BY JENNEKE SMIT / KWPN
PHOTOGRAPHY: DIRK CAREMANS
Leon Thijssen is a perfect example of a modern breeder. His passion for breeding originated from the sport, and by now his breeding program largely serves his sport stable. Several of his breeding products have already developed into 1m60 showjumpers, such as Hello, Juice, and Hi There.
The common thread in his breeding story? Never compromising on attitude, quality, and the health of his mares. And that approach is paying off.
The international showjumper from Sevenum can already look back on a successful sporting career at the highest level and has also more than proven himself as the ‘father of’, as a trader and as a breeder. Together with his wife Dorien and their three children, he has built a fantastic family business that demonstrates its value at the highest level in sport and now also in breeding.
Feeling and horsemanship
The Thijssen family has been based at their current location in Sevenum since 2015. Daughter Mel (25) and son Mans (23) both work at the stable, while eldest daughter Sanne (27) runs her own sport stable at another location. Together, they uphold the family name at the highest level, and in this top-performance collective, mother Dorien also plays a major role. Although Leon himself only started riding at a relatively late age, as a self-taught rider he has managed to continuously improve both himself and his horses, steadily raising the bar.
In 1996, Leon competed in a Nations Cup for the first time, and in 2005 he was part of the Dutch team that won bronze at the European Championships in San Patrignano with Nairobi (Larno). He sold Nairobi in 2008, and with Olaf (Concorde) became the reserve combination for the Olympic Games in Hong Kong [Beijing 2008]. Four years later, he fulfilled that same role with the stallion Tyson (Numero Uno) for the London 2012 Olympic Games. All of these were horses he had discovered himself at a young age.
When it comes to breeding, it quickly becomes clear that all his experience as a rider is of enormous value. In fact, Leon’s breeding instinct is entirely based on the feel he has developed as a rider and scout. And that nose for quality has proven itself time and again. At a young age, he not only discovered his own top horses, but also standout performers such as Voyeur (Tolano van’t Riethof), Uceko (Celano), and of course the 18-time Grand Prix winner Con Quidam RB (Quinar), who will be discussed in more detail later.
Instant success
Back to breeding. What started with a few sport mares has grown into a serious branch of the business, with around 25 foals expected this year, the first of which have already been born. “It started on a small scale, but over the years I deliberately began keeping mares for breeding after their sport careers.” Leon’s very first breeding product, Wupp, immediately developed into an international 1m60 showjumper. This was the result of pairing Colino, a stallion bred by Martien Liefhebber – for whom Leon rode several horses at the time – with the international sport mare DBH Granata (Grosso Z), who was highly successful at the top level with, among others, Peter Geerink. She won the Grand Prix of Helsinki in 1997.
This combination of a stallion in which Leon has great confidence, and a mare that has first proven herself extensively in sport, has continued to bring breeding success to the Thijssen family in the years that followed. After one foal in 2003, one in 2004, and one in 2005, Leon bred two Tyson offspring in 2006, including Tyson Uno ( out of Izaura G by Grosso Z). “That dam had first jumped World Cups with Roelof Bril and later also with me. After her sport career, I used her for breeding; Tyson Uno was her first offspring, and she had him at the age of 16”. In 2007 (three), 2008 (two), and 2009 (two), several more foals were bred, but the first ‘larger’ crop followed in 2010. “That year we bred six foals, and now we’re up to 25”, Thijssen laughs...
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