For the final interview in our anniversary series, we thought it was fitting to sit down with Xavier Libbrecht, who spearheaded the idea of what would lead to the formation of the WBFSH.

Xavier joined us from the press room of the CSIO5* in Rome, an event he has attended without fail since 1976! It was in Rome in the late 1980s, where the story of the WBFSH begins. Xavier shares with us how the idea of a studbook competition was born, with a format similar to what already existed in Formula One - a competition where not only the riders were important, but where the horses and the studbooks they were registered in were highlighted. The aim - to increase the visibility of breeders and studbooks, and to bring more attention to the origin of the horses, that were contributing to the ever increasing standard of the sport.