Don’t Touch Tiji Hero, the best friend of Estelle Van Tricht

Recently the scholars won bronze in the Belgian Nations Cup. In the team: Estelle Van Tricht with Don't Touch Tiji Hero, who has become her best friend. Our daughter Estelle is 13 and has been riding horses for a year and a half now, with Furmint, Highlife 25, Ferra vd Bisschop and now our stallion Don't Touch has been added. Through a fortuitous coincidence, Don't Touch came to our stable in October 2021 to be farmed out as a breeding stallion. The foals from his first crop are doing so well in the sport that it would be a shame for breeding if we did not make him available as a breeding stallion. Thus, Don't Touch moved from Sea Coast Stables to Tiji Stables. Due to an injury, he had been inactive for years and it was obvious. Don't Touch was eager and fresh when he arrived and to channel his energy, Jill Smits started riding him again. His belly disappeared, muscle mass took its place. Once back in work, Don't Touch showed his true side, as a beautiful, good boy. Since Jill Smits has plenty of young horses under her care, and Don't Touch is so well behaved, she introduced him to her daughter Estelle, barely 13 and inexperienced. She was impressed at first; after all, Don't Touch is not a toy horse. But they understood each other and Don't Touch does everything for her, at home and at competition. They have become the best of friends. It even happens that Estelle catches an owl with Don't Touch in his stable. An injury ended Don't Touch's promising sports career. Estelle and Don't Touch is a win win situation. She learns to ride and understand good horses, he gets trained and enjoys the attention. Don't Touch remains primarily a breeding stallion and is kept in condition by Estelle, who sporadically picks up a few competitions with the scholars. That's all he has to do and won't do. Meanwhile, it is particularly nice to see that a foal born with us is now being ridden by our daughter.