Loxahatchee, Fla. – August 24, 2016 – It is incredibly rare to find a horse with undeniable and natural talent that can be trained and groomed for the ultimate world stage in only a matter of months. However, that was the case for Wyndmont, Inc’s Valinski S, who just returned stateside following the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After three days of competition over difficult course, the 14-year-old KWPN gelding qualified as part of the best 35 horses in the world to compete during the Individual Final.
Ronnie Beard and Michael Dorman knew they struck gold when they purchased the Dutch Warmblood in 2012. Although they knew Valinski S had the ability, they did not seriously consider competing at the Games until January 2016.
“Valinski just gave me a feeling when I first saw him,” Beard explained. “I’m drawn to horses with a lot of class and a lot of heart. Valinski has that and talent. He was bred to win. He’s has scope and he’s a trier. He embraces the crowd and likes his job. You can always count on him to give you his best.”
It took all of the eight months to prepare Valinski S for the Games, but he made it. Just a week ago, Beard was ringside watching his horse take on the sport’s most elite competition. Now, the team is home and Valinski S is enjoying a well-deserved break after putting on some of his best performances for a global audience.
Beard added, “Michael made Valinski. When we bought him he did all the riding and training. When Michael stepped down, he was a nicely made horse that was ready for whoever was willing to take the reins.”
Australia’s Matt Williams was the lucky rider to step into the irons aboard Valinski S. After months of successfully competing at world-class competitions, the duo stamped their passports and headed to Brazil.
They made their Olympic debut in the jog on August 12 and were on course the following day in the first round of competition. The duo was one of 75 horse-and-rider combinations to attempt the Guilherme Jorge-designed course. After the first qualifying round, the field of contenders fell to 57. Among them were Williams and Valinski S, who incurred 8 faults in the first round.
The pair gave the crowd something to cheer for in the second qualifying round, as they rode away with one of the 21 clear rounds.
“Valinski performed great,” Williams said about his four-legged teammate. “He felt good and jumped really well in each round. He was really consistent and rose to the challenges. He jumped confident and fought for me every time we went in there.”
As the pool of competitors continued to dissipate, Williams and Valinski continued to move up the ladder and earned their spot as part of 35 of the best horse and rider combinations in the world to compete during the Individual Final.
“I am so proud of Valinski and Matt,” Beard expressed. “They performed beautifully. Valinski has so much heart and he really showcased that competing over some of the biggest and most technical courses I have seen during the Olympics. He has a very bright future ahead of him, so we are excited to see what’s he’ll do next.”
Valinski S is one of the many incredible horses Wyndmont, Inc. has on their roster of super horses. He’s produced top results at world-renowned competitions across the country and worldwide. In preparation for Rio, he captured the victory in the $100,000 Sullivan GMC Truck Grand Prix at HITS Ocala, second place in the $130,000 Adequan Grand Prix CSI3* and several third-place finishes in the CSI4*$216,000 Grand Prix at Tryon, the CSIO4* $216,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix in Wellington, and the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Las Vegas.
Founded by Beard with Dorman, Wyndmont Inc. provides classical horsemanship to annual and seasonal equestrian clientele. For more information, visit Wyndmont.com or find them on Facebook!