With Quico, this journey has never been about quick results.
I got him as a 3.5-year-old. Green, raw, and with a long road ahead. Now he is 9. And everything we are doing today is built on years of patience, small steps, and quiet belief.
There are no shortcuts in making a horse.
Today, we stepped up and jumped a big track — 145. He tried, he fought, and he showed me everything I hoped was in there. That feeling… when a horse you’ve produced yourself steps into that level — it means something deeper. But at the same time, I could feel it:
It’s still hard for him.
Not in a bad way — but in a growing way.
He gives everything, but it still takes effort. A bit more support, a bit more strength, a bit more experience. And that’s where the responsibility comes in. Because this is the moment where many make a mistake.
You get a taste of the big classes… and you want to stay there.
To prove it. To keep going. But horses don’t grow like that. So with Quico, I choose to step back. Not because he isn’t ready in talent — But because I care too much about him to push when it’s still heavy. We go down again. We rebuild. We make him stronger, more confident, more comfortable.
Because I don’t just want him to jump 145 once. I want him to feel like: “This is easy.” This phase is not always visible from the outside.
It can look like you’re going backwards. But this is where horses are truly made. If you skip this part and keep pushing, they start to lose something:
- power
- confidence
- willingness
And slowly… they stop giving everything. That’s how many good horses disappear along the way. Not because they didn’t have the ability — but because they weren’t given the time. Quico has given me everything from the start.
So now it’s my job to give him the time he needs. Because in the end, it’s not about how fast you get there. It’s about building a horse that can stay there — happy, strong, and believing in the job.
And that… takes years.