Egbert Schep shared his equestrian knowledge with the world of horse sports discussing alongside Frederik De Backer and Louis De Cleene on the podcast, '2 Man en 1 Paardenkop'.
"I have been active in horse sports for about 54 years now," says Schep. "And I still love it!" But to the point... when is a young horse a good horse?
"Only when they are ridden you start to really know. A true Grand Prix horse is only 50% physical. The rest is between the ears! They must want it, enjoy it, and be careful. I am convinced that today there are many horses physically capable of being a Grand Prix horse. But what matters is their mindset!" explains the Dutchman. "And... you must believe in the horse yourself. If you see something in it, you will continue to invest in that horse and move forward, even during a rough period. This ensures that they have the opportunity to grow."
Believing in a young horse
"When I stand in the indoor arena and look at the two-year-olds, I look for caution, but mainly balance. Balance is almost the most important thing. What we do in free jumping is just in-and-outs and then, on two canter strides, an oxer. That oxer may be set high for a good one. For yearlings, we just jump a single obstacle. The most important thing is that you can see whether the horse has an overview and can jump from afar or close."
Those who condemn ICSI have never done it!
"In my opinion, ICSI makes no difference. Those who condemn it have never done it themselves. The only thing that might make a difference is the maternal behavior of the surrogate mare. In my opinion, it should not be a cold-blooded type," Schep immediately explains. "The surrogate mother must be young and healthy. She must be able to move."
"Everything is genetically determined and hereditary. Even the smallest things in a horse are genetically determined. So ICSI makes no difference. It goes so far that I myself once experienced breeding with a mare where a defect was passed down through two generations. Eventually, I stopped breeding with that mare. I realized it too late. Therefore... sustainability is the most important aspect in breeding!"
The last words of wisdom... "To breed the perfect one, you have to live to be 200!"