Today, time has come for Forever Darco ter Linden to say goodbye to our family and the sport. The 16 year old stallion is approaching his retirement and turns back to Stud Ter Linden as a breeding stallion. This Darco offspring belongs to Frans Lens and team Philippaerts. All of us, Ludo, Olivier, Nicola, Thibault and Anthony were lucky to ride Forever Darco ter Linden.
At the end of the most bizarre year of this century, our family says goodbye to a loyal companion: Forever Darco ter Linden. This stallion spent the last 10 years with our team. What’s very unique about him is that we all have had the opportunity to ride him. “He was and still is an amazing horse” says Nicola, who partnered up with him for several years. “In 2015, I jumped my first clear round at the World Cup in Mechelen with Forever Darco. I’ll never forget that special moment. We also won the Nations Cup of Rome, finished 2nd in the World Cup of Washington and 4th at the Longines Global Tour in Hamburg. We rode the World Cup finals in Göteborg as well. I have nothing but great memories with Forever Darco and wish him a long and peaceful life.”
Forever Darco ter Linden includes the name Darco, the legendary horse that Ludo took to the Olympic games in Barcelona in 1992. “Forever Darco looks a lot like his father Darco. A real fighter during the competitions, he always went for it. That positive mindset that he has in common with Darco is his best feature. It also is the only horse that all 5 of us have ridden. Saying goodbye is never easy, but we know that he goes back home to where he was born 16 years ago. He’ll pass on some of his genetics as he continues as a breeding stallion at Stud ter Linden.”
