At the age of 45, French showjumper Julien Epaillard is in the form of his life, making headlines almost weekly. He’s risen to number three in the world rankings, and he made his championship debut in the worlds at Herning, Denmark, this year, leading individually through the early stages of the competition with his brilliant but quirky mare Caracole De La Roque.
In October, Julien racked up an incredible sequence of seven straight international wins, topping every class he entered at both the CSI4* at St Lo and CSI5* Lyon shows, where his victories included the World Cup-grand prix double.
His success in the World Cup qualifier at the IFEMA Madrid Horse Week (27 November) was his second of the season and marked an astounding 75th international win of 2022.
The Frenchman attributes much of this current purple patch to two “extraordinary” horses, the 10-year-old Zandor Z mare Caracole De La Roque and the year younger Donatello D’Auge (Jarnac x Hello Pierville)
“The mare gained a lot of experience at the World Championships and is becoming more and more competitive and the gelding is only nine but he is also winning a lot because he has an incredible quality,” says Julien, who would love to be crowned the world number one. “But to achieve that you need a lot of grand prix horses and now I only have two with which to jump five-star competitions.
“I have to plan well, adapt to what each horse needs, think about what is best for them and not about the ranking, that’s why I decided not to go to Verona and Stuttgart [World Cup legs]. The world number one, Henrik von Eckerman, has won a lot of points in championships. I win a lot of classes but in championships I haven’t done anything so far. I have the Olympic Games in Paris much more on my mind than being the world number one.”
The astute horseman adds: “I try to listen to my horses. I have been a professional rider since I was 16 years old, now I am 45 and have much more experience. I have made many mistakes, but I have learned from them and when I make one, I try to correct it.”
Julien Epaillard: “Caracole is, without doubt, one of the best I’ve ridden in my life”
Julien’s World Championship partner Caracole De La Roque came from the Hecart family in September last year.
“Michel told me that she was extraordinary but that we had to start almost from scratch because she had almost no experience due to the pandemic,” reveals Julien.
“She started doing 1.30m classes and ended up doing the World Championship and winning grands prix. We knew she had enormous potential but also a lot of blood and we had to teach her to use that energy in a positive way. Not against the rider but with him. It was difficult in that sense, but now she is with me, maybe sometimes the control is not perfect but she makes up for it with her quality, her strength and her genius. She is, without a doubt, one of the best horses I have ever ridden in my life.”
Julien is aiming his home-bred Donatello for next year’s European showjumping championships in Italy, so could the Olympics be the next step in his promising career?
“To compete in Paris with a horse I have bred would be incredible,” says Julien. “To compete in the Olympic Games is a dream for me and I hope it doesn’t stay just a dream.”
Epaillard’s interesting training regime
Julien Epaillard explains he does a lot of jumping at home, but only over small fences.
“Three times a week I do 18 jumps of no more than 1m, then three minutes of walk, then I do another 18,” he reveals. “It is dressage work but with obstacles in which I look for relaxation, control, resistance and that the horses do not force, but understand me. I believe that the muscles work differently when you jump than when you don’t jump.
“When I have a horse that has been out of competition for a while, then I jump less but a little bigger. I also like to jump the horses in small classes from time to time. I think it is good for them to know that not every time they are going to enter a competition arena they are going to make big efforts. Jumping without pressure is also important.”
Julien has built a global reputation as one of the fastest riders in the world, something he attributes to his horses having complete trust in him.
“If you are going to take a risk with a horse, he must be convinced that you are not going to make a mistake,” says Julien. “It takes a long time to gain a horse’s trust but you can lose it in a second. To go fast, the horse must trust you and you must trust him.”
You can see Julien Epaillard in action at CHI Geneva (7-11 December) followed by the London International Horse Show (14-19 December), where he brings Vitalhorse Ebbadya Hero, Missy VH Zwartepannenhof and Chana De Valeme.
With thanks to Oxer Sport/IFEMA Madrid Horse Week
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