Just like every professional rider, Olivier also has his once in a lifetime horse. We can almost say that he grew up with H&M Cabrio van de Heffinck, known as Cabrio. Wednesday evening, it was time for them to say goodbye as professional partners, it was time for us to say goodbye to them as a team.
Since Olivier’s 15th birthday, they are an unstoppable team. Together, they credited different victories. Their real breakthrough? That must be their golden medal in the Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows in 2012… Or their participation in the Nations Cup for the Belgian Team in Aachen, also in 2012. Even while Olivier was only 19 years old, they were the only one with a clear round. It is difficult to name one hot-shot.
Olivier Philippaerts. “I’ll miss everything about him. After our nine years together, it is very hard to say goodbye, but on the other side, I am happy to give him his rest and retirement. I owe him so much. His greatest strength is his mindset. Cabrio always wanted to improve himself. We both started our professional career together, with no experience at all. He really felt that I still needed to learn a lot, and I think that’s why he always worked so hard. I can’t imagine a better guide throughout my career than Cabrio. We won’t compete anymore together, but he will still be visiting our stables. He will spend the biggest part of the year in Zangersheide and I am very happy for him to find a peaceful home there”
Also Ludo Philippaerts describes H&M Cabrio v/d Heffinck as an extraordinary horse: “It is very hard to find a horse like this one. Cabrio wrote not only the Grand Prix of Calgary to his name, but also the Nations Cup in Aachen. Saying goodbye is really hard, but we need to cherish the great memories he gave us. I owe him my most beautiful defeat. At Spruce Meadows, I placed third, while Olivier and Cabrio won this Grand Prix. My own son won one of the greatest shows in the world with the cream of the top. This year, they jumped their last Nations Cup in Lummen as a part of the Belgian team. Once again, they produced two clear rounds. It is now time to say goodbye to this star athlete.”
For sure, we didn’t want to just let him go. Therefore, he got a memorable ceremony at Jumping Mechelen right before leaving the ring for the last time. The lovely grey stallion Cabrio will pursue to support the sports world, but in another way. It is time for him to start a new chapter in his life and still get some well-deserved rest. From now on, you can find him at Zangersheide as a breeding stallion. We are confident to see Cabrio’s offspring succeed in the years to come.
