Italfiocchi

Interview to IGOR ROZMAN

Breeding and sport, a new way to promote.

Igor Rozman

He crashed like a meteor on the Slovenian Reining scene and recently he also became president of the SIQHA breeding organization, with which he has bold plans. He is Igor Rozman, businessman, horse lover, and owner of the top Quarter Horse breed that he rides for pure joy. His horses are ridden by professional riders reaching for the highest place also in the international competitions. We are today at his election asking some questions:

The whole family is dedicated to horses, including his wife Saša and daughter Tia

When did your start your equestrian journey? “My equestrian journey started completely spontaneously quite a few years ago, but more intensely continues for the last five years when by some coincidence we moved from Ljubljana to Radomlje. We now live very near to SM ranch, probably one of the most beautiful Western ranches in Slovenia, where we came in close contact with the Western world and my horses. There we have everything at our fingertips so I can be with horses almost every day. That is for me an added value.

You started immediately in the western world or did you start with English? “I immediately went to the Western world. This riding seemed to be more comfortable, casual, relaxed. The rider’s attitude towards the horse is relaxed and it fits my nature and at the Ranch some activities revolved around Western disciplines and especially Reining.  

Do your wife and daughter also ride? “Women deserve credit for being us entered the world of horses. Now our affection has developed into something much bigger. My wife has been riding since she was young, by now not competing, but has great joy towards horses. I am really pleased that my daughter Tia is interested in horses too, she rides since she was three, now she is six, and so we spend time together on horses.

Igor Rozman is also a business man

How training and competitions match with your business, as your business requires you to be abroad a lot “When I’m home, I can train every day because I have horses so close. When the sanitary situation happened, I got the unique opportunity to be even more often on the horse, so last year and this year I really rode a lot. My business requires a lot of travel, I am a co-owner and director of Bredent, with headquarter in Germany, where the production of dental materials takes place, especially dental implants. It is a large company as we employ 550 people. My office is in Ljubljana, where I direct the area of Southeast Europe and the Middle East, so I’m torn between Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Amman, Jordan, and Dubai. So, riding gives me extra motivation, relaxation, and energy also for business challenges.

Igor Rozman with  Uragano Jabo in a competition in Italy

“How many horses do you have and after what do you buy them for? “We currently have eight horses, stallions, and geldings. I don’t consider myself a breeder, so I buy horses that are suitable for competitions at the highest level. We ride geldings for ourselves, otherwise, if not riding, the horses should remain stallions. We castrate them for health or sanitary reasons or any other need arises regarding competitions, otherwise, we don’t. The key to purchasing is exclusively quality. I try horses myself, but after consulting with a coach or with a competitor who competes with our horses. Namely, these are horses that compete in Reining at the highest level, in competitions NRHA, mainly in Italy, Austria, and Germany. Unfortunately, there are no competitions at this level in Slovenia. At a lower level, local or regional competitions, I also compete, my wife will be starting soon too. Events at the highest level are my delight and my passion.

What do horses mean to you? “Horses are a joy to me, they mean contact with nature, when my horses are ridden by professionals for Team Rozman QH, it’s passion.

What are your goals in Reining and what do you want to achieve in a breeding sense? “I have no special ambitions when it comes to breeding, but I work with Rabboni Horses, which is one of the greatest competitive Quarter Horse breeders in Europe, located in Italy. There I have access to top horses and in the future, we plan to establish a brand and a Rabboni-Rozman competition team with which we will represent horses on the highest level of NRHA competitions, both in Europe and in the US. That is the goal I want to achieve. My personal goal, however, is to have one of my chosen horses win an important competition, on Futurity either in the Derby and of course at level 4 (Level 4) and in the highest professional league. We’re pretty close already to this end, but still, far enough, we still have a lot of work to do.

What does the election mean to you? the new president of SIQHA? “After talking to colleagues, I decided to meet the challenge and I was also elected. The position means an honourable non-profit function and also great commitment, but I wish to connect all Western disciplines under the same organization. SIQHA is basically a breeding organization. Of course, young breeders who are actively involved in SIQHA have quite a few advantages, but they are also slowly realizing that the promotion of breeding is best through sport. That is why it is also my motto four-year term: Promotion of breeding through sports. So, I want to connect the two through under the same organization.

Igor at a Workshop of Pierluigi Fabbri

What will be your first steps at the head of SIQHA and what is your long-term vision? “First of all, I have to consolidate SIQHA, which works well, there are only three of us onboard newly elected members, others remain from before, but some new energy and fresh ideas are needed. In a unifying mindset of sports and breeding, SIQHA will do something for a decisive step forward.

How SIQHA will work together with clubs, breeders, and others branches of western riding? “SIQHA is already working well with breeders and clubs that breed Western Riding. The crown of this ride is certainly Reining, which is the only Western discipline recognized by the FEI (International Equestrian Federations) and KZS (Equestrian Federation of Slovenia). Reining in this way brings to the breeding organizations also good promotions. SIQHA is a subsidiary organization of AQHA, i.e. American Quarter Horse Federation, that supports us with cooperation and information.

Where do you see potentialities that have not been evaluated so far? “The potentialities are definitely in the youngsters. Young breeders and competitors are the ones to who I want to dedicate myself in my time Presidency – I want to motivate and activate them. Slovenian SIQHA also includes horse breeders Paint and Appaloosa, which is not the practice in other organizations around the world. Young breeders have realized quality breeding, that means access to quality seed and of course up to quality mares. The seed is fairly affordable in Slovenia and we are slightly worse in providing top-quality breeding mares. Next year we’ll get a big donation from the US government in the AQHA organization. We will get a refresh of the genetic material of Quarter Horse, the seed of top stallions in a value of about $ 70,000, obtained by the previous management with Zdenet Zobavnik and Andrej Zrimšek. This will be a remarkable contribution to breeding and refreshing the breed in Slovenia.

What do you want Slovenian competitors to achieve in Reining? “Unfortunately, we have in the “Open” category only one subject, that’s Gal Grahelj with his Walla Whiz a Dun Itom that still achieves great results. They are currently in Slovenia only two horses able of top results in the open class levels 3 and 4, i.e. at the highest levels, these are the previously mentioned Walla Whiz a Dun Itom and our Hurricane Jaba, and another one is coming soon. What makes me happy is that quite a few young riders are coming up, one of them is Tamara Krošelj, who is an Amateur (non-pro), on the recent Austrian Futurity won levels 1- 2 and 3 and was the runner-up in level 4. This is the top achievement of a young competitor who trains horses and owns her breeding horse. She also collaborates with Fabio Polesel in Italy. Tamara can be an example for the youngsters, she demonstrates that it is possible with the right approach and a good choice of horses it is to get such a good result. Here we have two other girls who do pretty well in Reining, at least on an Amateur level.

Do we have good horses in Slovenia for top results at the international level? “I think we have maybe three or four horses in Slovenia, including the two mentioned above, they have already proved themselves at the Open level, among young horses is good promising Tamara Krošelj with her Gunner Hez Chicsom. This is a young three-year-old stallion, a very promising horse that is currently competing in the non-pro category, and another horse I own, HiWayToHell, who was also in the category finals open in levels 3 and 4. These four horses are currently standing out, but more needs to be done with the right approach and choice of horses, and of course also on breeding. We have quite a few good horse breeders, I have in mind about five ranches that are seriously investing in buying good mares also buy top seed from American or European stallions. So, I see a perspective in both breeding and sports. I’m worried about one only thing, that is there are not enough good coaches in Slovenia. One of them is Gal Grahelj, the other is Aljaž Urbiha, who is currently at work in Italy as one of the top riders to Genar Lendi. Other coaches are at a lower amateur level, therefore Slovenians must also acquire knowledge from foreign coaches in Italy and Germany or in the Czech Republic, where they are in a short time very cleaver.

How do you imagine Reining in Slovenia in ten years? “I wish we had at least two Slovenian riders at the open level in the non-pro category and at least three or four riders who would also compete at NRHA competitions i.e. at the highest level and, of course, at regional level levels, as well as SIQHA competitions, and SIRHA in Slovenia. I think they are achievable expectations. I wish also to have a horse bred in Slovenia to perform in Reining in international arenas. When horses give pleasure and passion, we achieved the best results. 

Horses gives him passion and pleasure

SHARE
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on email
Share on pinterest

Le ultime da Italfiocchi