Spanish Olympian Jose Daniel Martin Dockx has announced his retirements as a high performance competition rider.
At the end of 2024 he will be hang up his tails and retire as a competitor.
One of Spain's Top Riders
The 50-year old Dockx has worked his way up to the highest echelons of Spanish international dressage sport by becoming a long-time team rider, having represented Spain at two Olympic Games, three European Championships, two World Championships, and one World Championship for Young Horses.
At national level he won three National Championship titles and four ANCCE-SICAB Cup Final titles on PRE horses.
Building a Business
His career spanned 32 years after the horse virus got hold of him at age 12 through his father.
Jose Daniel "Dani" Martin Dockx first competed at age 18 on Jamaica and his first distinguished title was Regional Andalucian champion in 1992 at Prix St Georges level.
With the support of his father, a 20-year old Dockx began his own stable, Centro Hipico Dana, in Mijas. The career starting horse in his life was Cosaco XI, who arrived in his barn in 1998 as a 2-year old and which he produced to FEI level
Hampton Green Farm
Cosaco moved to the U.S.A. to be ridden and competed by Pati Pierucci between 2006 and 2008, but in the meantime Van Kampen stayed in touch with Dani and decided to sponsor him. She backed Dockx on many levens, providing him with extra lessons with Spanish team trainer Jan Bemelmans to hone his skills and supplied Dani with a steady string of horses that delivered him the greatest successes in his career.
The first horse Van Kampen supplied was her home bred Encanto XI (by Evento x Golondrino XIV) which she moved to Spain in the spring of 2007 for training. The pair won the silver at the 2009 Spanish Young Horse Championship in the 7-9 year old developing PSG horse category. Encanto was the only PRE at the Spanish Young Horse Championships to finish on the podium that year. Dockx made his international show debut on Encanto XI in 2010 at small tour level.
Up till then Dani mainly showed young horses and at small tour level, collecting his first medals: Aboard Delmonte he won the 2010 Spanish Young Horse Championships fpr 6-year olds and in 2012 he got gold in the 8-9 year old age category
Grandioso
The horse that truly launched Dockx' career was Kimberly van Kampen's bay PRE stallion Grandioso (by by Adelante x Sevillano IX).
Dani took over the ride from Courtney King-Dye after her accident in 2011. Jan Bemelmans had seen the horse in Florida and suggested the match between Dani and the horse already in the autumn of 2010. The pair became an anchor for the Spanish team and showed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, the 2013 and 2015 European Championships and the 2014 World Equestrian Games. They scored a freestyle personal best of 78.175% at the 2013 CDIO Aachen.
Dani had a string of Hampton Green Farm horses in his barn, including Campanero HGF (5 years old), Ataturc (SICAB Champion 7 years old in 2017), Oxido HGF, and Mejorano HGF. With the latter he went to the 2018 World Young Horse Championship for Young Horses and in September 2019 he debuted him and Oxido HGF at national Grand Prix level
In October 2019 a surprising end came to the 12-year old collaboration between Van Kampen and Dockx.
Malagueno LXXXIII
He briefly continued his international show career with Manchego ARB, the Grand Prix horse of his second wife, XX. However it was the PRE Malagueno LXXXIII (by Joyero XXIV x Dominante XVI) that put Dani back on the international map.
In 2024 the pair won the Spanish Grand Prix Championships and were nominated as one of three Spanish team riders for the 2024 Olympics but the bay stallion did not pass the vet check after suffering an allergic reaction to his neck.
Retirement
Dockx announced his retirement in time for the 2024 SICAB where he will have his swan song aboard Malagueno.
"It's not a hasty decision nor has it anything to do with what happened at the Olympics," Dockx stated. "It's a very thoughtful decision made with my family in 2022 that we set a deadline for the current year. I don't see a better time to do it being the current champion of Spain."
Dockx wants to continue as coach. He is already the Spanish WCYH team selector for the PRE horses and want to develop himself in this role
" I want to go on developing projects that are on the table," he said.
Photos © Astrid Appels
Read the dedicated article on Dockx' career with more details and emphasis of his national achievements on Lilyforado.com
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