Swiss rider Martin Fuchs rocketed to a seriously impressive victory in the Longines Global Champions Tour grand prix in Cascais, Portugal, on Saturday (22 June) riding the 12-year-old Chaplin.
But on closer inspection you’ll have noticed some rather unusual boots being used on the inside of the stallion’s knees, so we asked Chaplin’s 26-year-old rider to tell us more.
“He strikes his knees sometimes when he jumps,” Martin told H&H — the horse tends to make an “O” shape with his legs over the fences. “When he came to us we were told he needed to wear protection on his legs but the boots they gave us were not a good solution and kept falling off during the course as they didn’t really fit.”
Both Martin’s mother Renata and father Thomas have been heavily involved in the producing and racing of trotting horses and it was they who suggested he try some of their specialist knee boots on Chaplin for protection.
“They already had some at home, so my dad tried them on Chaplin and they worked out really well,” said Martin, who is currently ranked number three in the world.
“I’ve never seen them on a showjumper before, but many people say to me that they need something similar, where can they get them — and I tell them you can just buy them from the trotting stores.”
Article continues below…
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
They are designed so as not to interfere with Chaplin’s leg movement — and the stallion is clearly quite at ease clearing world class 1.60m tracks, despite his sometimes unorthodox leg action. The pair’s grand prix success on Saturday came barely a month after they won the Madrid leg of the LGCT and just hours after he teamed up with Ben Maher — whom he beat into second place in the grand prix — to win the GCL team competition for the London Knights.
“Chaplin has always been a very good horse and won the Globals grand prix in Mexico two years ago before he had an injury and was out for quite a while,” explains Martin of the son of Verdi he’s had for three years. “We never found out exactly what caused it but he has come back very strong.
“He’s very easy to ride, very straightforward and he doesn’t spook at anything,” he added. “He has a great mind, he’s very ambitious and a real fighter. I don’t notice what his front legs are doing at all when I’m riding him, he’s just sensational.”
For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
