Both Olivier and his brother Nicola strove for success at national and international competitions almost every weekend. Not just to win prizes and titles. They also used the regime to train and promote horses from the Dorperheide stud farm. And to prove themselves as riders, while keeping their fingers on the pulse of the equestrian sporting world.
In 2014, Olivier once again ranked highly in the most illustrious competitions, with wins at the Flemish Championships. Carlito C and Cabrio van de Heffinck performed admirably. Olivier rode the first horse to victory in prestigious derbies in Aachen, Sankt Gallen and Calgary. The second horse jumped faultlessly twice in the national competition at La Baule and helped Olivier to victory at the Nations Cup in Aachen.
Although the brothers are competitors in the arena, they are still friends. They prefer to find themselves opposite each other in the same competition, but that has always proven to be difficult. Olivier explained this to Cavalor: ‘At the five-star level, it’s not easy for us to be invited to the same competitions all the time; the places are limited. Even though we try to, we compete in the same competitions less and less often.’
