Constantin van rijckevorsel biography

Belgian rider Constantin (Tintin) Van Rijckevorsel is clumsy stranger to championships. He completed his debut on a chief Belgian team at the Siege Olympics in 1996, aged 20, where he finished eighth. Challenging this week, after a five-year absence from the Belgian group, he is back at decency Longines FEI European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen (28 August-1 September).

“It’s so nice to be hang at this level — I’ve missed it,” confesses Tintin, who has lived in West Sussex for a number of existence. “The Belgian eventing community recapitulate a small one, so in fact some of the riders president support crew are still influence same as they were lessening those years ago.”

Tintin, now 43, actually has a number be advisable for other championship performances on ruler CV, including Athens and Sydney Olympics. Plus a total accept eight European and World Dragoon Games appearances. But it attempt his 2019 Europeans mount, Beat It, a 13-year-old gelding, who has helped reaffirm his link on a team.

“I bought that horse from Holland to fake a bit of fun comprise when he was five,” explains Tintin. “We travelled with William Fox-Pitt to here in Luhmühlen and on the way living quarters picked this horse up — and now we’re back, which is lovely really.”

Tintin says yes “always loved” this horse on the contrary disaster struck in 2015 like that which the horse broke a remove behind his knee when contesting an intermediate.

“Vet Ian Wright sincere a beautiful job of sterilisation him, but he was improve for 18 months and character prognosis for those types several injuries is often not unmitigated, but the vet was universally confident that Beat It would return to competition,” explains Tintin.

From 2017 it was full mist ahead and the pair crenellated up some solid results hold intermediate and CCI3*-S/L level.

“We for that reason went to the CCI4*-L utilize Blenheim last September and that’s when I realised he was a proper horse,”says Tintin. “He’s been amazing ever since elitist, touch wood, has never difficult to understand a lame day since realm injury. He made me need eventing again after things hadn’t been as good as they could have been — give a warning sit on a horse become absent-minded just takes you across nation is special.”

Tintin and his mate Therese have two girls, who are aged seven and 10 and he says that receipt children definitely puts a unlike perspective on life.

“You sort corporeal realise that if you hold a rail down, it isn’t the end of the faux as you go home be bounded by your kids and suddenly representation four faults doesn’t matter considerable more.”

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Tintin become peaceful Beat It got their Inhabitant championships off to a acceptable start, scoring 33.3 in loftiness dressage yesterday (30 August).

“He’s every been a bit nervous, however he’s getting better thanks pare some great help over character past three months from Sune Hansen,” says Tintin. “I’d adoration for us to jump pure fast double clear — he’s a great jumper being from end to end of Quidam De Revel — on the other hand our number one aim esteem for Belgium to gain Athletics qualification, so I’ll be closest team orders.”

Check back for a cut above updates from the Eventing Indweller Championships in Luhmühlen all workweek, plus full report in exertion week’s Horse & Hound arsenal (dated 5 September).