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Exclusive interview held in January 2004

-Horses of the World: How do you recruit your horses in general ?

-Markus Fuchs: Basically on friends'advice or that of courtiers who give me precise informations about interesting horses. In fact, I depend on people I can trust before making long journeys to see a horse in Holland or Northern Germany, for example.
 

-Do you buy young horses that you raise yourself or do you prefer confirmed competition horses ?

-For numerous years I bought from both the categories you mention. But today I am lucky enough to have a more agreable situation, with excellent owners like Madame Liebherr and Mr. Juri who have been with me several years and who willingly put forward large sums of money in order to buy top-class horses. This makes it a lot easier ! It is easier to stay at the top in this way while if the horse recruiting of my stable only concerned young horses of 4 or 5 years age, it would be necessary to have a dozen permanently at work in order to find one at "S" level and Grand Prix horses are still rarer. This is why my owners prefer that I choose an already confirmed horse at a high level, which allows a relatively quick ascencion up to Grand Prix level.
 

-Do you sometimes sell your horses ?

-Yes, sometimes. I have even sold very good horses ! But of course, my sponsors and myself don't like selling our best horses because we want to remain competitive in the sport. That being said, I sometimes have a horse in association with a friend, and we decide to do business by selling him.
 

-From what age and from what result can you say that a horse will be "Grand Prix" class ?

-You have to feel it when the horse is 6 or 7 years old. It is then necessary to train it well without however discouraging it with tasks which are too difficult. LA TOYA, for example, is a mare which had shown a lot of quality in her sixth year, which allowed his owner to get an offer four times higher than he had paid for her. Afterwards, at 7 or 8 years of age, we didn't force her too much, in spite of excellent results obtained in Canada and good performances in some Derbies.
 

-Does it sometimes happen that 5-years-olds indicate that they would always be "inferior" and then later they turn out to be very good ?

-I don't think it is possible for very good horses, but it sometimes happens that a 4 to 6-years-old is not very affirmed in his character, a little "shy" about expressing his means and that is where the horseman's work is important. He must believe in his horse, persevere with it and suddenly the horse improves. However, I don't think an "everage" horse at 5 or 6 years old can become a "crack" one day.
 

-So, in fact, you recognise it at the start of its training ?

-Yes, I think so.
 

-What does a horse like TINKA'S BOY, a crack have more than the others ?

-He has enormous means in spite of his small size: he only measures 162-163 cm ... He has such a big heart !! However the thing that astonsishes me most, is his suppleness; at 15 years old this year, he has the allure and suppleness of a five or six-year-old (Touch wood...!!!) It's a horse as hard as a rock ! On the show-track, he always finds motivation to surpass himself. He has so many qualities !!
 

-Wouldn't TINKA'S BOY definitely have been improved by being size a few centimetres higher ?

-Size has nothing to do with quality. Look at ADLANTUS, Lars Nieberg's horse: he measures 158 cm. In his time, JAPPELOUP was not big either.
 

-What about pedigree now ?

-TINKA'S BOY is Dutch with completely ordinary origins. I don't believe much in having show-jumping origins. The physical or mental aptitudes of a horse to become a champion are not the flower of race or a blood line. In my opinion, there is just as much chance of giving birth to a "crack" in Dutch, Belgian, Irish or German breeding studs.
 

-Can you say that one stud-book dominates show-jumping today as was the case of the Irish thirty years ago ?

-No. The Irish have lost a lot of their supremacy. The Dutch, however, do very well if you think that they have a very small amount of breeding compared to the Germans who have 40'000 sporting mares available.
 

-How did the Ahorn stable begin ?

- It was bought by my family 25 years ago. Then we chose a director to take over the riding-school which is on the site. The manager to whom we confided this activity looks after about 60 horses (some for the school, some being private horses).
 

-Who are your main collaborators ?

-The daughter of the great cyclist Beat Frei, Denise, has been an apprentice for three years. She will finish her apprenticeship in August 2004. Then my travelling boy Marian goes with my horses to the sports arenas. Markus Heim also works for me when I call him. That is about all of my closest collaborators, for I have reorganised my stable during recent years. I prefer to concentrate my efforts on a small number of horses of high class. All the same, I am looking for a collaborator to replace a training-rider who finished at the end of 2003.
 

-Do you give jumping lessons ?

-Very rarely because I don't have enough time. I do it especially for customers I've had a long time, through friendship and so that the work with the horses I've sold them goes as well as possible. As for training sessions... I am waiting a bit (smile) until I'm half-retired..!
 

-You have two sons...!?

-Yes, one is 21 and the other will soon be 17. They are not at all keen on riding so I haven't forced them to follow in my footsteps. I have always left them free to choose for themselves and I would only have helped them if they had shown a strong liking for horse-riding. They have doubtlessly weighed the pros and the cons: seeing that their father wasn't often at home.