Former Olympian rider Jos Lansink was born in the Netherlands but decided to become a Belgian later in his career. He talked about switching nationalities on the Belgian national television and about his former top horse Cumano.
"I competed three times for Belgium at the Olympics and four times for the Netherlands", Lansink starts. "On paper I'm Belgian but if the Dutch national team is playing football, I'm Dutch", he laughs. "Actually I changed nationalities because I started riding for a stable in Belgium. At that moment there was this rule that stated the rider and the owner of the horse needed to have the same nationality, otherwise you couldn't compete at the Olympics. At that moment, I had very good horses to ride and my family was very happy in Belgium so I decided to take the step, for the sport".
"My favorite horse? I can't pick just one. If I had to pick won, I would ignore the others. I never sold a horse that won a Championship. Cumano for instance: after his sports career, he enjoyed his old day at my place. At first, when it was still possible, I hacked in the woods with him. After, he spend all of his time in the field. He had the stable with the best view: he could see everything and everyone".
Source: Sporza
