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That Special Bond – with Pius Schwizer

Tuesday, 03 October 2017
That Special Bond

Photo (c) Jenny Abrahamsson.
Pius Schwizer with Ulysse: "He was a speed horse to begin with, but turned out to be a real super star." Photo (c) Jenny Abrahamsson.

In World of Showjumping’s series ‘That Special Bond’ 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 around we speak with Swiss jumper Pius Schwizer, who has several stars to choose from – but as we discover, even more that got away!

The Special One

"The one who was the most special for me is Ulysse. He was a speed horse to begin with, but turned out to be a real super star. I thought he could jump 1,45m classes and win there – but not go any higher. Ulysse came from a good rider, but I noticed that when he started to relax he had a lot more quality than I thought in the beginning. After about half a year he really calmed down and I rode him less speed classes and let him jump a bit higher instead. Suddenly he really started to jump with me.

Ulysse is a very special horse, and very sensitive. When he came to me he was stressed and I don’t know if it was because of my staff or me but he calmed down a lot. After a while, he gave himself more time over the fences and with that came the quality. He must have had the quality all the time, but probably no one believed in him before. I had a super feeling with him and we just were a perfect fit together."

The Moneymaker

Photo (c) Jenny Abrahamsson
"Carlina definitely won the most, and she was one of a kind". Photo (c) Jenny Abrahamsson

"Carlina definitely won the most, and she was one of a kind. She had so much quality, so much scope and was fantastic to ride. Carlina was just a very sweet and easy horse.

The only thing was that she to begin with got very stressed while traveling. But I later on found out that she had a bad accident while traveling as a foal together with her mother. We discovered a way for her to travel with earplugs and rubber mats, and over time it got much better. In the beginning, she was soaking wet after five minutes, which is understandable after such an accident – that she luckily survived, but it got stuck in her head. But for the rest she was just phenomenal!"

The One That Got Away

"I could name 10-12 horses if you want, since I’m dealing with horses! But to name a few I would say Powerplay who was a very talented horse, and went on to Eric Lamaze. He left way too early, but that is the business. Then also Verdi that was sold and left to Tiffany Foster. After that it was Toulago, and that he left hurt me a lot as in my opinion the owner handled the situation quite badly towards me. But, those things you also have to learn as a rider: Now I don’t work with such people anymore.

Toulago was a really good horse and he is still doing very well with Adrienne Sternlicht in the US and I’m very happy about that. Also, Powerplay and Verdi have done excellent and produced results at 5* shows with Eric Lamaze and Tiffany Foster. Also Caretina de Joter is a horse that I just had for a short time, but she was an exceptional and rare talent. I’m always happy when the horses do well after I had them, that is a proof that the horses have a good base to build on."

 


Text and pictures © World of Showjumping by Jenny Abrahamsson

No reproduction without permission



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