Dutch Olympian Diederik van Silfhout has secured the future ride on his number one Grand Prix horse Arlando, an 11-year old Dutch warmblood stallion by Paddox x Mytens xx.
Arlando is bred by A.J. van 't Klooster and is owned by the Both family in partnership with Siem Kat. The contract for the ride was up for re-negotiation after the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In the lead-up to Rio, the Dutch foundation "Dutch Olympic Horse" (NOP) already committed to providing a financial contribution to keep the horse from being sold. NOP is financially supported by the Dutch Equestrian Federation, the Dutch Rabobank and the Dutch Olympic committee NOC*NSF. Only three dressage horses are sponsored by NOP in The Netherlands: Arlando, Undercover, and Johnson. Parzival and Siro were dropped by NOP in March 2016.
After Rio, the owners, rider and his team went back to the table and agreed to keep the horse with Team van Silfhout. Diederik made the announcement during the CDI Maastricht, where the pair made its show come back after Rio. The details of the new agreement were not disclosed.
"I'm very grateful to Arlando's owners that also after Rio they are keeping this horse," said Van Silfhout.
Photo © Astrid Appels
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