Belgian showjumper Gilles Thomas grabbed our attention when winning the Longines King George V Gold Cup at the 2022 Royal International riding Aretino 13, a landmark first five-star success for the 24-year-old.
He has since gone on to finish third in the CP International presented by Rolex at the CSIO Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament, he won a five-star class at the London leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour and was part of the Belgium team that won the Nation Cup Final in Barcelona last month.
Gilles attributes much of his success to some advice he was given earlier in his career.
“I am a very competitive person, so the best piece of advice I was given was that it is better to ride for second place and not for first place, and you will eventually win more,” says Gilles.
“I really think this is true because you ride a bit slower, and it allows the time to build up your confidence and ability.”
Gilles is based at Stal Niewenhof near Mechelen in Belgium and has a string of 12 horses, four of whom are jumping at five-star level.
“I am very lucky at the moment because I have a stable filled with very high-quality horses and that has enabled me to have such a successful season,” says Gilles, who is most excited about one horse in his stable. “I have an eight-year-old stallion called Ermitage Kalone, by Catoki. He has been breeding a lot this year and is very popular in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. He is a very good jumping horse and is well bred himself, which is why I think he has been so popular.
“Next year he will turn nine years old and so we will start to jump him more – he is currently jumping at 1.45m and in two-star grands prix and finding it very easy. My plan is that next year he will be my second horse for the five-star shows, and I will hopefully take him to a three-star Nations Cup – we will build him up slowly throughout the year. I think that he will really start to be a top horse in 2024.”
Gilles Thomas: a day in the life
A typical day at home involves Gilles riding eight or nine horses.
“At the moment, my uncle [Marc van Dijck] manages my stables which enables me to focus solely on riding the horses, which is great for me,” says Gilles. “I try to ride all the horses in the morning. We have a lot of young horses as part of our breeding programme, and so in the afternoon I spend my time with the foals and free jumping the younger horses. It is very exciting to see the next generation of horses that we have at the stables.
“I do not have a lot of free time because most shows are on the weekends, but when I am free, I like to meet up with my friends and go for a drink or to a restaurant. I don’t see them that often – so I really appreciate the time I spend with them. I am also very sporty, so play squash once a week with a friend.”
Gilles’s uncle has inspired the up-and-coming young showjumper throughout his career.
“He is also my trainer and has competed at the top level of the sport as well as representing the Belgium team,” says Gilles. “Around 10 or 15 years ago he was competing at CSIO Spruce Meadows and CHIO Aachen, and he was actually third in Aachen. He gives me the best advice, but I am also super motivated to make sure that I beat his results!
“I love the feeling of winning and achieving top results, and this year has really given me that experience. It has been an amazing year, where I have been able to go to some of the best shows in the world, where the organisation is amazing and I am competing against my idols. Of course, there are a lot of shows in the calendar, and you have to go to most of them to keep your rankings points up, but I am very lucky that I have enough top horses to swap them out across the season to keep them fresh.”
Competing with some of the world’s best riders
Gilles received his first team call-up for the Nations Cup in Falsterbo this summer, which Belgium won.
“I was then also selected for the Nations Cup Final in Barcelona where I was on a team with Jérôme Guery, Gregory Wathelet and Olivier Philippaerts, where we also won and gained Olympic qualification,” explains Gilles. “Everything this year has happened so quickly, but it has been so incredible to be part of such a successful team. It has been amazing to compete on the same team as them as they are fantastic riders and have had such successful careers.
“At the beginning of the year, I was third in a big class in Miami, and both Jérôme and Gregory messaged me to say they hoped that we would compete on the same team this year, but I never thought it would happen.”
Looking ahead, Gilles is hoping to compete at CHI Geneva in early December with Aretino 13, as well as the five-star show at Mechelen between Christmas and New Year.
“This show is always very important to Belgian riders and my family are involved in the organisation of it, so I really hope I can have a good result in the World Cup there,” he says. “My ultimate dream is to compete at CHIO Aachen – in my opinion it is the best show in the world and the Rolex Grand Prix there is one of the most prestigious classes in the calendar. I am also aiming to compete in a Belgium senior team at a big championship. I have competed in junior and young rider teams, but to be part of the Belgium team at the World Championships or the Olympic Games and win a medal would be a dream come true.”
Gilles also enthuses about the four Majors as part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping.
“[Those shows] are so good at ensuring everything is perfect for the horses – of course the prize money is incredible as well,” he says. “There are so many five-star shows but the Majors really stand out as something to aim and prepare for, they are the top of the top. I think for riders, these Majors really motivate us, and we want to try and produce our best results there.
“Even though I had such a great result at CSIO Spruce Meadows, I think I have to say CHIO Aachen is my favourite. I live in Belgium, but Aachen is only around an hour drive from my yard. I have been and spectated there a few times and I think it is the best show in the world – I really hope I get to compete there one day.”
- With thanks to Rolex
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