Release date: 01/07/2011 |    

Above: Princess Caroline Of Monaco congratulates Rolf and Casall after their GCT win in Monaco

Rolf-Goran Bengtsson could easily be described as a professional quiet achiever. In contrast to the many brash competitors who populate the sport, the Swedish rider’s quiet demeanour and approach can never be misinterpreted as complacency. The minute he rides up to the start line and prepares for the bell to go, he is anything but complacent.

For Rolf-Goran, who will turn 50 next year, his professional career highlights to date include individual silver medallist at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, 4^th individual in Athens Olympics in 2004, 6^th place individually and Swedish team at the WEG Kentucky and has ranked in the top 10 at more World Cup finals more than one can remember.

His association with the Global Champions Tour began right at the beginning of the series in 2006. Riding under the banner of long time friend Alfonso Romo’s label La Silla, on many of the top Verband Stallions from Germany, Rolf in 2011 is enjoying the successes.

Winning two of the first 5 legs of the Global Champions Tour, this season, Rolf is beaming with praise for his horse Casall La Silla. Rolf has taken a steady path to bring this stallion to top International competition as he tells us in this exclusive interview.

Q: Where are your horses based and how did your association with Alfonso begin?

RGB I am based Breitenburg three-quaters of an hour north west of Hamburg and have been there since January 2003 with my business partner Bo Kristoffeson.

My association with Alfonso started up at the end of 2004 and we slowly built it up getting more and more horses from him.  We have a good team and work with the Holsteiner Verband. Casall belongs to them.

Since July 2007 the sport career of Casall has been supported by Alfonso Romo‘s La Silla stud. That’s why the stallion is carrying the appendix La Silla. This makes sure, that the stallion can be shown under Rolf-Göran Bengtsson on the international jumping circuit.

Of course we are now have a lot of nice youngsters coming through that are bred and owned by Mr Romo.

Q: How did you become involved with the Holsteiner Verband?

RGB: This came about due to my Bo Kristofferson when we started together in 2003. He was at that time the main rider for the Holsteiner Verband, for 11 -12 years already, so it was a good connection. When I came up here they agreed to give me three stallions straight away.

Casall came to me as a 6 year old from the Holsteiner Verband. It didn’t quite work out so well for Cassal in the young horse classes at that time.

He was a little bit spooky and a little bit special in the beginning. So it didn’t work out 100% as a youngster as he was a little special, so he came to me.

We rode him the whole way from the Bundeschampionate and other big Young Horse Championships throughout the season slowly building him up.

As a 7 and 8 year old we didn’t really push him to anything and by the time he was a 9 year old we started to do a little bit higher classes with him.

Q: Do you think that horses that are come through to Grand Prix level have special personalities from the outset?

RGB: Yes I do. He is very careful and the feeling was in the beginning that you should not push him to something that he was not ready for. You knew with his personality that it was a fine line in the beginning - that is why we took our time.

The advantage was that I had already so many good other horses at that time such as McKinley and Ninja. He always had horses around him where he could be protected and he didn’t have to work as the first horse.  He could slowly go to all the big shows and do the lower classes until he was feeling ready and being safe to go up a level.

Q: When did you first bring Casall La Silla at the Global Champions Tour?

RGB: I have to think…it was in Chantilly in 2010.

Q: This year he won on the open grass arena in Hamburg and then the smaller confined arena of Monaco; he appears to be quite versatile.

RGB: Ah, but he is the complete horse.  He has done a very good indoor season too and there you ride in the same size arenas as Monte Carlo.  He is handy - you can shorten, you can lengthen and turn and he likes the ride the same way indoors and outdoors, which is very good.

At GCT in Hamburg you had to canter and be free in the canter and he likes that.  I could let him go a little bit more and that is also very possible for him.

Q: As a stallion he has a breeding schedule. How do you mix the breeding and the competition programs?

RGB: At the first hand the competition is addressed and the breeding is decided around the schedule. When he is home then fresh semen is available.

He does not get super excited about the breeding, which is good.  He keeps a cool head, which is very important for a breeding stallion when they have to do both.

Q: He must be growing in the popularity stakes as a breeding stallion particularly with two GCT wins over the past months.

RGB: Yes of course and not only that.  It is also because he produces very good young horses that we see now 7 years and younger with many talented mares and stallions coming up by Casall.  The breeders are very keen to come to him of course.  He is limited now and only can go to Holsteiner mares and is not allowed to go outside the Holsteiner Verband.  They keep him a little bit locked down so that he cannot have too many.

Left: Rolf-Goran bengtsson and Casall La Silla winning the GCT Grand Prix of Germany.

Q: Does that increase his fee?

RGB: Up until now the Verband have been very kind to the members in the Holsteiner Verband and they keep the prices for them in the manageable level. Of course he is a little bit more than some and he has proven everything by himself with performance and his offspring doing so well.

Q: You have been coming to the Global Champions Tour since the beginning.  How do the top riders take to this leading show jumping series?

RGB: It is a very good tour. They have brought the whole sport up a notch with high prize money and these special shows that make the level go higher in all aspects.  The Nations Cup shows have increased their prize money and the quality of everything and I think the riders are very happy with the Global Champions Tour offerings.

Q: Over time you have seen the series grow.  What would you like to see happening the future?

RGB: GCT pick some very correct places to hold the events.  A few have been changed through the years with some falling out and some new ones in and that is normal.  They try to increase the level and bring the sport up all the time. This should continue.

Q: If you could chose one place in the world for a Global Champions Tour event be held at, where would it be?

RGB: We are now a bit all over the world now. In the beginning there was a venue in America, but not there now.  Riders are coming over here from Canada and USA so why not have one over there. I think America would be good.

But for now we wish Rolf all the best for the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Portugal that will be held on Saturday 2^nd July at 20h00 (CET).

Photo credits: Stefano Grasso/GCT