POINT OF VIEW
chael, a former rider now based in both Florida and Mas- sachusetts, has aligned himself with talented Peter Lutz and co-owner Katherine Gallagher to bring horses like Carneyhaugh Manx and Robin de Ponthual to wins at the CSI5* level for the North America-based Gallagher/ Meller Sporthorses. With the help of Dan Walsh and rider Stacey Babes, Michael and Katherine also run E2 Show Jumpers in Ireland, where they have established a suc- cessful breeding, training and sales program. Michael frequently jet sets between the two conti-
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horses in Europe and North America. Michael, a former rid- er now based in both Florida and Massachusetts, has aligned himself with talented Peter Lutz and co-owner Katherine Gallagher to bring horses like Carneyhaugh Manx and Robin de Ponthual to wins at the CSI5* level for the North Ameri- ca-based Gallagher/Meller Sporthorses. With the help of Dan Walsh and rider Stacey Babes, Michael and Katherine also run E2 Show Jumpers in Ireland, where they have established a successful breeding, training and sales program. Michael frequently jet sets between the two continents
nents to manage his thriving businesses. He enthusias- tically shares how he has found success in discovering and producing top jumpers as well as his goals for the sport.
to manage his thriving businesses. He enthusiastically shares how he has found success in discovering and produc- ing top jumpers as well as his goals for the sport.
Acquiring the Right Horses When I first set out in the business of developing young horses, my goal was to challenge myself and to ques- tion the concept that buying a “made” nine- or ten-year- old horse from Europe was the wave of show jumping’s future. Americans have accustomed themselves to reaping the benefits of Europe’s knowledge and experience of breeding and raising Warmbloods by traveling there, selecting the best horse and simply importing it. Most American buyers do not really understand the whole concept or process behind the breeding and develop- ment of these horses. I started out small on my mission to change this. Fif-
teen years ago, Ireland-based Dan Walsh and I formed a partnership that became E2 Show Jumpers with Kath- erine Gallagher as the driving force. We started buying nice jumper prospects in Europe that were affordable to me at the time, which were often horses that had fallen through the cracks or were owned by people who did not realize the talent they had. My strategy involved buying well-bred horses for the
best price possible and really developing them. I ob- served that the seven- to ten-year-olds were blasting through the roof in sales. A lot of those horses were be- ing bought up rapidly to help develop the riding pro- grams in countries that were not formerly involved at the top levels of our sport.
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ince the early 2000s, M. Michael Meller has dedi- cated his life to finding, breeding and training top young horses in Europe and North America. Mi-
ince the early 2000s, M. Michael Meller has dedicated his life to finding, breeding and training top young
By M. Michael Meller with Lauren Baker Advancing the Future of Show Jumping I decided that if people were buying the best seven-
to ten-year-olds, I would instead buy the best three- year-old or the best five-year-old. I would then spend the time to produce that young horse and bring it up through the levels. I think that by taking the time to pro- duce these young horses correctly, the resulting quality speaks for itself. I start by focusing on their conformation and blood-
lines, because I believe these things really do say it all as far as quality is concerned. You also have to have a gut feeling when it comes to spotting talent in an unproven horse. You can tell there are horses that want to win, and there are horses that do not. With our combined knowl- edge and expertise over the years, Dan, Katherine and I have grown our E2 string into twelve talented horses— mares, stallions and geldings alike.
Peter Lutz and Robin de Ponthual take a victory gallop at Spruce Meadows after winning the 2016 CSI5* $375,000 CP Grand Prix.
Warmbloods Today 43
Sportfot
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