In the Conter family, the path was already set: enter the textile industry. However, Stephan was caught by a completely different passion at a young age—a passion that would irrevocably define the rest of his life. "Once that horse bug bites you, it never lets you go," Conter says with a smile. "My parents would have preferred me to go into textiles, like the rest of the family. But I wanted to make horses my business. I was a born trader. Even as a young boy, I sold my own bicycle or my moped just to trade."
Studying at university was negotiated down to a shorter program at the Chambre de Commerce in Brussels, purely to win time for the horses. "My parents are now in their late eighties and they are still waiting for my degree," he laughs. But the real foundation was not laid on school benches, but at home and at the market.
"My parents didn't put millions on the table to help me. Their help was worth far more than millions. They were correct business people. They taught me the most important values in life: hard work, honesty, paying your taxes neatly, and doing business ethically. Nobody ever turned out wrong from working hard. If you want to get somewhere, you have to be able to work day and night for your dream."
1,173 Horses in One Year: The Madness of Utrecht
The legendary success of the Stephex Group began in September 1986, when a 22-year-old Stephan registered his sole proprietorship. No luxury, no big budgets, but a bright red Golf C without options that he borrowed from his parents.
Thanks to a verbal contract with an Italian buyer, Conter promised to deliver at least 22 horses every week. That meant a grueling routine: every night between Sunday and Monday, he got into his car at 02:30 AM to be the very first at the famous horse market in Utrecht.
"I wanted to be the first at the market to start making deals even before the market officially opened at six in the morning. Before long, everyone knew me. In the year 1987, I exported 1,173 horses all by myself. I drove 120,000 kilometers a year and wore out a car every year. I had a certain ego; I always wanted to be the winner, the absolute best in my category."
With the profit he made, he bought the land in Wolvertem in 1989 and built his first stable with 60 boxes. But success didn't come without setbacks. Multiple times, the young entrepreneur found himself sweating over cash flow problems.
"You have moments in life when things are financially very tough. An entrepreneur goes through that multiple times, at every level. In those moments, you have to be strong, keep believing in yourself, and keep pushing forward."
Innovation Out of Frustration: On Trucks and Vision
Conter proved to be a master at recognizing market opportunities. When he was captivated by luxurious English horse trucks at competitions, he immediately knew what his next step would be. He crossed the North Sea, visited ten coachbuilders, and began selling English bodies on Belgian chassis.
When the Hungarian AK Horsetrucks ran into financial trouble, Conter didn't hesitate. He took over the company and built it into what is now Stephex Horsetrucks. And when his clients faced rejections from traditional banks for financing trucks worth 200,000 euros, he founded Stephex Leasing on the advice of his friend Erik Berkhoff.
"You shouldn't be afraid to jump when you see an opportunity," Conter states. "As an entrepreneur, you sometimes create solutions out of pure frustration. And before you know it, such a solution grows into one of the strongest pillars of your entire company."
The Hague 1994: "Positively Jealous of the Best"
Despite business success, a deep hunger remained: top-level sport. THE turning point came in 1994 at the World Equestrian Games in The Hague. Stephan was sitting in the stands among his friends from regional sport. He watched German legend Paul Schockemöhle field no fewer than five riders.
"I looked at those stands and told the guys: 'One day, I'm going to do that too.' They all said: 'Stephan, have another drink, you're dreaming. That's impossible.' But it always stayed in my head."
In a world where horse traders were often looked at with skepticism by 'pure' sportspeople, Conter wanted to prove that a trading stable could lead the world class. He looked up to icons like Jan Tops—paradoxically once the very first client to whom Stephan sold his very first self-built DAF truck.
"In life, you always have to look up to someone," Conter shares as a life lesson. "But you must never be negatively jealous. You have to be 'positively jealous.' Saying: 'He is better, I'm not going to tear him down, but I'm going to try to become even better.' And very importantly: you must never copy that person. If you copy someone, you'll always follow in their tracks. You have to find your own path to overtake them."
That philosophy paid off. Conter brought in top German rider Daniel Deusser, built a world-class stable, and watched horses like Cornet d'Amour begin conquering the world. At one point, Stephex Stables owned both the number 1 and number 2 riders in the world on the FEI rankings.
The Family Empire: Blunders Allowed, Building Walls Not
Despite takeover rumors and lucrative offers to sell the group, Stephex remains a 100 percent family-owned business. When investors knocked on the door a few years ago, Stephan put the proposal to his daughters, Zoë and Émilie.
"The conversation lasted exactly ten minutes," he recalls proudly. "I said we might be able to cash in. They both stood up immediately: 'We are selling nothing! We are joining the business.' For me, that's the most beautiful gift from God. Working with your children is a dream."
Today, Émilie runs the commercial branch with her father's fiery, unstructured character, while Zoë manages the finances and the leasing division behind the scenes with a firm hand. Stephan is clear about the learning curve for his daughters:
"You have to let them innovate and take risks, and they are going to fall flat on their faces. That's only natural. In my life, I've fallen flat on my face maybe twenty times because of wrong decisions. But you learn from that. You must never penalize someone for making a mistake. If you penalize an employee or your child for a mistake, you build a wall between each other. You have to analyze together how to do better."
Keep Fighting: "Rosy Doesn't Exist"
When asked about the most difficult moments in his career -from setbacks at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington to losing top riders or top horses -the equestrian entrepreneur remains remarkably pragmatic.
"Rosy doesn't exist. Not in life and not in a career. You have difficult days, but on Monday morning you have to get right back at it. You have to hope for better days and be prepared to keep fighting for what you've built. And sometimes... sometimes you have to dare to take one step back in order to take ten steps forward."
What started with a dream and a red Golf C in the night at Utrecht has grown into a global brand. But the engine behind the Stephex Group remains unchanged: a passion for the horse, belief in one's own capabilities, and an untamable drive to always be the best.
