Page 41 - The Mini Horse Magazine 2023 No 1

Name:
Filipe Freitas
Please tell us about yourself. Country:
I’m Filipe Freitas, born and currently France
raised in Portugal. I studied Website:
management in university facebook.com/FilipeFreitas.1982
and worked as a disc jockey Email:
for 16 years of my life. In 2013 ebftc@elevage-de-la-buise.fr
I left my own country to work for
an American company. For 3 years
I spent my life working and traveling
around the world.

In 2016, I discovered the existence of the
American Miniature Horse from the hands
and words of Mr. Cedric Dubroecq, owner of
EBF, Elevage de la Buise. My work at EBF was
initially construction and maintenance of the
EBF’s farm. After a couple of years living among
these beautiful animals and the support that I
have received of Mr. Cedric Dubroecq, I became
an amateur handler.
Marielunds Ballistic Sunbeam owned by Vita
Now here we are. I have become a professional Vingborg Andersen and Cédric Dubroecq
handler, French International Director for
AMHA, and an AMHA official judge.
to handle EBF show horses alone, and for that
reason I became a professional handler. Since
Do you own any miniature horse of your own? the beginning I enjoyed being in the ring. I liked
Please tell us about your past and present the idea of playing with these animals.
horse.
Yes, I do own several miniature horses. Some As time has gone on and with more knowledge,
on my own and others as a co-owner. My first the more I love to be in the ring. It has become
horse was offered to me by Cedric, EBF Royalty a slice of time where I have to place and show a
Bright Horizon. A yearling colt at the time horse, an interplay and game between me and
with lots of character and personality, it was a the beautiful creature I have in the ring with me.
challenge to deal with him. Now he is a stallion It is now a pleasure and a passion.
Text written & photographs provided by: Filipe Freitas
and after 3 years showing together, we are like
best friends—2 stubborn best friends. I have Who taught you the most about handler work,
other horses with whom I have an enormous and who was or is your role model?
connection, but with none like this one. It is Cedric taught me everything I needed to start
always sad, but sometimes I need to let one or and become a good amateur handler. With the
another horse go to a new home. This is part help of Cedric’s clients and support of friends, I
of EBF’s breeding program and I’m lucky to be looked for different ways of training and I started
allowed to keep the ones that I feel the most searching around the world for education when
connection with. it comes to the art of showing.

How long have you been handling and what I spent two weeks apprenticing at Scott Alman
drew you to becoming a professional handler? Arabians in the South of France that showed me
I’ve been handling horses since 2018 and I kept another perspective of training. Showing and
handling as an amateur until 2021. In August working with the Arabians in liberty gave me
of 2021, for an external reason, I was forced another technique to work with the Minis.

Miniature Horse Magazine • Issue 1/2023 | 41