STEFANO ZANIBONI

Horse training and handling is a tough profession for a man or a woman. However, Stefano Zaniboni from Italy is undaunted. His love for horses is overwhelming, to the extent of spending twenty-four hours with the most elegant animal in the world. Stefano lives in Chiari, Lombardy, where he owns and runs his own Zaniboni Training Centre. 1. Hello Stefano. Just to set the scene with our readers, will you please give us some background to you, your family and education? 1. Hello everyone! I'm Stefano, and I'm 34 years old. I've been part of this world for a while, practically all my life. I inherited this passion from my grandfather, who was a breeder and owner of trotting horses. But I met my first Arabian horse thanks to my father. He is also a professional Handler. Furthermore, at the age of 18 he gave me my first mare, a daughter of Padron Ghibli. With her, I totally fell in love with the breed. I worked for a while at his training centre, then, at the age of 28, I embarked on my own path by opening my centre in Chiari (Brescia), north of Italy. 2. How and when did this passion for Arabian horses begin? To what extent has the love for the Arabian horse affected your life? 2. As I said earlier, my father owns a training centre. So, I was lucky enough to grow up around this beautiful breed. He taught me everything I should know about Arabian horses. I got influenced by this work so much that it has become all my life! 3. Stefano, have you developed a systematic program for handling Arabian horses at Zaniboni Training Centre? Can you describe this program? How have your handling techniques evolved over the years? 3. In my centre, I have not set up an identical work scheme for all subjects because, I believe, that each horse has its own personality and a different attitude to work. It is necessary to understand that first, and then create a specific work program for each horse to enhance its potential as much as possible. 4. Is there a limit to what an Arabian horse can be taught through handling? Who has been the most demanding horse to train? 4. No, in my opinion, there is no limit because the Arabian horse is an extremely intelligent and cooperative horse. So far, I have never found a horse that is particularly hard to train. More than anything else, we must understand that each has its personality and character, you just need to find it out! 5. What, in your opinion, really defines a good Handler? What do you need to become a successful one? 5. A good handler must be a true horseman in the first place. A complete figure not only interested in "standing" or three minutes performance in the arena. He must be a person who takes care of every single detail of every single horse in the preparation at home. Starting from the psychophysical well-being of the horse, differentiating the work horse by horse because as I said earlier each horse has a specific personality. To become a good handler, I believe, you need good will, sacrifice, passion, and attention to detail. You must know from the start that you never stop learning because every single horse always has something new to teach you. 6. What are your favourite bloodlines? Why? 6. I do not have a particular bloodline that I prefer to the others. I like the correct, complete horse with beautiful movement. 7. Stefano, how do you feel about the current show environment? Do the most deserving horses in terms of today's standards really win at shows? 7. Today's shows are unfortunately a bit closed and give little visibility to new fans of the breed. In my opinion, the most deserving subjects do not always win. 8. Which show have you been to as a Handler most recently? In which country did you experience better quality of the organization of the shows? 8. The last show I attended was a few weeks ago in Doha, Qatar. Recently, I have been to other countries such as Egypt, the Emirates, Kuwait, and I have found out that today the organization of shows at high levels is almost everywhere. 9. What other equestrian sports disciplines do you run at your centre? You might want to tell us something about your leisure or under-saddle or chariot horses, for example… 9. I wanted to diversify a bit by also giving room to sports Arabian horses to enhance their characteristics of elegance and trainability. In my centre, I specialized in western disciplines with good results. Last year, we participated in the European Championship of sporty Arabian horses, which took place in Austria with three stallions prepared by us. We got excellent results! I also started with the discipline of attacks, always with the Arabian horse. 10. How and where do you see yourself in ten years? 10. I always hope in this wonderful world. 11. Could you leave a message for AHM's readers at the beginning of the year, Stefano? 11. The message I would like to send to all readers is not to stop only at beauty competitions. The Arabian horse deserves to be admired in all its forms and qualities that it can express also in other sports. And it is our task as breeders to enhance them. Thank you so much, Stefano. May a