At the Belgian Championship for Young Horses in Gesves, Edo de Will Z jumped to an impressive fourth place under Vanessa's sister-in-law, Virginie Thonon. That performance immediately earned the stallion a ticket to the World Championships for Young Horses in Lanaken.

A blessing in disguise

The fact that the horse ended up in the hands of discoverer Jérémy Vanhoutte in the first place is thanks to a twist of fate: "It’s a wonderful story that began with a lucky coincidence," says Jérémy Vanhoutte. "During a visit to my friend Thierry Lambert, I noticed two foals that immediately caught my eye. Unfortunately, they had been selected for the Fences auction and were hammered down at prices that were too expensive for me." "A few days later, Thierry called me: upon picking up the foal, the buyers noticed it had suffered a minor wound. Nothing serious, but given the high price, they didn't want to take the risk. That's how I was able to buy him after all! When I looked at the papers, it turned out he was also the brother of a foal I had bought from Thierry the year before, which had unfortunately broken its leg." Vanhoutte decided to give the young stallion as a gift to his wife Vanessa Cassais. "It was love at first sight the moment I opened the truck tailgate. And that has never changed."

Impeccable track record and breeding duties

Edo de Will Z's sporting record reads like a success story. As a four-year-old, he jumped nothing but clear rounds in the young horse classes, with only a time penalty keeping him from overall victory. A year later, he jumped another two clear rounds at the Belgian Championship for 5-year-olds, where once again a single time penalty kept him out of the final. This year, he took sporting revenge with a fourth-place finish among the 6-year-olds. In addition to his performances in the ring, the stallion also boasts a fantastic character and a promising future in breeding. "Together they were truly always clear. He has a heart of gold. This year he covered another 30 mares, and he will definitely return to us for at least one more year to stand at stud next year," Vanhoutte confirms.

Future with Jérôme Guéry 

Since last Monday, the stallion has been stabled with Jérôme Guéry, who is extremely enthusiastic about his new addition. "We hope he enjoys a fantastic career with Jérôme. Jérôme is already just as crazy about him as we are," Vanhoutte concludes. "And the story gets an even happier ending: this year I was also able to buy his dam, who is currently in foal to Impress-K van ’t Kattenheye."