The 11-year-old stallion Utamaro d'Ecaussinnes has been voted 2015 Horse of the Year in Belgium by the readers of the Landbouwleven/Sillon Belge. The son of Diamant de Semilly was born in 2004 at Ecuries d'Ecaussinnes out of the mare Arizona van Arenberg (Quidam de Revel x Codexco). Now owned by Ludwig Criel, Utamaro has been brought up to the highest level of the sport by Criel’s British rider Joe Clee.
In 2015, Utamaro d'Ecaussinnes was influental on the British team - just like in 2014. The stallion was on the winning British Nations Cup team in La Baule and Rotterdam this year, as well as winning the Grand Prix in Gent. Utamaro d'Ecaussinnes also helped Great Britain qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games during the European Championships in Aachen, where he went all the way to the individual final.
Source: Jumping Mechelen // Picture © Jenny Abrahamsson