DANIEL BACHMANN ANDERSEN is one of those people who, after an hour in his company, makes you feel both inspired and somewhat mediocre in comparison. The 29-year-old has achieved more in his life than many people twice his age – top-10 placings at the European Championships in 2019 and the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in 2018, individual fourth at last year’s World Cup Final – and has two hugely exciting prospects for the Tokyo Olympics later this year. As head rider at the eminent Blue Hors Stud near Billund in central Denmark, Daniel is living the dream he has been single-mindedly focused on achieving since the age of 10.
“I started out like everyone else, at a riding school. My mum rode once a week – it was meant to be her time to herself – and from the age of about six I was begging to come with her,” Daniel explains. “Then we were lent an ex-riding school pony belonging to a friend, and when I turned 10 my parents bought him for me. I remember finding a big bow and the ownership papers hanging on the stable door.”
It was the same year, 2000, that Daniel’s dressage aspirations began to take hold, inspired by watching the Sydney Olympics where Morten Thomsen, a dressage rider based in the same village, helped the Danish team finish fourth.
Denne historien er fra March 19, 2020-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra March 19, 2020-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change
