Who is Stephi de Boer?
Stephi was born into a family of riders, so it was no surprise that she was able to ride her pony before she had even learnt to walk - the beginning of an unwavering passion and commitment to horses and the equestrian sport.
Stephi’s goal is to help riders grow at any level of the sport and as a professional that started from scratch she understands the difficulty of finding the perfect horse. What sets Stephi apart in this sport is that she works on the basis of, if she does not have the perfect horse for you, she will source it. As a trusted member of the equestrian community Stephi has developed a substantial network and is able to reach out to her connections of fellow riders, owners and breeders.
Over the years, Stephi has built a solid foundation on consistently producing her own horses from as young as 3/4years old to having several world ranking and grand Prix wins at shows throughout Europe. This has taught her that every horse and rider is unique, and will therefore require different programmes at different stages in their training in order to reach success.
Our Training Philosophy
“I would say that my greatest strength is my ability to recognise a horse's potential when they are at a very young age or still very green. I have often taken on horses that many others could not see the potential of, leaving them wondering what I was thinking. This was the case when I initially started working with Le Clumsy (one of my best horses, now competing in the UAE), my colleagues actually laughed when we competed at our first shows together - The joke was on them though, because three years later I won my first 1.45m class with him.
Training horses is a long process - particularly when we start with them as green youngsters, but in the end, nothing can describe that feeling of pride when you see what you have achieved. Of course sometimes we experience setbacks, however, it is every step forward that makes working with horses such a pleasure - to witness their progress through every step of the way.
You may be wondering what distinguishes SdB Sporthorses from all of the other training yards?
Well, I give my horses time.
Every horse is different and requires individual training. It is also important to me that the horses are still allowed to be horses, and time out in the fields or paddocks is a necessity.
Time also includes giving the horses a break - because I believe that if you expect results from your sports partner in the long-term, if you want them to stay healthy and motivated, you cannot push them to compete every weekend and win every round."
The basis of this philosophy was initially established in a shared hobby with my father, with whom I have been training horses since a young age.
He said: “Stephi, we have to find good, young horses for you to train. That is where our strength lies."
This is a statement by my father that I remember fondly to this day.
Stephi is fortunate enough to have had guidance and coaching from some of the best riders in the sport:
As a pony rider training with Reinhard Hassmann, Manni Kötter and Ingrid Klimke, competing at both national and international shows as well as several German championships.
2009-2014 Training with Guy Goosen.
2014-2016 the opportunity to be based and training with Carl Hanley where she competed at her first international shows in Portugal & the Netherlands.
Since 2016 Stephi has been training with Franke Sloothaak and has had great results including several World Ranking wins at international shows in Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Poland & Germany.
Therefore, whether you are looking to further your equestrian career or are looking to purchase your next star, you will find yourself in good hands at SdB Sporthorses.
Our Team
dobby de boer - “the big boss”
He casts a watchful eye over our daily activities at the yard and plays an integral role in mapping out our horses strict training, feeding & competition schedules.