Bocholt, a small town of just over 12,000 inhabitants located in the far east of Belgium. Here, a stone's throw away from the Dutch and German border, is located Ashford Farm. Enda Carroll's project has been an established name in the equestrian sport for several years now, and it doesn't look like this is about to change soon. Carroll originally rented a location in Lasne, near Waterloo. This location soon proved too small, so the entire stable moved a few years ago to its current location near the Sentower Park and the equestrian centre De Warre. In this oasis of calm in the midst of nature - with sufficient access to the nearby woods - yet not quite in the middle of nowhere, Carroll found the ideal location to further expand his trading stable. This move clearly served Ashford Farm well. Medals at the world championships for young horses at Zangersheide, victories at great prizes around the world with their top horses, etc. Given the recent successes, Hippomundo felt it was high time to pay a visit to the discoverer of Nice Stephanie, Carthagena 6, Clouwni and Zerlin M, among many others.
Fergus, one of the permanent staff at Ashford Farm, greets me warmly when I arrive in Bocholt on a chilly Monday afternoon. 'Enda is still busy with the weekly check-up rounds with the vet but will be right there.' A cup of coffee later, the check-up is over and Enda Carroll himself is ready to answer all our questions in the cosy living room of his house.
The first question is rather obvious. How does someone end up in the equestrian sports and more specifically, in the trade side of it? 'My parents actually had nothing to do with horses. But in Ireland everyone ends up on a horse or pony sooner or later and this is what happened to me as well. Near my parents' house there were a few ponies and before you know it you're riding.' The Irish influence is still very present in Ashford Farm, where most of the staff is originally from the land of the shamrock. 'I've worked as a groom for my countryman Cian O'Connor and later also for Niall Talbot, but it could easily have been something else. I was just looking for work, studying was never my thing, and by chance I ended up somewhere where I could start as a groom. In itself that was not bad, because horses are really my thing, I really like horses a lot. Riding has always been a passion, but it's not that I 've always dreamed of becoming a top rider.'
"I was just looking for work, studying was never my thing, and by chance i ended up somewhere where i could start as a groom".
Yet things seemed to go in that direction. 'From age eighteen to twenty-one I was jumping at a relatively high level. I took part in two European Championships and even rode a Nations Cup in the senior class. Even though I was quite successful, I soon found out that the highest level would be out of my league and so I started looking for something else.' The trade then seemed like an obvious choice, especially for Enda Carroll. 'When I stopped riding as a young rider at twenty-one, the path to the trade was wide open. I've always been very interested in buying and selling, and I really enjoy it. Besides, thanks to my short career, I had already managed to build a decent network of friends and contacts. I decided to follow a direction which I hoped would lead me to the top. I left my job sometime in late September and I bought a horse with the idea of selling it again. That was not a success, that first one even cost me money. For a long time, I always had one or two horses for sale, and I tried to buy better horses with the money I got from the previous ones and that's how the ball started rolling.'
"All the horses here, except perhaps Zerlin M, are for sale".
Like many other Irish horsemen, Carroll finally ended up in Belgium: a surprise or not quite? 'Belgium is very centrally located and that's a huge plus. France, Germany and the Netherlands are also fairly central, but Belgium is truly the centre. Without having to spend hours on the go, you can still get to a lot of different places. In addition, the prestige which the Belgian show jumping horse breeding is enjoying at this moment, obviously also plays an important role in that story.'
"It's not that i have always dreamed of becoming a top rider".
The story of Ashford Farm quickly proved a success, yet successes such as these one can't achieve alone: 'We've grown exponentially in recent years, much faster even than I'd ever imagined, but behind every great or small success lies a lot of effort by a lot of people. From the stable managers to the grooms and our riders, everyone is part of our team. Although I think 'team' is a less appropriate word, and I prefer to speak of the 'family'. Most of them have been part of the family since the start, so we know each other through and through.' This family aspect also seems part of the concept Ashford Farm stands for: 'I've had many jobs, some of which were nice, others less. So I clearly knew what I wanted to do when I started, and this is why I attach great importance to a good team and a good atmosphere. I always start from the standpoint that I'm doing things for others the way I myself would like them to be done if I were in that position. This is what informs the philosophy of Ashford Farm, namely excellence. It has always been my credo, even when I started with no money, to buy the best. At that time, it meant the best horses that were available for that limited amount, and now it means the best young horses or the best grand prix horses I can find. In addition, I also want the best working environment. I want the best material to work with, the best people to work with. In short, quality over quantity. It is also the Ashford Farm's ambition to be the best.' Does Enda Carroll still have personal ambitions as a rider? 'Absolutely not,' he says resolutely. 'This year I got back in the saddle and rode a number of competitions, but it's just for fun. I also ride with only one horse. '
"A young horse that jumps in a spectacular manner, instinctively hase the the positive trait of not wanting to hit the wood".
The two showcase riders of Ashford Farm at the moment are Marlon Modolo Zanotelli and Angelica Augustsson; how did they find their way to Enda Carroll? 'Marlon's actually been here almost since the beginning. He had worked for Stephex for a while but had just returned to his native Brazil. I knew him a little and I was looking for a rider to ride a few young horses for me during the Sunshine Tour. He went for it and has been riding horses for me ever since. A few years later he began dating Angelica and we were in full expansion and I was looking for a suitable new stable rider. One thing led to another and meanwhile the both of them have been riding for me for quite a while now. A large part of our current success is due to them. All the horses here, except perhaps Zerlin M, are also for sale. Both Angelica and Marlon know that and they fully support this way of working. I guess I would not be half as successful if I always kept the best horses for my riders.' Until recently, Pieter Clemens also rode for Enda, yet he recently left the stable: 'Actually, it has everything to do with Ashford Farm's quality philosophy. Unfortunately, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find good horses, especially for multiple riders. That's what I discussed with Peter and we came to the conclusion that it would be better if he went to work somewhere else.'
The key to building a trade stable is of course finding suitable horses. Or rather, to be able to find the right horse for the right rider. How does Ashford Farm go about this? 'The most important aspect is of course the aptitude of the horse for the jumping sport. This implies not only the power and the technique of the horse, but also its reaction when it hits a bar. One has to always be careful with horses that jump in a really spectacular manner, but in my opinion this is not necessarily a bad thing. A young horse that jumps in a spectacular manner instinctively has the positive trait of not wanting to hit wood. With the right rider and good training it can certainly turn out fine. In addition, the aspect of rideability should not be underestimated. Many of our customers are amateurs, so the horses should not be too complicated. We also pay attention to the balance of a horse. A beautiful horse is always more easy to sell, so this is also a consideration when we make the decision to purchase a horse. Of course, there is no guarantee that the horses will actually turn out to become top performers, especially since the market right now is such that you have to buy the horses at a very young age to keep things affordable. We have just bought a number of three-year-olds for the first time. Here as well, it is our motto to try to buy the best, so also the best three-year-olds. If out of the twenty three year olds, there are two or three that reach the highest level, then that's absolutely not a bad percentage.'
"Quality is the philosophy of the Ashford Farm".
There can never be enough good horses, and in terms of genetic potential, there are many beautiful creatures in the stables of Ashford Farm. Are there plans to start breeding? 'Certainly, this year was the first year that we had foals of our own, about eight. Next year we expect there will be about fifteen. We also still buy a number of foals. But we have definitely taken our first steps in the breeding business. Although it mainly has to do with the fact that I have some very good mares, so it would be a shame not to use them for breeding. There are a number of mares that have been retired, or that have been injured, and then breeding is an excellent solution. I try to combine those mares with the best stallions. I'm a big fan of Cornet Obolensky so I've used him several times. This year, at an auction in Ireland, an embryo of Cornet's from Ard Ginger Pop went under the hammer for 50,000 euros. I have also used Diamant de Semilly, and his son, Rock'n Roll Semilly, who is here in the stable. Also on the list of stallions are Emerald, Stakkato Gold, Vigo d'Arsouilles, Cicero van Paemel Z, Elvis ter Putte, ARD VDL Douglas and VDL Cardento. For next year, I think I'll go for Cornet Obolensky again.'
Does someone who is so busy have time for anything else? 'No, not really, I'm busy with the horses day after day. Not that I mind really, my job is also sort of my hobby. When I join the riders at competitions, it also feels like relaxing so that's more than enough for me. I used to almost always go along, now I visit about sixty per cent of the matches. The rest of the time I'm busy elsewhere looking for new horses. It's a shame that I don't see the rest of my family that much, because they still live in Ireland, but now with Christmas, I'll certainly do them the honour of paying them a visit.'
