Japanese Olympian Kazuki Sado Returns to Japan

Dressage

Japan

After having lived and trained in The Netherlands for nine years, Japanese Olympic team rider Kazuki Sado has decided to return to Japan.

From Eventing to Dressage

The 39-year old has been an international competitor since 2008 when he debuted as an eventer at the CCI 1* in Miki, Japan on the Australian bred and 2002 and 2006 Japanese Asian Games team horse In Toransit.

Sado switched to dressage and debuted in 2011 at Grand Prix level with Why Me (by Westerland x Askan) at the CDI Gotemba. Horses Caballero (by Condor M x Dynamo) and Winnetou DDH (by Welcome x Investment) were acquired by the Japan Racing Association for him to ride.

With Winnetou DDH, who came from Femke Beljon's barn, the Dutch connection was made. The KWPN gelding was the first horse on which Sado represented Japan at a major Championship, the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon (KOR), where he won team silver and ranked fifth individually.

Honing Skills in Holland

The Japan Racing Association agreed to send Kazuki to The Netherlands where he could hone his dressage skills and aim for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

He arrived in Holland in October 2014 and based himself with Janneke van Riet at Stable Boshoven. Van Riet had a standing business relationship with JRA through Japanese show jumping rider Yuki Hara.

JRA bought Bellissimo (by Don Renoir x Flemmingh) and they got Sado to ride Urban Legend (by OO Seven x Kennedy) as well. However it was on Van Riet's Ziroco (by San Remo x Peter Pan) that they aimed for Rio, but the pair did not make it to the Olympics.

Sado moved to Bartels Academy and began competing Djuice (by Jazz x Fruhling) and Don Presidente (by Dauphin x Fabriano) under Imke Schellekens-Bartels' tutelage. Kazuki and Djuice competed at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where Japan won team gold

Team Rider

With Ludwig der Sonnenkonig at the 2021 Olympics

JRA made a big purchase when they acquired Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin's Barolo (by Breitling W x Hitchock) in 2018. The pair rode at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon and finished 63rd in the Grand Prix with 65.357%.

Wit the 2020 Olympic Games happening in Tokyo at the equestrian centre of the Japan Racing Association, JRA went all in and leased Ludwig der Sonnenkonig (by London Swing x Liberator) from Helgstrand Dressage as Kazuki's Olympic hopeful.

With Barolo and Ludwig, Sado became Japan's highest scoring rider in the 2019 - 2021 show season scoring consistently round the 70% marker. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Sado caved to the pressure and presented an overcooked Ludwig in the Grand Prix, finishing 56th with 62.531%.

After the Olympics Ludwig returned to Helgstrand to be sold, while JRA bought Hesselhoj Donkey Boy for at least 2.5 million euro as Sado's next Grand Prix horse. That deal ended up in controversy and as a replacement Furst William was acquired whom Sado competed at the 2023 CDI Exloo, Grote Brogel and Waregem with mixed results.

Steady Barolo represented Japan at the 2022 World Championships in Herningn where they were 69th in the Grand Prix with 67.438%. The pair did his last CDI in Europe in Kronenberg (NED) in December 2023 scoring 65.087% in the Grand Prix and 68.020% in the Kur.

Homecoming

After nine years in The Netherlands, Sado has now decided to return to his home in Japan and his family and children.

On Furst William at the 2023 CDI Grote Brogel

He took to Instagram and posted, "of course I’m sad to leave, but I was very happy to train and work with Imke and all staffs of here. They are quite kindly, honest, fair and enthusiastic people to all students. I really respect them as a person. Thank you for everything, Imke and Academy Bartels. I want to say thank you to all people who supported me and horses in Europe!"

To Eurodressage he explained that, "I will work for Equestrian Park in Tokyo again. I will continue riding and teach our riders. And we will organize some kind of horse events and competitions to spread horse culture and for Japanese equestrian promotion."

He added, "the most important thing is to give back to JRA and the horse people in Japan the riding skills and knowledge I learned in Europe."

Barolo will join Kazuki in Japan, while Furst William will remain in training with Imke Schellekens-Bartels in The Netherlands.