FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
SIDELINES JUNE 2014 17
TheoandFidel at HITSThermal 2014
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Photoby FlyingHorsePhotography
I most admire about Jos is his honesty and how respected he is,”
Theo said. “He really has done his homework and knows horses.
Hewon’t put his nameon anything he doesn’t stand behind.”
It’s theexperienceof bringingup younghorses that really gets
Theo excited today. The 21-year-old has returned to Southern
Californiawith two of Jos’ horses to campaign. Fidel is a 7-year-
old Holsteiner and Climax Junior is a 9-year-old Westphalian.
Theo intends to work toward Young Riders this summer with
Climax Junior and, of course, has high hopes for the 2016
Olympic Trials. But Theo says his long-term goal is to help the
sport in the U.S. by bringing quality young horses here and
developing them in theEuropean tradition he has now adopted.
With his new sales and training business, St. Emilion Farms,
a 23-stall barn complete with jumping and dressage rings,
paddocks and all the fresh citrus fruit one could ever need,
Theo will continue his association with Jos. Over the next
several months, he’ll begin bringing in horses suitable for both
the jumper and hunter markets. To launch his business, he’s
planninga clinicat St. EmilionFarms that will be taught by Jos, a
very special treat forWest Coast riders. And, in time, Theoplans
to begin working with a select group of clients who, like he, are
driven to succeed.
They say hard work pays off in the end. Theo is no stranger
to hard work and it would appear he’s enjoying the fruits of his
labor.
For more information on Theo, visit stemilionfarms.com.
About the writer: Sophie St. Clair is a high school freshman from Southern
California. She has an interest in the psychology of high-performance athletes.
She’s also a Junior Ambassador for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she
works to raise funds and awareness for the hospital. Sophie is working toward
becoming a professional show jumper but is taking it “one jump at a time.”