Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter is one of the most influential people in Brazil. Manager of a large company specialising in the production of steel which bears his name ÔGerdauÕ, with a head office located in Porto Allegre, this sexagenarian is, according to the Brazilian press, a man close to the countryÕs highest authorities.And so he is also respected in the more specific field of the sport horse. A long-time rider and competitor, he started breeding horses around twenty years ago. He met with success in Atlanta since, partly thanks to two horses bred at his stud farm, that Brazil acceded, for the first time in its Olympic history, to the podium in the team showjumping competition. To have two horses with Olympic medals in the same team is quite a unique feat.
... Q Would you like to cast your mind back to the actual experience of Atlanta?
Two of the horses in the Brazilian Team had been bred at the Joter Stud, as well as one horse in the Swiss team. Calei, now 11, was ridden by my son André, and Cassiana had only won her selection at the last minute under the saddle of Luis Filipe Azevedo. Also in the competition was our stallion Adelfos, ridden by SwitzerlandÕs Markus Fuchs.
Q Looking back, do you consider that, today, it was one of those lucky stories, or more a foreseeable success ?
I think that a breeder should always differentiate between the two things; an element of luck linked to the competition itself on D-Day, and the end result of production and selection work. Considering the breeding side of things, letÕs say that ever since I founded the Joter Stud, twenty years ago, no time has been wasted. Medals won because the riders were talented is one thing; the fact that three horses among a hundred or so which had been selected from all over the world on the sole criteria of competitive quality, were ours, is another thing. If we add to this the fact that the Joter Stud is involved in breeding on a very small scale, then this result is perhaps even more significant. ...