This was a fun piece to write. Everywhere I looked in our data, I kept digging up reasons why Fletcha van 't Verahof is...awesome. "Oh that's cool, let me do that table." "Wait, he tops that list too!" "Wow - the best Belgian performance." All things I thought to myself as this piece came together.

A piece, of course, about Fletcha van 't Verahof's retirement at CHIO Aachen last weekend as announced by his longtime partner, Karin Donckers. A six-year-old Fletcha tackled his very first international wayyy back in 2011 and went on to make 59 career international appearances, every single one with Karin. Fourteen years after that maiden CCI2*-L and at 20 years-old, Fletcha has plenty to show for himself.

1. ONE OF BELGIUM'S BEST-EVER HORSES

Fletcha retires as the number two Belgian horse on record (2008-2025) based on our EquiRatings Elo Rating.

2. TRUSTED TO REPRESENT BELGIUM AT EIGHT MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Fletcha registered 46 top-level (CCI4*/5*) runs in his career, including eight championship appearances. He is the first horse since France's Expo du Moulin (Arnaud Boiteau) to earn eight total Olympic + World + European appearances; Expo du Moulin tallied his eight between 2002 and 2010. 

Fletcha also joins Britain's Over To You (Jeanette Brakewell) who likewise registered eight Olympic, World, and Euros appearances combined (1998-2005).

3. NINE INTERNATIONAL WINS, ALL AT CCI4*-S (A BELGIAN RECORD)

In 2015, after earning a handful (8) of international top-five finishes, Fletcha nailed his first victory. He would go on to win more top-level events (CCI4*/5*) than any other Belgian horse between 2008-2025.

Fletcha van 't Verahof's career international wins:

1. Strzegom 4*-S 2015
2. Sopot 4*-L 2015
3. Barroca d’Alva 4*-L 2016
4. Marbach 4*-S 2016
5. Vairano 4*-S 2017
6. Strzegom 4*-L 2017
7. Le Pouget 4*-S 2018
8. Barroca d’Alva 4*-L 2019
9. Barroca d’Alva 4*-S 2020

4. PRODUCED BELGIUM'S BEST PERFORMANCE

A moment for Fletcha and Karin's 2016 Marbach 4*-S win. It deserves a special mention. Our EquiRatings High Performance Rating (HPR) - which quantifies the quality of all performances dating back to 2008 - pegs that win as the best performance by a Belgian pair on record (HPR 102). Yes, better than Lara de Liedekerke-Meier’s 2024 Luhmühlen CCI5* win with Hooney d'Arville (HPR 94) and better than Karin and Fletcha’s own fifth place finish at WEG 2014 (HPR 92).

Karin and Fletcha won that Marbach by 4.8 points, finishing on their dressage score of 24.3. The result, registering an HPR of 102, is the only 100+ HPR produced by a Belgian pair. 

5. HAD MULTIPLE  TOP PERFORMANCES

Fletcha is in fact one of only two Belgian horses to produce multiple top HPRs (95+). 

From his first international in 2011 to his final salute at CHIO Aachen, Fletcha van ’t Verahof has been at the heart of Belgian eventing for well over a decade. Eight championship appearances, a chart-topping number of top-level wins, and Belgium’s best performance on record, Fletcha retires as one of his nation's finest flagbearers.