Daniel Zetterman showcases upcoming Grand Prix horse in Wellington
For many leading riders the mass summer exodus from Florida to parts far and wide is a given. But for Daniel Zetterman, Wellington is his year-round home and he has been using the ESP June shows to develop his hopeful ‘superstar’, Carslberg DFZ, introducing the Swedish Warmblood gelding to his first Grands Prix.
“He’s always been successful but now we are asking him for bigger things,” he said, having jumped clear and placed in their Grand Prix debut on the Derby field this month. Carlsberg has been on Daniel’s radar for some time. He is the last half brother to Glory Days – the horse that “made my career,” he said. Both out of the dam Diamond Glory, ‘Carl’ as he goes by at the barn, was bought as a foal at auction, by Daniel’s father Royne Zetterman, a former member of the Swedish show jumping team, who trained the horse, winning the Scandinavian Open, for five and six year olds, as a five-year old.
“He just turned nine and we got him this time last year in the summer from my father in Sweden,” said Daniel whose owner and client Viriginia Doebler bought the horse for Daniel to develop. “I’ve been putting my work into him and making him ready to go up to the Grands Prix and he could be a superstar or a great horse for someone else to have in the future at a high level.”
The closeness of the two horses’ pedigree has not been reflected in appearance. “Hopefully the results will be the ‘similarity’ in the future,” said Daniel. “But they are a different color, a different size. The similarities are that they are very brave and they have a lot of heart. They are very ambitious, have a good mind – and are safe.”
Virginia has been a client of Daniel’s for over four years. “When I first saw Daniel ride one of my horses who was not a high level horse and he rode him like I’d never seen him been ridden I knew that he was an incredible rider and also trainer,” she said. “It’s fun to train with him – he has so much knowledge.”
The first horse – Royale AM – Virginia and Daniel owned together did not prove successful as a show jumper, but instead is blazing a trail in the Hunter ring, shown by John French and owned by Katy Robinson. “Right now they have hopes that he’s going to be one of the best Hunters ever,” said Virginia.
Daniel was showing the horse in the Grand Prix and questioning their future two summers ago. “We kind of realized we were pushing him too much for what he was comfortable with,” he said. Some onlookers commented on how beautifully the horse jumped and how correctly he moved, adding that he could be sold as a Hunter prospect.
Daniel, never having shown in the Hunters, decided he would take to the show ring with Royale AM. “I’d never done Hunters in my life before and we got high scores,” he said. “I never thought of myself as a Hunter Trainer. But then a lady who came from Canada as a client said she wanted to do the Hunters and asked if I would train her. I did and I think that we won seven classes here [at the Winter Equestrian Festival] in the ‘Adults’. – she had never done Hunters and I had never done Hunters. But it’s normal riding and horsemanship – that’s what we work with everyday. Feeling the horse the right way, with the right connection and balance and movement. It’s a lot of fun.”
Carl’s journey will take a little break now before he returns to the ring later in the summer at Ocala and then back to Wellington for the ESP Summer shows in August. It is very much a team effort, and the focus is on Carl, since he is the only horse Daniel is currently competing.
“We’re very close,” he said of himself, Virginia and Carl. “We have a lot of fun working together. We keep it real and always see what we can improve and get better. It is a fun, rewarding and honest journey and we work really hard to reach our goals.
“I’m lucky to have the experience of competing at the highest level and this is the only horse that I have right now that I show myself full time so for me to have no other practice in the ring and go into the big classes – I expect a lot from myself and the horse. It would be nice to have more horses to partner with and other people offer me to ride their good horses. I’m proving I’m good enough to do it and I’m doing it with just one horse that is up and coming.”
Daniel’s year-round Wellington experience has improved with the addition of a large covered arena at his barn. “It makes a huge difference,” he said. His father is tracking progress from his home in South Sweden. “He’s not surprised that he [Carl] keeps on developing and he’s happy – he sold the horse and he sells some good horses,” said Daniel. “It’s nice to be able to showcase and promote the family name in the big classes.”
Come winter, when the temperatures have dropped and the lights go down, he plans to show Carslberg DFZ in a whole new environment at WEF. “God willing and everything goes to plan he will be doing the night-time Grands Prix,” he said.