René Tebbel, silver team medalist at the World Equestrian Games of Stockholm in 1990, gave us an insight into his life this past year and shared his thoughts regarding the upcoming breeding season. Himself and his children Maurice and Justine Tebbel have already made a name for themselves in the world of showjumping and compete at the highest level. Moreover, René Tebbel runs his own breeding station in Emsbüren, Germany, with up to 20 top stallions. Some of his breeding products are competing at the top level of our sport and have already delivered promising results.
Maurice, Justine & René Tebel ©*Hengststation Tebbel
How did you experience the year 2020? How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you?
Personally, the pandemic has had a very big impact on me. I have only been to four competitions in total in 2020, whereas I normally go to around 20-25 competitions as a coach or with my children. Our breeding station was less affected by the pandemic. We had more time and the stallions were at home, so we almost doubled the number of coverings compared to 2019. Many people had more time and in that sense Covid-19 was an advantage for the stud station. So in summary, the situation was quite difficult for me personally, but the 2020 breeding season developed quite well.
How did you handle the horses during this mandatory competition break? And how did you keep yourself busy in the stable during the time when there were no competitions?
Of course we tried to keep the horses happy in one way or another. That's not so easy when you only ride at home on your own arena, and mostly indoors because of the bad weather conditions. We sometimes went to outdoor training sessions, but otherwise we spent a lot of time at home, as there were no competitions allowed. Therefore, we tried to train the horses ourselves as much as possible.
This is not ideal for the horses. With the now six-year-olds, who were still five when it all started, you certainly have to take the situation into account.
We don't have the possibility of turnout because our stable is in the middle of the city, but of course we tried to ride outside as much as possible. I would say that it was not bad for the very young ones that we were home so much and could ride a lot. Usually, when we are away at competitions, the "very" young horses were not worked and ridden that much, but in 2020 we could really train them well.
Only the five- and six-year-olds, "the older ones", haven't really progressed and of course they lack a bit of experience now.
Light On ©*Hengststation Tebbel
To what extent do you think the horse world will be affected by the pandemic this year (2021)?
I don't think there will be as many competitions this year as we are used to. I think it really affects the horse industry, at least in terms of the competitions and in terms of the training level of the horses. The whole thing is still a big problem and will continue to be so this year.
Also for the atmosphere, for the owners, and in general - if there is no euphoria behind it, the situation is difficult.
After all, it is important for the training stables that the horses can go to competitions to gain experience. Many horse owners do this as a hobby and for fun and if these people are not allowed to come spectate, then that is a pity. Also with the sponsors everything is certainly more difficult now. At some point there has to be a turnaround.
Do you think the situation will be the same for the breeding season of 2021?
I think for the breeding season of 2021 the numbers will probably decrease a bit. With the thought that now of course everyone will have foals and also because of all the costs involved. And if the income drops for many people, who is going to buy all the foals? Certainly, some breeders will have difficulties selling the foals, as many will have to think about saving up, and no one knows exactly how things will go. It will probably not be as easy this year as it was last season.
Our first foals were born this year and we were lucky, because most of them have already been sold. It is going well for now, but there are plenty more foals to come.
Light Star ©*Hengststation Tebbel
You have been breeding for about 9 years now, where do you see the biggest development in the breeding of showjumpers? What has happened in the last decade?
The biggest development in breeding is mainly that there are more blood horses being bred and also horses that have more drive. The quality of the horses has also improved a lot in the last two to three years.
The stallion " Light On" plays a major role not only for you, but also for your own breeding. What do you associate with this horse? What does he pass on to his offspring?
Light on is an incredibly ambitious horse and what benefits him now is his strength in the hindquarters. What I sometimes complain about in breeding today is that the horses lack a little bit of power in the back. When I see two- or three-year-old horses jumping without boots, many of them lack that power in the back. This is not the case in our breeding farm thanks to Light on. He passes on the strength in the back very well. So his offspring are really phenomenal behind, even though Light On may be a little longer in the front leg here and there, but as sport horses, most of his offspring are really good. Plus, they are all careful. They are horses that are at their best on the last day of a competition and don't get tired after two or three days of jumping. You don't have to think about where you can only do two classes or where you can possibly do three. They are horses that last.
Light On ©*Hengststation Tebbel
Can you tell me something about the upcoming talents in your stable that you are counting on for the future?
There are certainly a few that I see as having special potential. Dia Corrado is a phenomenally good sire. His offspring are good types and have a super technique on the jump and also a lot of mobility. This stallion is a real exception. I have bred from him for a long time and his offspring were really good. But the first two offspring we have of Sandro Junior are also very promising.
Dia Corrado ©*Hengststation Tebbel
Sandro Junior ©Hengststation Tebbel
If the pandemic slowly subsides and everything goes well, what is your plan for this year?
The plan is to try and make it to the Olympics and my own goal will be to possibly compete in the European Championships again and then I will hang up my riding boots. After that I will be doing more support work and acting as a trainer, which also takes a lot of time. As well as keeping the whole stable in order at home. But you can't really make a big plan because you don't know how our life will go on with the pandemic.
Family Tebbel ©*Hengststation Tebbel
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