At 30 years of age, Grégory is a rising star of show jumping in Belgium and an international level.
Originally from the countryside in the Condruzienne region of Belgium, Grégory has always lived among horses. After starting his work with horses at the family farm until he finished his studies, Grégory independently established and operated his own stables, located near Durbuy on the property of Mr et Mme Liégeois, from 2000 à 2002. After winning the 7 year old young horse championship of Belgium in 2000, Grégory initiated his international career in 2001 thus marking the start of an impressive list of top results at the most beautiful and prestigious shows around the globe.
2001 was the first and last year in which he participated in the young rider circuit, leaving his mark by winning the title of Belgian champion and participating in the European young rider championshipo in Gijon, Spain.
From 2002 to 2005, Grégory held the position of rider for the well known show jumping stable, Haras des Hayettes. During this time, Grégory was able to show at the highest level of the sport and join the Belgian team with horses he himself developed to this level. Grégory further proved himself as a successful trainer and rider of young horses by earning additional titles during these years including the 2002 World Champion 6 year old, 2003 World Champion, French Champion, and Belgian Champion 7 year old, and additionally 2003 French Champion 5 year old. In 2004, Grégory had produced such strong results at the highest level of the sport that he began 2005 ranked within the top 30 riders in the world.
From 2005 to 2007, Grégory joined Team d’Onyschenko, the riding team sponsored by the Ukraine industrial magnate. A condition of the sponsorship was to ride for the Ukraine in international competition… so Grégory changed citizenship. During these years, Grégory was able to maintain his ranking within the top 30 in the world by showing at the best shows in the world, In fact, he approached the elite top ten, ranking as high as 13th in the Rolex rankings for international riders. He participated in the World Equestrian Games Championships at Aachen in 2006, finishing with a 4th place team ranking and also rode in the European Championships in Mannheim in 2007. The experience riding for the Ukraine allowed him to garner much experience and maturity as a rider at the top level.
2008 brought a new direction to Grégory’s career when he decided to establish his own stables with the goal of filling it with competitive horses so as to maintain his status at the highest level of the sport for a long time. After three years of building this business, Grégory has accomplished this goal by forming a nice string of horses as a result of loyal owners who have put their confidence in Grégory, allowing him to reintegrate himself on the Belgian show jumping team and return to the top levels of the sport. Grégory now has a dozen horses in his stables where he employs professional and competent staff. These necessary ingredients, along with his disciplined work ethic and talent, are allowing him to continue on his impressive path.
Questions and Answers
What have you accomplished in these past years ?
The past years have been very positive in terms of my evolution as a professional, evidenced as much by my results at a high level as by the quality of my riding and the experience that I have acquired.
What are your projects and your objectives ?
To install my own system of work and organization. All the horses that I have ridden and the people with whom and for I have worked for have taught me a lot and together have helped me formulate my own approach to my work. My goal is to continue to participate at the most prestigious and competitive shows while creating my own stables and applying my own system a way that is viable and long lasting.
What is your competition schedule for 2011 ?
The CSI** et CSI*** serve to allow me to provide experience to the horses that I have been confided with and that are need to gain experience to then perform at the big global shows. In parallel, I plan to compete at the CSI 4*/5* and championships with my more seasoned horses.