PATRICK, SUZANNE AND DAUGHTER CHINOUCK

As a 6 year old boy, Patrick starts riding in a flat saddle; His dream was becoming a farmer or a horse trainer.
Fortunate he was, his family always supported his goals in life. At the age of 13 he got started at a classical dressage and jumping boarding school “RIBOT”.
In his early years he took lessons off some of the best dressage and jumping instructors you could find in Belgium. He learned that you’ve got to have a training program you like and one you can stick with in order for your training to have continuity and a sense of direction. Patrick learned about discipline and working together with the movement of the horse, not against it. Truth is he learned most of the responsibility’s as a professional horseman from Willy Bresseleers  ‘Ribot” himself. He acquired a wealth of knowledge about training and handling all kinds of horses. “At that time we were riding a lot of what I considered rough stock Belgian Warm Bloods, and sometimes required unorthodox methods of training compared to what we use nowadays”.
Patrick learned a lot about breaking horses of that type. But, it wasn’t his heart,

there had to be something else…!!??

In 1982, still following his dream and trying to find a different approach, he began riding with the Western pioneers in Europe Jeff Delaet, Willem Burgmeyer and Kay Wienrich. These guys didn’t use as many different techniques, they more or less had their kit together, so Patrick learned from them that the Western Riding approach to horses is a lot different than the classical approach, due to the fact that “Western training” is about looking for a “working relationship” between horse and rider, as a team!
By the end of 1983 Patrick made up his mind that he definitely wanted to be a professional trainer, bought a piece of raw land in Rillaar/Aarschot, Belgium and got started.

“I was lucky because I was one off the only few Pro Western Trainers here in Belgium, so in no time I had 10 horses in training. Fortunate, because I was a ‘Cowboy’ I was their final count-down, mean sun-of-a-guns. But they kept bringing money in”.

Even after exploring the USA learning from ‘THE GREATS’ Patrick really believed that he needs to have guidance in Europe from someone who is a champion and great horse man with allot of knowledge. Kay Wienrich qualifies on both counts. His talents and skills in Reining and Working Cow Horses are in Europe legendary and the horses he trained are noted for the solid foundation they have received. So under Kay’s tutelage, Patrick had modest  success in the Western Style Riding sport from 1986 until 1996.

To name a few:
In 1986 Patrick took his first Reining Horse, a former Rodeo Horse named “Chute” to the first International Western Contest held here in Belgium and won the Junior Reining. He also was the High Point Rider of the year aboard the Quarter Horse mare “Miss Frosty Hobby”.
Between 1987/1994 Patrick won National and International Championships in Reining, Trail, Pleasure, Western Riding, Working Cow Horse and even Barrel Race and Pole Bending on his first Quarter Horse mare “Dee Stardust Lady”.
In 1994 he became European Bronze medalist and Belgian Champion in the Working Cow Horse and multiple Reining Champion aboard the Quarter Horse stallion “Yogi’s Mayor Image”.
In 1995 He was Dutch Champion Senior Reining and Freestyle Reining, multiple National and International Reining Champion aboard the Quarter Horse stallion “Jay Crew” and Dutch Senior Working Cow Horse Champion aboard the Quarter Horse stallion “Genesis Number Five”. Patrick also road “Genesis Number Five” to a 1995 QH Register of Merit In Reining and Working Cow Horse.
In 1996 again he captured the Dutch Senior Reining title aboard “Jay Crew” and became a finalist at the European Championship in Reining with “Jay Crew”, finalist Working Cow Horse with “Genesis Number Five” and cutting with “Budha’s Tina”. And yes, European Champion gold medalist in Pleasure aboard the Appaloosa stallion “Zippos Fasioned”.

All over the years Patrick has proven himself capable in all kinds of horse disciplines  and drives himself, his wife Suzanne and daughter Chinouck to maintain this winning edge.
Kay Wienrich not only became a true mentor to Patrick and Suzanne but also a  business partner and close friend to the family.

Suzanne, an accomplished rider herself, met Patrick in 1994 while making her dream come true. She finally went to The Stardust Ranch for some riding lessons. She and Patrick got to know each other better and better trough horses and from one thing came another and in 1997 both started a life together.

“It wasn’t an easy start for us; the horse business didn’t have a great track record when it came to the family or financial stability and that bothered me. So I decided to keep my job at our family company. Meanwhile I also started working at the Stardust Ranch; It was not the easiest to do, but a good match”.

From 1995 until 2000 Suzanne, besides improving her skills in riding, she worked together with Patrick trying to get the “Western Riding” sport recognized in Belgium as a worthy Equine sport next to the Classical disciplines like dressage, jumping and eventing. They had help from some close friends Patrick & Tinny Demeulenaere to work on a schooling program for Western Riding. It worked out good and got recognized 2000.
Patrick and Suzanne got married that year and the first of December their daughter Chinouck was born. It was a year of many victories.
Started from scrap with only a dream in 1995 taking lessons on her first Quarter Horse mare “Zee Zee Topsail” and following clinics as much as she can, she has proven herself capable in all kinds of competition and trained “SD Yogis Girl N Cash” and “Sweet Topsail N Cash” from A to Z.
She became Flemish Reserve Champion Reining Horse with “SD Yogis Girl N Cash”   in 2009, Flemish Reserve Champion aboard “Shorty Rooster” in 2010. She also graduated Instructor-Trainer and Coach recognized level 1 & 2 by FEI.
Nowadays she likes riding  competition as well as training all kinds of different horses as long as she has the feeling there is a learning relationship between her and the horse.
After a lot of problems with the government about permits to build etc. Patrick and Suzanne had to close down
“THE STARDUST RANCH” and they decided to keep on, on their own and started something new on a small scale

“PS WESTERN HORSE CUSTOM BELGIUM”.

It was a good decision and now they even have their own schooling concept “PS Custom Horsemanship”.
In the years to come Patrick and Suzanne and their undoubtedly hard working belief that “life gives back to a man what he puts into it” will help assure their future success.