Interview with Greetje about Coco: “He showed me that what we often call difficult behaviour is actually telling a story”

Coco was your very first foal of your own… what lessons from those early years together have stayed with you ever since?

That sometimes you look at your own foal through rose-tinted glasses. 😉 I mainly saw his potential and was already dreaming about our future together, while others mostly saw a stiff and somewhat complicated foal.

When he was around two months old, he lost his mother, so he didn’t have the easiest start in life. After I bought him, he was raised by Bongo, who was only four years old at the time, and from that moment on, Coco went everywhere with us.

As a young horse, he could still be a little tricky and sometimes react quite explosively, but he was also incredibly people-oriented, sweet, and always loved attention. His well-known “rodeo video” captures that side of him perfectly.

Coco's rodeo video

Despite his stiffness and ataxia, we eventually trained him into a wonderful all-round horse. Working Equitation was really his thing, and together we had the opportunity to give many beautiful demonstrations!

Your lives came together again at a very special moment. What made that period so meaningful to you?

Somewhere deep down, I had always hoped that Coco would one day come back home when it was time for him to retire. So when I received the call, of course I immediately said yes. There was so much recognition when I went to pick him up, but he was no longer the funny, playful Coco I remembered. He had severe thrush in all four hooves, melanomas, and his teeth urgently needed attention. We immediately started helping him recover, rebuild his strength, and feel comfortable again.

What was so special was that he still remembered absolutely everything. Every exercise, from piaffe to canter pirouettes, was still deeply embedded in his body and memory. It was wonderful to see how he grew stronger again and slowly started to shine. My students who were lucky enough to have lessons with Coco during that period were also incredibly grateful for everything he allowed them to feel and experience. With Coco, I could teach feeling through him, just as I can with Da Vinci. That is truly priceless. ✨

And just when I felt that he was finally becoming himself again… I found him one morning in a very bad condition. His melanomas had suddenly become much more severe, and together with the vet, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to let him go that same day.

That feeling, when there is nothing more you can do and you have to say goodbye to an old friend, remains incredibly painful. I miss him so much. 🖤 But moments like these also remind you how precious life is, and how grateful we can be for every moment we get to share with our animals and with each other.

When you think of Coco at his happiest, what was he like?

Coco was happiest when he could play or come along with us into the forest. But he also absolutely loved attention from an audience: he loved to shine!

What insights did Coco give you that you still carry with you today?

Coco taught me so much over the years. He showed me that behavior often isn’t “difficult behavior”, but rather a story being told. Behind tension, insecurity, or explosive reactions, there is often a sensitive horse simply trying to cope with what he is feeling.

He taught me how important trust and safety are, and that a horse can truly grow when he feels seen. He also taught me not to focus only on limitations. Many people mainly saw his stiffness, ataxia, or more complicated sides, but Coco showed me how much is still possible when you keep listening to the horse instead of only looking at the picture in front of you.

He taught me to become softer in my feel, more creative in my training, and more patient with the process of development. Not everything has to be perfect to become something truly beautiful.

And perhaps most importantly, Coco made me realise just how much horses remember. Not only exercises… but also energy, safety, humor, and connection. Even years later, it was all still there, stored in his body and in his heart.