A few days ago, we reported on the success of the Escolar son Elvis at the Spanish Championships, where he confidently took the title for six-year-old young dressage horses. This weekend he shone on the international stage.
Part of the CDI Jardy, France, was a young horse tour for five, six and seven-year-olds. The six-year-old Elvis and his trainer Bernat Barrachina Vaquer had qualified for this event thanks to his victory at the Spanish Championships in Madrid a few days ago – and he also left the international field of starters in the dust.
The pair Elvis/Barrachina Vaquer won the final with a lead of 4.2 percent. The Hanoverian Escolar son was the only horse with a “good” average score. The panel of judges with championship juror Susanne Baarup (DEN), Susan Hoevenaars (AUS) and Patricia Wolters (NED) gave him 80.6 percent in the final.
Seen, fallen in love, bought
Elvis has been living in Spain for three years. However, he was born in Germany, more precisely in Ankum at the home of veterinarian Dr. Jürgen Bornhorst. The chestnut grew up at Hunnnesrück Breeding Stud, the young horse branch of Celle State Stud. Here he was sold at auction as a three-year-old and later introduced to his rider Bernat Barrachina Vaquer and his current owner Maria Culsan Perez. Bernat says: “We saw a chestnut who greeted us from his stable. We immediately saw something special in him and decided to buy him on the spot.”
This is how Elvis came to Spain. Bernat Barrachina Vaquer himself began riding him at the age of three and says they developed a strong relationship of trust. What makes Elvis special? “He is a very sensitive, intelligent and cooperative horse. His movements are of great quality and he has a natural presence in the arena. As for his personality, I always say he’s like a little child – playful, affectionate and always looking for attention. He’s great fun and his character is definitely his greatest strength.”
Goal: Grand Prix
Elvis has now amply demonstrated that he has no need to hide his qualities in the arena. As far as further goals are concerned, however, his team is taking a relaxed approach: “We don’t want to put too much pressure on him with tournaments. Instead, we prefer to work on his physical and mental development without stress, so that he can grow into the work.” Because the goal is not young horse championships, the goal is international Grand Prix sport, as both rider and owner emphasize.
