Gary Lung and Durk Fan Oostenburg at Dressage by the Sea last month. Image by Amy-Sue Alston Photography.
When Gary Lung first rode Friesian stallion Durk Fan Oostenburg as a six-year-old in the Netherlands, he says it was much like slipping on a well-worn slipper. “I could have ridden him all day,” he recalls. As they now embark on their journey to Grand Prix, Gary says Durk is a horse that puts a smile on his face every day.
Gary Lung and Durk Fan Oostenburg acheived two scores over 70% in the Elementary tests at Dressage by the Sea. Image by Amy-Sue Alston Photography.
Gary and Durk Fan Oostenburg have just returned from a very successful competition outing at Willinga Park’s Dressage by the Sea, where they scored 70.929% and 71.563% in their Elementary tests to place third and second – and finish third overall in the Elementary Championship.
“I could not have wished for a better show,” says Gary. “I arrived early so Durk could settle in, and I got to train him for a number of days before our competition in this most amazing venue. Fortunately for me, the competition hype doesn’t affect him. He actually likes it, and it gives him that extra little something. We cracked over 70% for both tests and he felt amazing. The surface is world class, the facilities are second to none…. thank you to Cathie Drury Klein and her team for putting on a fantastic event.”
“I could have ridden
him all day…”
SEARCHING HIGH & LOW
“Durk’s co-owner Kate Wescombe and I searched high and low for that special horse and with the help of Nadeen Davis, we found Durk in the Netherlands at Joey Lem’s beautiful and ultra-modern stud and stable yard called Stud Galloper,” explains Gary of how he came across the Friesian stallion by Alwin 469.
Durk was awarded his ‘Ster’ (Star) title (a classification based on meeting certain breed standards) at the age of four and then started his dressage training with one of the Netherlands’ talented international Grand Prix riders and trainers, Danielle Heijkoop. At the end of their first year together, they competed in the five-year-old competition at the K&PP European Championship (an event for Frisian dressage horses) where they achieved a score of 75%, placing them at the top of a field of talented horses.
“When we received footage of him under saddle, both Kate and I knew that this was the one. He had the most amazing modern movement, and we wasted no time by jumping on a plane to travel to the Netherlands to try him out.”
For Gary, the connection with Durk was instant. “It was no surprise when I first rode him that he was special and one of a kind. I found him light and soft to ride yet with so much power at my fingertips.
“I remember clearly that every time I asked him to do anything, his answer was, ‘Is this okay? Do you want more?’ and ‘What else can I do?’ It was like slipping on a well-worn slipper.”
Gary and Kate fell in love with Durk and decided to purchase and import him to Australia. It was a long trip, travelling via Germany and Doha, and then arriving in Melbourne in May 2023 before making the final leg of the journey to his current base in Windhill, Queensland.
DIFFERENT TO TRAIN & RIDE
“Friesians are different to train and ride,” muses Gary. “They are not like the Warmbloods or Thoroughbreds. They are not known to have the staying power that the Warmbloods have, and you have to become efficient in training in short stages to get your message across. I have found this breed to be very ‘rider friendly’. They are very comfortable to sit on and light in the contact.”
Durk is not Gary’s first experience with a Friesian. “I was fortunate to ride another beautiful Friesian stallion called Wester Fan’t Lakerveld,” he explains. “Wes was imported as a four-year-old and I trained and rode him in the 2019 Australian Keuring (an evaluation and classification of Friesian horses by officials from the Netherlands, held in Australia every two years) and we won the Australian IBOP Champion title on a score of 84 (IBOP is similar to a young dressage horse competition). This is where I learnt that there was a new wave of Friesians that were bred for performance and open competition.”
Gary says that Durk is not a ‘typical’ Friesian. “He is sensitive and has an engine. He feels very much like a warmblood with his power, yet is also comfortable like the Friesians. I guess he has the best of both worlds,” he says, adding that the stallion’s work ethic is one of his many strong attributes.
“He has the most incredible work ethic and there is never a time where he says ‘No’ or ‘I can’t do it’. I love his power and strength and his talent for the higher movements. If you ask me what he finds trickier, I would have to say his over enthusiastic attitude – he doesn’t know how to switch off, and is always asking if he can do more.”
Durk is putting a smile on Gary’s face every day. Image by Amy-Sue Alston.
GRAND PRIX GOAL
While rising eight-year-old Durk is a stallion, Gary explains that at the moment he and Kate are keen for the horse to focus on his competition career before considering breeding. “Both Kate and I are happy for him to develop his education before he starts thinking about the ladies,” Gary says.
“He is an absolute gentleman when he is at home and when he is out at competitions; you would never know he is a stallion. You can work him amongst mares or other horses closely and doesn’t even bat an eye lid. The only time you know he is a stallion is when he has had several days off, he likes to get a little playful and shows it by constantly being in your face. Give him a couple days of constant work and we have the ‘polite Durk’ back!”
For now, Gary and Kate’s focus is very much on training the stallion up through the levels with the ultimate goal being Grand Prix.
“We’ll be competing at the Brisbane CDI and State Championship (18-21 September) and looking to qualify for the Australian Dressage Championships at the end of the year,” explains Gary of their short-terms goals.
“The ultimate goal is Grand Prix. Durk loves the challenge, and he finds the collection for piaffe and passage easy. This is one horse that I wake up to each day and can’t wait to ride him. He is a joy to work with and puts a huge smile on my face.” EQ
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