. She was always trying so hard, we had a great partnership.”

 

The One That Got Away

“The one that got away is Lord II Z. When he was 10-years-old I sold him to Melchior, but I bought him back after four years – so that means I never should have sold him. I first bought him as an 8-year-old from Italy, from a riding centre. He was so small, but he jumped unbelievable. When he was 14, I bought him back and my daughter Victoria jumped championships and big classes with him. He is like a family member to us – we all had so much fun with him, he is a fantastic horse. Now that he is retired my old groom Beate, who worked for me for 17 years, has him.”

 

The Money Maker

“Lord II Z is also the money maker, in a way that when I first found him I got him for a good price. After all his results, it turned out he was worth much more. Cattani also had great results with me, but Clear Rounds Than Party won the most of all.” 

 


Text © World of Showjumping by Nanna Nieminen // Picture © Jenny Abrahamsson (No reproduction without permission)



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