Spanish Under 25 Grand Prix rider Antonio Laiz Zandio has received the ride on the World Young Horse Championship medal winning horses Eye Catcher and Five Star.
Eye Catcher is a 9-year old licensed stallion by Vivaldi x Partout and Five Star is an 8-year old KWPN stallion by Amazing Star x Jazz. Both are owned by the Indonesian Titan Wilaras who has Platinum Stables in The Netherlands.
Under Kirsten Brouwer Eye Catcher won double bronze at the 2014 and 2015 World Young Horse Championships in Verden. Brouwer rode Five Star to silver at the 2016 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo.
Kirsten Brouwer, her mom Annemarie and their family ran Platinum Stables for Wilaras, but the two parties fell out and ended their collaboration in November 2017. A mud sling fest followed in the Dutch equestrian media.
As the Brouwers moved out of the facilities, the Spanish brothers Antonio and Miguel Laiz Zandio moved in mid December.
The Laiz brothers had spent their summer in Germany with Antonio training with Spanish Grand Prix rider Borja Carrascosa while Miguel is involved with show jumpers. Antonio had tried out a horse at Platinum stables round that time, but it wasn't until the CDI Roosendaal Indoor the first weekend of December that Wilaras approached the Spaniard to come and work for him.
With Eye Catcher Laiz has scheduled his show debut at Prix St Georges level at the regional show in Maren-Kessel on 28 January 2018.
Photos © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Kirsten Brouwer Leaves Platinum Stable
Scores: 2017 Spanish Dressage Championships
Scores: 2017 European Under 25 Championships
De La Fuente, Ramirez, Laiz Wins 2015 Spanish Youth Riders Championships