ABDELKEBIR OUADDAR: FROM DESERT SANDS TO AACHEN GRASS
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WE RANG ABDELKEBIR OUADDAR, A RIDER WHO REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST CHARISMATIC AND TRULY LOVELY FIGURES IN THE SHOWJUMPING WORLD. HAVING QUALIFIED FOR THE FEI JUMPING WORLD CUP FINAL IN TEXAS THIS APRIL, WE WERE KEEN TO CATCH UP ON HIS LATEST NEWS. OUR RECENT CONVERSATION FELT LESS LIKE A FORMAL INTERVIEW AND MORE LIKE A LONG-OVERDUE CHAT WITH AN OLD FRIEND; HIS TRADEMARK HUMOUR WAS AS SHARP AS EVER, AND HE DID PLAYFULLY PUT THE HORSE TIMES TEAM TO SHAME BY RECALLING - WITH IMPECCABLE MEMORY - THAT WE HADN’T ACTUALLY INTERVIEWED HIM SINCE 2022!
FRESH FROM A SUCCESSFUL THREE-MONTH STINT IN THE UAE, OUADDAR SHARED HIS PLANS FOR THE AACHEN 2026 WORLD EQUESTRIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, EXPLAINING HIS DECISION TO SWAP DESERT SANDS FOR EUROPEAN GRASS ARENAS THIS SUMMER. WHETHER REMINISCING ABOUT THAT LEGENDARY SAUT HERMÈS WIN OR LOOKING AHEAD TO LA 2028, THE 63-YEAR-OLD REMAINS AS FIT AS A FIDDLE AND CONTINUES TO SERVE AS THE HEART AND SOUL OF MOROCCAN SHOWJUMPING.
1. What are your current updates, where are you competing, and what is your specific path leading to the Aachen 2026 World Equestrian Games?
I have just returned home from a three-month stint in the UAE competing in Middle East Arab League shows. Over the coming months, I will be competing across Europe on grass arenas to specifically prepare for the challenges of Aachen.
2. You frequently qualify for the FEI World Cup Finals via the Arab League, yet your last appearance was in Lyon. Why do you usually elect not to participate?
That is a good question, though I am not sure I have a single perfect answer. Each year presented a different set of circumstances; for a long time, I was focused on developing Istanbull, alongside other pressing priorities. This year, it simply isn't feasible to travel to Texas with Larsino and still maintain a proper campaign for Aachen.
3. For years, the world saw you and Quickly de Kreisker as a single, unpredictable unit. What has campaigning Istanbull and Ceika Malouine taught you about your own identity as a rider when you have to start over with new horses for career-defining partnerships?
Every horse holds a unique place in my heart and we share a distinct bond. I have been fortunate to develop a wonderful connection with my Grand Prix horses, and Istanbull is the perfect example of that journey. He was a very difficult, sensitive horse who was quite nervous around others, yet he eventually progressed to become a Grand Prix winner and an Olympian! It reinforces my belief that a dedicated "work hard" system truly delivers results.
4. Modern showjumping is dominated by data and tech. As a rider who prioritises "feel," is there one modern innovation you refuse to adopt because it interferes with the pure connection between horse and rider?
Not particularly. My approach is simple: I will always prioritise the safety and wellbeing of my horses.
5. You famously love cleaning stables and driving the tractor. If forced to choose, which feeds your soul more at this stage: the 60 seconds of adrenaline in a jump-off, or a day of quiet manual labour in the yard with no cameras or crowds?
A Grand Prix jump-off, without question!
6. Costs around this sport are constantly rising; do you fear showjumping is losing its soul to its price tag?
In my case, I will be forever grateful to His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
7. You have your sights set on LA 2028; how are you preparing your mind and body to ensure you feel as sharp as ever for such a massive undertaking?
This sport is not strictly about age; I have immense respect for riders like Nick Skelton who won his gold medal in Rio at 58! I maintain a consistent physical programme regardless of whether LA 2028 is on the horizon. Mentally, as long as my horses are happy and healthy, I am at peace. We plan our schedule meticulously to ensure the horses and I aren't exhausted by chasing points, and physically, I feel as fit as a fiddle.
8.When the crowds are gone and you are alone at home in Morocco, what is the one thought, unrelated to trophies or podiums, that brings a smile to your face?
The memory of the Saut Hermès jump-off from a decade ago.
9. When you whisper to your horses, do you speak in French, Arabic, or a language only the two of you understand?
I believe they understand French, Arabic, and perhaps every other language too. They seem to sense what I want to say before I even speak, though when I do talk to them out loud, it is usually in French.
10. Beyond your riding gear and your passport, what is the one small thing you absolutely cannot live without when travelling the world?
My phone, simply to stay connected with my family and friends.
11. Now that the LGCT is coming to Cairo, do you think you will come to compete here?
I would have loved to take part, but the schedule ahead is incredibly demanding. We have the LGCT in Rabat, also in October 2026, the following week, preceded by our own CSI5*W in El Jadida. It will be an intense few weeks and we are all very excited to see the Arab world take such significant steps forward in international showjumping.
12. Do you think there is a question we should have asked you but did not?
I think you have summed everything up perfectly for our first interview since 2022! HT
Photo courtesy of Abdelkebir Ouaddar