At home with... - Martin Fuchs

HORSE INTERNATIONALFeatureAt home with...The FuchsText and pictures by Elisabeth Weiland14

FeatureHORSE INTERNATIONALThe Fuchs Family, that means Markus, Chefd’Equipe of the Swiss team at the LondonOlympics, nearly winning a bronze medal;Thomas, trainer of Gold medalist Steve Guerdat;Martin, son of Thomas and both Swiss andEuropean Champion Young Riders in 2012; andRenata, Martin’s mother, Thomas’ wife and thecalming influence at the Fuchs stable inBietenholz. She was also successful atinternational events and Swiss Elite Championin 1990.We start with a visit at Bietenholz,the home of Thomas, Renata andMartin. Renata and Martin havebeen away to Falsterbo, the horsevan just arrived back home theprevious evening and Renata is stilltidying up, using the water hose toclean different items. Blankets thathave been in the washing machineare now drying in the sun. Martinis schooling a young horse in theindoor riding hall; he comes overto greet us and then goes straightto work again. Renata, who looksmagnificent, young and fit, asks:“Where do we start, which picturesfirst?” After some thinking anddiscussion we look for a quiet spotbehind the house. Renata showssnakes; they are also here,” Martinmentions. Renata comes back andthey both sit together laughingbehind the Koi fish pond.Bergamasker dog Cindy is rollinghappy on the lawn and enjoys life.Fox trotters“And what shall we do now?”Renata asks, and we decide to takepictures of her trotting horse. Sheinstructs her stable lads and goesback in the house to change intoriding gear. Martin calls out,“Where is she? The trotter will beready,” and she comes, happilymounting her sulky and driving offinto the woods. The horse is HerosChamp, bred in Germany in 2006“He likes trading, but getsannoyed when his father sells ahorse he is training.”- Renata Fuchsfamilythe Koi fish in the pond and theydo know her. All of them comeover, jumping in the air, hoping toget some tidbits. Then she goesinto the house again, to arrangesome urgent matters and changeher T-shirt. She calls Martin: “Doshow the Kois again,” and he does.But the Kois are not so excitedabout him, they swim around hishands and try to nip him and ofcourse, snatch the fish food. TheKoi fish belong to Adrian, the olderbrother of Martin, who does notcompete. He works at Felix Bühler,a big tack shop in Lenzburg, asmarketing manager. “Koi fish areone of his hobbies, the other one isby Abano As, a brown stallion. It isthe one and only trotting horse leftat Bietenholz. Years ago, Renatawas enthralled by the fascinationof driving trotting races andstarted to train and participate.Soon afterwards, Thomas wasjoining her. Renata: “Thomas wonabout 60 races, I won 40 times, wehad 15 trotters here once.” Renataalso bred trotteur français andproudly tells: “Four starters withthe prefix ‘Fox’ (Fox is English forFuchs) were competing in one race,all bred by myself.” She tookspecial pleasure in the breeder’sawards she received in return forher horses’ successes, although15

HORSE INTERNATIONALFeatureThe entire team poses in front of Martin’s horse truck.they are rather small. She leadsthe way to the practice run in thewoods with Heros Champ, andsuddenly turns to me saying: “Todrive a sulky is simply great.” Butwhy give up this sport as well asthe breeding of trotters? “We couldno longer afford the time. WithMartin’s successes in the jumpingsport we had to change our plansagain. Thomas is a perfectionist,and that is impossible in two fieldsat the same time. Our latesthome- bred trotter was namedAdieu Fox, born in 2010.”A long line of successPictures of Martin’s successfuljumpers follow; Karin II CH, Ideodu Thot, then Principal, Arjo, Lalikand Mighty de Riverland are allput in line. His new hope, the greyHolstein stallion Conte dellaCaccia, bred in Italy, has to stayseperate, as he would unsettle thegroup of mares. Martin’s patrons,and the owners of his horses, areRolf and Gloria Theiler, Ursula andLuigi Baleri, Pierre and JacquesBodenmüller and Jakob Weber.With Karin II CH (born in 1995, byIshan), Martin started his careerand a long list of successes. Beforeriding in the 2007 Junior EuropeanChampionships in Auvers, France,his reply to the question: “What isyour target?” came like a pistolshot: “A medal!” And he won theBronze. He classifies his successesup to now: third at the CalgaryGrand Prix, an international topcompetition, with Principal. Withthe same horse he won this year’sSwiss Championships for YoungRiders at Schaffhausen. A specialexperience for him was riding Ideodu Thot at the Rolex Grand PrixMarkus Fuchs, Chef d’Equipe of the Swiss team at the London Olympics.during the CSI Zurich 2011: “Afterthe last jump I saw the Theiler’sin the VIP-section jump up fromtheir seats and throwing theirhands in the air.” So which horseis his favorite? “With Karin I feelsafest, I have no problem withdistances before taking off. ButPrincipal made it possible tocompete in the top sport.”Martin’s sponsors includeMercedes Benz, Zenith Watches,Dominik Co., Private Bank, Uvexand Felix Bühler.Medals and... snakes?In no time, the whole crew haschanged clothes and poses for apicture in front of Martin’shorsebox, all of them participatingin his successes. In the ‘trophylivingroom’ there are a lot of cupsand medals, as well as Adrian’ssnake terrarium. Martin laughsand shows his cap full ofautographs of his prominent pals.In the past he asked for them, nowhe has to distribute them. Martinexplains why he has changed hisT-shirt again: “Three friends ofmine started a collection which Ilike very much. Now I help themwith the marketing.” Renata andMartin look for the snakes in theterrarium. The smaller one, arainbow boa, is there, but where isthe other one, a 135cm long royal16

FeatureHORSE INTERNATIONAL“To drive a sulky is simply great,” says Renata, “Thomas won about 60 races, Iwon 40 times, we had 15 trotters here once.”schooling take place? Renataexplains: “In a neighbor’s paddock.In return, he uses our indoor ridingschool whenever he likes. Besidesthat, we also gallop the horsesevery ten days at the Frauenfeldracecourse. That does them well.”Grandfather MatthiasIt all started with grandfatherMatthias, who established himselfas a horse dealer in Bietenholz,north of Zurich. He took an activepart in national jumpingcompetitions, with good scores.Sometimes riders were still paid ingoods instead of money, and that iswhen Matthias Fuchs angrily said:“Stop this and give some cash.”Many good horses passed throughhis stable. Of his four childrenMarkus, Thomas, Heidi andAndrea,three were medal earners:first his sons but later Andreafollowed as well. Riding Montois,she won the Bronze medal at theEuropean Championships for YoungRiders at Donaueschingen 1987.The family horseMarkus, born in 1955, started likea rocket. In 1970 he wonindividual Gold at the JuniorOlympic Games on Tinka’s Boy;and the World Cup Final of 2001 inGothenburg on that same horse.The chestnut KWPN-stallion, bredin 1989 out of Zuidpool and firstregistered as Hooper, is a mixtureof Holstein, Trakehner,Thoroughbred, Anglo-Arab, KWPNand Selle Français. Tinka’s Boywas the horse of his lifetime.Markus remembers: “I saw Tinka’sBoy with Nick Skelton. Hiscautious manner of ridingconvinced me that he valued thishorse highly. A horse from anaverage rider is easy to manage,but a horse from Nick Skelton hasa much higher risk of whether ornot a bond will result. It took tenmonths, with setbacks, until wefound each other. But then I knew,this is the horse of my life andTinka’s Boy is a member of thefamily.”Full of praiseAfter his retirement from thesport in Gothenburg, Tinka’s Boybecame a breeding stud at Celle.He was approved in 2004 inSwitzerland and is now involvedin French breeding near Lyon. Hisfirst descendants were born inpython named Fauchi? She musthave slipped away through a crack.The search is adjourned, andFauchi turns up again the next day.From the lot, Martin takes a fewmedals into his hand and Renataeventually locates her SwissChampionship Gold medal from1990. She smiles content: “I don’thave as many as my son.”All about teamworkWhen making plans, it clearlyshows that Renata and Martin arean excellent team, not just motherand son. With father Thomas andRenata as trainer and coach, anduncle Markus as a role model andadviser, this Young Rider has hadan exemplary development, withfurther successes bound to come.There was for instance his successat the 3* in Crans-Montana in Julyof this year, with three victoriesaboard Principal, Mighty deRiverland (also one second place),and Arjo; and a third place onConte della Caccia. Suchachievements require excellentteamwork and background. Thenext stop will be a national eventat Zuoz near St. Moritz, Renata’shometown. That is one of thehighlights of the season, meetingmany old friends and enjoying afew relaxing days before theEuropean Championships for“A horse from an average rider is easy tomanage, but a horse from Nick Skelton has amuch higher risk of whether or not a bond willresult.” - Markus FuchsYoung Riders at Magna Racina –Ebreichsdorf, Austria.Martin’s plansMartin just finished theCommercial Sports School with anoteworthy average of 5 and cannow fully concentrate on riding. InMarch of next year he has to passinitial military service atMagglingen, the first jumping riderto get through on a specialprogram. Martin does not havemuch time left for hobbies. “I usedto play Unihockey with my brotherAdrian, but now he works inLenzburg and visits only to see us,the Kois and his snakes.” Martin’splans for the future are jumpingon top class level and takingcharge in the trading of thehorses.“If I sell a horse myself, Iregret the loss of that horse, withwhich I have built up a bond, less.”He likes trading, but gets annoyedwhen his father sells a horse he istraining. So where does theChampionships in St. Moritz onthe experienced Famos; in 1973his first Gold followed at the SwissNational Championships withLady Seven. Five more wouldfollow. He won the Silver medalwith the team at the Sydney 2000England, Tinka’s Serenade (BillyTwomey) being one of them. AtMarkus Fuchs’ Ahorn Stable,Tinka’s Boy was regurarly riddenby Markus‘ wife Maya, who is stillfull of praise: “Perfect altogether,wonderful motion, easy to ride, aThomas and Markus competing together in the Swiss team at Aachen in 1988.17

HORSE INTERNATIONALFeatureCindy the family dog.fighter – simply great.” Maya firstmet Markus, “When he was veryyoung,” at an internationalcompetition in Vienna; or was itGeneva? A happy and lastingrelationship started between thedressage rider and the jumpingriding. Both of their sons stayedaway from the jumping sport,however: one is a lawyer andrecent father, the other a policeofficer.A new careerHis jumping style was easy torecognize. With his tremendousdetermination to win he was afighter and transferred this ontohis horses, they fought for him andwith him. Markus said goodbye atthe CSIO St. Gallen in 2009 with hislast starts on La Toya III andGrania. His patron and owner ofhis top horses, Adolfo Juri, agreedto a future partnership with ArthurGustavo da Silva. La Toya IIIcontinues winning with Da Silva atEuropean events. She is a BWPmare,by Fortuin Z, born in 1995and originally named Sweety vanhet Asborneveld as a foal. ArthurGustavo da Silva achieved manygood results in Brazil as ayoungster and then moved toEurope to settle in Switzerland. Heis Swiss citizen by marriage to aSwiss and starts in Swiss teamstoo. After ending his career as topsport rider, Markus is now busyworking as instructor, horse dealerand coach of internationaljumping riders; in addition he isan esteemed TV- commentatordue to his pleasant voice with itsspecial ‘timbre’ and his overallknowledge. He recently acted ascoach of the Swiss Elite JumpingRiders at the London Olympics.The fighter and the stylistMarkus and his brother Thomas,his junior by 2 years, have beenoutstanding over a long period oftime in the Swiss top jumpingsport; one the fighter, the otherthe stylist. Renata completed thetrio, riding in brilliant style too.Thomas and Renata oftenswitched horses, for exampleDylano, when winning the SwissNational Championships in 1990with Renata. Dylano achieved thesame result with Thomas in 1993and in addition they were in theGold team of the EuropeanChampionships at Gijon in Spainin that same year. Thomas’further wins in the same Leagueinclude Hickstead with Willora in1983 and St. Gallen in 1995 withMajor. Thomas’ horse of a lifetimewas Dollar Girl, but that is a storyby itself. After years with DollarGirl, Major became the drivingforce in Thomas’ jumping stable,winning team Bronze at the 1994WEG in The Hague.Dollar GirlDollar Girl (born 1980, by Dynamo)was bought in 1985 at theSummer Auction in Verden by theclever Bernd Stüve for only13.000DM, who gave the mare toNorbert Nuxoll to show. Rumourof her qualities was heard bySwiss couple Joe and RenataHaller, and they paid an estimatedsum of 800,000 Swiss francs forthe then 7-year-old mare andengaged Thomas Fuchs as rider. Atthe 1988 Olympic Games in Seoulhe was 7th both individual andKoi fish are one of the hobbies of Martin’s older brother Adrian, the other one issnakes.with the team. Just the samehappened at the World EquestrianGames of Stockholm in 1990. Inthe winter of 1991-1992, Joe Hallersold the mare. Nick Skelton washer next rider. He was convincedhe found the horse of his lifetime,with successes at the 1992Barcelona Olympic Games: 6thwith the team and 7th individual;winning the 1993 Spruce MeadowsMaster GP ($1 million) and theWorld Cup Final in 1995. DollarGirl enjoyed her retirement up to29 years of age at Alfonso Romos’La Silla stud. Descendency waspossible through embryo transfer.George MorrisMarkus and Thomas understandone another excellently. In Aachenin 1988, they competed in thesame team. Now they are bothhorse traders and instructors.Thomas ran the circuit inWashington, New York andToronto, where he met GeorgeMorris. From him he learned tomemorize the number of stridesbefore the take off and how tomeet the exact point. This precisemastering of a jumping roundbeared fruit instantly. GeorgeMorris accepted invitations forseveral lectures in Switzerland inthe late eighties. The relationshipcontinued and Renata explains:“George is a good friend of us.Whenever he pays a visit toEurope, Thomas tries to meethim.” This happened for instancethis year at the Lago di Como inItaly, when the American legendgave lessons to Italian riderValerio Sozzi.How Renata met ThomasRenata: “I first saw the twobrothers at the European JuniorChampionships in Lucerne whereI became an instant total fan ofthem. Later, at a regional show inWädenswil, I met Thomas. Westarted a relationship andmarried in 1983“. Some days laterover the telephone, she specifiesThomas peculiarities: “He is aperfectionist in every respect, inthe jumping- or trotting- sport, incompetition and training. He isambitious and a real horseman.”Within ear-shot, in a hurry: “I amgoing to Lenzburg to congratulateour son Adrian with his birthdayat his work. The elder brothershould also profit from hismother’s affection.” The quiethours were interrupted, theindividual Gold medal of SteveGuerdat and Nino des Buissonnetshad to be celebrated and Renataand Martin were off to London!