By Christopher Hector
Photography: © FEI/Libby Law
When Lara Liedekerke-Meier riding Hooney d’Arville became the first Belgian to win a five-star event, she was not only making history, but carrying on a proud tradition of the eventing fraternity, the practice of breeding your own horses to ride in competition.
Lara rode Hooney’s dam, Nooney Blue, at the 2011 European Championships. Nooney Blue was Lara’s first-star horse, taking her through Junior and Young Rider ranks to a senior debut at the 2010 World Championships in Lexington. But their competition career came to an end at the Europeans the following year. “She broke down in the European Championship during the cross country, and that was the last time I rode her,” says Lara, “She needed to go back in the trailer to the stables. We didn’t know how bad the injury was, and then I just wanted to bring her home and to give her time, and then we would try to have a foal. At first it didn’t work, and then this one, Hooney, came. My dad will probably have already sent me a message that [this win] is thanks to him, who went to pick up the semen.”
Dad made a wise choice, the Nabab de Reve son, Vigo d’Arsouiilles has sired an incredible number of top-level showjumpers, but he is also the sire of three 2* eventers, seven 3*, and three 4*. Hooney’s dam, Nooney Blue, is by the Jalisco son, Jet Set du Rezidal, and she is - a Thoroughbred mare by Shamaraan xx. Nooney is also the dam of Kiarado d’Arville, a two-star eventer by Diarado.
Lara and her husband, Kai-Steffen Meier run Five Star Eventers at Gesves in Belgium. Kai has competed successfully up to the 5* level in eventing and was placed multiple times at Badminton, Luhmühlen, and Pau. He represented Germany at the 2009 and 2011 Europeans, in 2010 he was selected for the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY, but missed out due to an injury to his horse, TSF Karascada M. In 2012 he was selected as a reserve for the London Olympics.
According to their website: “He has competed with over 60 different horses in nearly 600 FEI competitions, he has produced many young horses from their first cross country jumps at the German Bundeschampionat classes for young eventers, up to the World Championships for young horses at Le Lion d’Angers.” A glance at the list of horses Five-Star has produced, shows a deliberate use of stallions with eventing credentials.
Hermione d’Arville, a four-star eventer with Lara, is by Royaldik, who is by Royal Diamond, but - Heraldik’s full-sister, Herka xx. Ducati d’Arville is by the current number one on the WBFSH eventing sires rankings, Diarado. In 2024, Ducati has scored two seconds at 4*, at Balrowko and Boekelo. La La Land d’Arville is by the Heraldik son, Herald III, has two seconds at 2* level.
I was lucky to catch up with Lara at Aachen recently where she had two horses in the CCIO4*, doubly lucky since she is one of the world’s most charming interviews.
Q Was Hooney (the name sounds very different filtered through Lara’s French Belgique accent) the first horse you bred?
No, before that my mother and I bred some horses, but in an amateur sort of way. My mother was fascinated and she knew the horses on the market were quite expensive, and she knew that I was quite a special rider in that I liked to have them from the beginning. I’m not good at taking the ride on a horse from someone else, I like to start them from scratch.
We only bred one or two a year, it was never industrial, it was always difficult for me to sell them afterwards. Hooney was the third or fourth we bred... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BREEDING NEWS
SUBSCRIBERS CAN READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE BY LOGGING IN AND RETURNING TO THIS PAGE
