Team Saudi Arabia’s Big WEG Impact
An Interview with Saudi Show Jumping Team Chef d’ Equipe Rogier van Iersel

By Erin Gilmore | Sidelines Magazine, December 2010

They were the most talked about show jumping team at the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games. From their victory gallops to their hysterical fans, their clean rounds to the price tags of their horses, the team from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia not only made tongues wag, they made history.

With the mare Seldana di Campalto, twenty-eight year old Abdullah al Sharbatly jumped five clean rounds over the duration of the Games.
He survived the Rolex Top Four and won the individual silver, the first-ever WEG medal for his country. Abdullah’s teammate, Khaled Al Eid, also jumped brilliantly and led individual standings early in the week with Presley Boy, famously purchased for him before the Games for a sum said to be in the millions of dollars.

Along with the rest of the world, our curiosity was piqued. Sidelines tracked down team Chef d’ Equipe Rogier van Iersel as he attended post-WEG meetings in Saudi Arabia two weeks after the Games. A Dutchman who has worked with the Saudi equestrian program since 2006, Rogier is leading the well-funded, well organized team of Saudi horses and riders to loftier and loftier goals. Their WEG success was unexpected, as was the very big impression they made on international show jumping during that week in early fall. After WEG it became crystal clear; the Saudi Equestrian Federation is a force to be reckoned with.

Sidelines: First, tell us about the Saudi Equestrian Federation.
Rogier van Iersal: Saudi Equestrian was founded in January of this year. Before that everything was under the umbrella of the Saudi Equestrian Foundation, which is different from the new Federation. The Federation is a normal national federation that every country has, and is affiliated with the FEI. Saudi Equestrian focuses on finding good horses for the top riders of Saudi, and creates the financial resources to make that possible.
It’s funded by private investors who want to do something good for the country.

Sidelines: And how do you describe the top two riders, Abdullah and Khaled, on the WEG team?
RvI: Khaled, he was already well known for winning the bronze medal at the Olympics in Sydney. Following that for a long time he didn’t find the right horses. His talent is clear to everybody, and now, with the new program getting horses at the top level, he has come immediately back to the top level that his talent allows him to compete on.

Abdullah had already accomplished a lot in the Arab World Cup League, and he had competed in World Cup Finals in Kuala Lumpuar and Las Vegas. But also for him, Saudi Equestrian brought him to another level. With Seldana he’s now capable of competing at the highest level possible.
As horsemen, they are both very good people. We create a professional environment for them, and not only select the best riders, but basically the best grooms, a physiotherapist for the riders, a good chef, nutritionists and also physiotherapists for the horses. Saudi Equestrian creates an environment where they only need to take care of their riding. Everything else is taken care of, and they concentrate only on how well they are doing with the horse.

Sidelines: How did you help Abdullah deal with the pressure of riding in the Rolex Top Four?
RvI: Abdullah is already a very cool person. We tried to create a quiet environment for him on the day of the final. He slept into the afternoon and he was not speaking to many people. He was really focused, and I think he forgot a little bit the world around him.

Sidelines: What did you tell Abdullah during the horse swap, when all eyes were on him?
RvI: We told him one thing: do not make the mistake of trying to ride like the other riders do. He was to apply his own horse’s system to all the four horses. That has proven to be a successful method for riders in this final before.

Sidelines: And what about the Saudi Team’s top two horses? Was it a coincidence to purchase them so soon before a Championships?
RvI: It was not a coincidence. It was part of the planning. The program selects the best horses they can. What they don’t do is buy younger horses and hope they will develop. At the time we want to buy proven quality horses.

Presley Boy was already a famous horse in Canada and the U.S. He was bred in the Netherlands and sold to Jaime Aczarraga (MEX) and was really successful. The same Dutch dealer that sold him to Mexico helped us get him for the Saudi Team. That horse is one of a kind.

Seldana Di Campalto is also a Dutch bred mare that was with Italy and did well in the European Championships last year. Under her Italian rider she was the cornerstone of the team in Windsor in 2009. We purchased her just before the Games. Italy was quite sad that she was sold so soon before the WEG.
The search for more horses continues at the moment, for the opportunity to have more than one string of top horses going.

Sidelines: Saudi Equestrian owns all four team horses that competed at WEG. This is very unusual! What can you tell us about it?
RvI: I don’t know a second team in the world at the moment that provides this opportunity to a group of riders. Usually top horses have private owners, but the Federation supporting the riders as they do is unique. Ever since I was involved with the Saudi Federation, the idea to do this was there but it didn’t materialize until January of this year and then it all happened very fast.

They realize in Saudi Arabia that this investment can bring something very good in this country. These riders are as good as other riders in the world. Now with these horses they are able to compete with the world.

Sidelines: And as Chef of the Saudi team, what can you tell us about your long-term plans?
RvI: First of all we need to complete our qualifications for London. We made a good step in Lexington, and in the spring we’ll compete in a Saudi qualifying event. This sport depends on lots of small things, but depending on the situations with the horses, we will try to repeat or even do better than we have as a team. It is far too early to say anything, but if we can keep the program like this we can prove that we are competitive with everybody. The success in Kentucky came sooner than expected but it was welcome, and the people behind the team are focused on the
next goal: success at London in 2012.

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