Edouard, you show us a wonderful video of your stables in Anières. You and your horses will soon have been living and working on Lake Geneva for a year - has the property fulfilled your wishes?
Yes, definitely. In many ways, Anières is more than what I was looking for, and it also gives me more than I expected. But: I also have a lot more responsibility, a lot more work than I had previously imagined. Unlike before, when I was with the Fuchs family in Wängi, I'm now responsible for everything myself. That's why it was a very, very instructive first year. I have the feeling that I have learnt more as a stable owner and rider this year than in the last five years put together.
What, for example?
It was difficult for me at the beginning to bring the right structure into the day - as the person responsible for everything and as the front runner with the ambition to be top. But now I've found my rhythm and the aim is to be able to apply what I've learnt. Being responsible for everything myself also gives me freedom and a vision of where I want to go in terms of sport.
How many employees do you have and how many horses live in Anières?
There are five of us and ten horses at the moment, but I will soon have twelve. They belong to owners with whom I want to develop a good partnership. I now have three years until the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 to develop these horses and find out which ones I will be riding at major competitions in the future. So my prospects are very, very good and I'm now working on making this stock make sense.
Do you see the past year as a sporty interim year - with moving, settling in, finding your rhythm and new horse owners?
Yes, I was already aware of that beforehand. My top horses, Gamin van't Naastveldhof and Quno, needed a break anyway, and I've only been working with the new ones for a few months now. I had to get the younger ones going and now it's a matter of finding out who has what potential. I now have 5 or 6 horses that are all between 7 and 9 years old, so they are developing enormously. So who will take the next step?
What is your next big competition?
After the summer break, I'll start with Gamin in Avenches in September, and the big goal in the second half of the year is of course the CHI in Geneva in mid-December.
