“He’s a really special horse to have in the barn,” said Nassar (EGY) of his Olympic mount, Igor Van De Wittemoere.

The 14-year-old gelding demonstrated his exceptionality once again by making light work of Friday’s ultra competitive 1.50m Jump Off CSI5* class at Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) Vancouver. The magic number to win it was 44.26 seconds, achieved by some blistering left hand rollbacks against a 16 horse field in the Peter Grant designed jump off.

Ribbons and podiums might signal success in a relationship between a horse and rider, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The work at home, behind-the-scenes, is what truly culminates to a 5* result, and it’s not always as smooth as those galloping lines in the Fort Grand Prix arena. Special, as the Egyptian Olympian can attest, is often accompanied by its close friend and counterpart, complex.

“It’s taken a little while [to develop our partnership], I have to say. The first six-months were a little complicated, Igor is a very sensitive horse with a lot of blood. We had to put the pieces together on the flat work and try to work on our trust to get him to relax a little bit,” explained Nassar.

“I think the whole team felt like it was a process to get to get him to where he is right now, so it’s really rewarding to see him perform the way he’s been performing.”

The work paid dividends. Nassar and Igor have since become a quintessential combination familiar with the invigorating breeze of a victory lap.

“He’s really stepped up and been my best horse. He was the one I relied on in [the] Tokyo [Games] last year,” said Nassar.

“He’s the one I rely on for the biggest classes that I jump.”

According to JUMPR App, Igor has a solid clear round rate of 44% at 1.50m, finishing top ten at the height 37% of the time. In January, he collected a CSI4* 1.55m win at the Wellington Equestrian Festival (WEF), and a coveted CSI5* 1.50m at Spruce Meadows last September. Nassar says Igor is only getting better.

It always takes time to build a partnership, especially with those sensitive horses. It takes a little longer to mature and come into their own. So, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s peaking a little later in his career,” said Nassar.

“He’s coming off a little break now. He hasn’t shown since Miami, so we just wanted to get his feet wet [this week].”

Of course, his fellow competitors won’t let Nassar just step up on the podium and take it. Like on Friday, they’ll make sure Igor needs a good clip to clinch victories. Ashlee Bond (ISR) finished second to Nassar, charging through the timers with 11-year-old gelding Donatello 141 at 45.36 seconds. Conor Swail (IRL), tbird’s winningest rider, was hot on Bond’s trail, falling just two tenths of a second behind with a clear in 45.55.

Feature Image: MLSJ / Atalya Boytner Photography