The fantastic Olympic results of the Dutch riders, male and female, in Sydney form a recent highlight in a success series that started 23 years ago with gold for the Dutch team as well as individual gold for ex-national coach Johan Heins, Studfarm Zangersheide's rider at the time. His former boss Léon Melchior: "I am a little proud of the fact that it have been our riders and our horses who played a prominent role in bridging the 41 year gap. The Dutch are still picking the fruit thereof today."
Unlike the Netherlands, Belgium, with the only and great exception of the excellent performance of Ludo Philippaerts and his wonder-horse RBG Ottorongo, had little impact in Sydney. Melchior: "Our black-yellow-red jumping team is still building up steam. Going to the Olympics with just one rider, that's a thing we have to do something about. That is why Zangersheide shows its colours. Our jumping stables are on Belgian territory, out international Studbook is established and recognized in Belgium and our young horses are ridden by Belgian riders. We want to accentuate our Belgian involvement."
The affinity with the Belgian top-league even dates from before the red-white-blue breakthrough in Rome. In 1976 'Fifi' Mathy won both individual and team bronze on the BWP-product Gai Luron (by Flügel van La Roche), a jumper that had been made available to him by Léon Melchior. All Zangersheide's sport horses have now been registered under the Belgian sport federation KBRSF. Léon Melchior: "They will be starting for Belgium next year and therefore under Belgian riders, except for Jos Lansink. Maybe Jos Lansink will follow in the trail of, for instance, Hugo Simon, Frank Sloothaak, Leslie McNaught and Peter Charles and change nationality. But that's up to him."
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