Horse of the Month: Dreef Kapitany

Easy temperament

Kapitany is 15 this year and will be just in front of Chardon, as always, at the FEI Driving World Cup™ Final in Bordeaux this month.

Bram’s father, Ijsbrand, a multiple World title winning driver himself, advised his son, not just to pick fast horses, but to pick ones with a good temperament. That is Kapitany.

Chardon said: “He is trainable because he has a very easy temperament. He is good on voice commands, if you drive easy, he’ll stay easy. He’s not super forward, but he has the right temperament: walk is always walk, stand is always stand.”

Kapitany is a true team player, he hates to be out in front or by himself. He won’t hack on his own and at a competition venue, he doesn’t like going to the wash off area alone.

Chardon said: “He is very social, he can go out with any other horse, he cannot stand to be alone, so he is always looking to connect with others.”

Technical sections

But that preference for connection rather than speed is also his strength. Chardon said: “You can do a full speed round and say ‘ho’ and he will stop like nothing has happened, he’s the perfect horse for prize giving. He doesn’t care about noise or music, he just directly settles again which is good as he saves himself. He knows when the competition is on and gives 100 per cent, but as you go over the finish line and go into a walk, his heart rate goes down and he saves his energy. He doesn’t stay in the excitement of the whole competition, that makes him a very good competition horse which means I hope I can enjoy him for many years as he is conserving himself.”

When Kapitany came to Chardon’s yard, he’d already had some driving experience in Hungary where he was bred and backed. This was important to Chardon; he was looking for horses to help him when he first started out. Kapitany has been there from the beginning.

While he might not be a speedy leader, he is an expert on the technical sections of the course. Chardon said: “If he has to step over a knock down or avoid hitting a box, I will say Kaptan! He will jump over and avoid it.”

As with all of Chardon’s horses, Kapitany lives a varied life. He is ridden, turned out and because of his easy nature, he partakes in a weekly pleasure drive around the farm with Chardon and some “dear clients”.  

If needed, Kapitany also has jumped into Chardon’s father’s team as a replacement wheeler.  

True follower

Geneva is a favourite venue with three consecutive wins. Bram thinks Kapitany prefers smaller arenas: “He’s not the fastest on the straight lines, I can see he’s not pulling the carriage, he goes with the team. He’s a true follower. His specialism is inside the obstacles, when it’s tight and technical, he is extremely good, he is very aware where the boxes are and he always helps me out in a tight turn, he does better at smaller, more technical courses.”

Chardon has been in five finals and has won the World Cup title twice, once in Leipzig and once in Bordeaux, always with Kapitany. Chardon has considered replacing him for someone faster, but he keeps returning to the grey gelding with the pink points around his eyes, mouth and nose – he’s just too good at his job. “I realised how much I needed him in my team for the balance. I don’t have to look at him at all, I can completely focus on the other three horses, he barely needs any attention because he knows what to do and when to do it which makes me a very secure player in the team”.

Chardon thinks the Bordeaux final will be the most open in years. The knowledgeable crowd will add to the atmosphere and with Kapitany as his trusty right wheeler, gold is in their sights.

Watch all the action from Bordeaux from Friday until Sunday on FEI TV…

Words by Katie Roebuck