The Road of VDL Groep Iron Z: From First Steps to the World Stage

Where the road begins
VDL Groep Iron Z was born on 22 May 2013. The grey Zangersheide gelding is by VDL Groep Charisma Z out of VDL Groep Dindy-Blue, by Mr. Blue. Even his pedigree reflects part of the Stoeterij Duyselshof story.

His sire, VDL Groep Charisma Z, had been purchased as a foal. He was approved by Zangersheide and later competed up to 1.40m level. Before continuing his own sporting career, Charisma became the sire of Iron in 2013. On the dam side, the pedigree brings together Mr. Blue, Heartbreaker and Voltaire: generations of proven jumping blood.

But pedigree is only the beginning. What happens in the years afterwards determines how far that potential can ultimately develop.

The years that build a horse
Iron's first years under saddle were spent in the training stable at Stoeterij Duyselshof with Natalia Majchrowicz. This part of his story matters so much, because a future 1.60m horse first has to learn all the things that have very little to do with jumping 1.60m.

Natalia trained Iron and competed him progressively up to 1.35m level. These are not the rounds that make international headlines, but they are the rounds in which a young horse learns his profession: travelling, different arenas, new environments, increasingly technical courses and, above all, developing confidence in himself and his rider.

For Natalia, however, Iron was much more than a promising young sport horse.
“Iron was always a very special horse to me. From the beginning, we took our time with him and carefully built his development. He wasn’t the easiest young horse, but there was always something very special about him. Every time he entered the ring, he gave you a feeling that is difficult to describe, the feeling every rider dreams of.

And outside the ring, he was just as special. He was everyone’s friend in the stables, super relaxed in the field, easy to groom and simply a lovely horse to have around. That combination is what made him unforgettable to me.”

Within Stoeterij Duyselshof, those early years are not seen as something separate from the sport that may follow later. They are part of the same process. What is learned about a horse in the breeding and training stable remains valuable as his career progresses.

With Iron, there was no need to look too far ahead. The focus was simply on giving him what he needed at that stage.

“The goal was not to make him look like a Grand Prix horse as early as possible. The goal was to develop him into a great one.”

Ready for the next step
By 2021, Iron was ready to move from the training stable into the next phase of his career, and Leopold van Asten took over the reins.

The transition was not determined by age or a fixed programme. Iron had gained the experience and confidence Natalia wanted to give him, and the moment had come for Leopold to take him further.

Over the following seasons, the questions became more difficult. Bigger arenas, stronger fields and increasingly technical courses became part of Iron's world.
There was no sudden jump from young horse to Grand Prix horse. His level simply continued to grow with his experience. And with every step, Iron showed more of the qualities that had been visible in him from the very beginning.

From development to top sport
By 2023, Iron had become a serious international sport horse. A fourth place at the Dutch Championships was an important result, but the clearest indication of how far he had come was the trust placed in him afterwards. Iron became part of the Dutch team and started appearing in Nations Cups and five-star competitions with Leopold.

At that point, the progression was no longer measured simply by fence height. It was visible in consistency, reliability and the ability to perform when the pressure increased. Iron had grown into a horse Leopold could rely on at the highest level.

Ready for any course in the world
In 2024, Iron reached the point towards which the previous eleven years had been building. For the second consecutive year, Leopold and Iron finished fourth in the Dutch Championship. They were also included on the official Dutch longlist for the Olympic Games in Paris, placing a horse bred and developed at Stoeterij Duyselshof among the combinations being considered for the biggest stage in the world.

Then came Sopot.
Representing the Netherlands in the CSIO4* Nations Cup of Poland, Iron jumped clear in both rounds, helping the Dutch team to victory.

Only weeks later came Aachen. In the CSIO5* Mercedes Benz Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen, Iron jumped clear in the first round. Leopold and Iron then entered one of the most iconic arenas in the sport for the 1.60m Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen.

The road was complete.
Or, perhaps more accurately, Iron was ready for a new one.

The next chapter
In July 2024, VDL Groep Iron Z was sold to Irish Olympic rider Cian O'Connor. For Stoeterij Duyselshof, saying goodbye to a horse that had been part of the stable from birth naturally meant closing an important chapter. But it also meant sending him into his next one fully prepared.

As Leopold described it at the time:
“My feeling tells me he's now ready for any course in the world. We're happy Iron is going with Cian, so he can perform on the stages where he belongs.”
Under Cian O'Connor, and competing under the name Iron Man, Iron continued to prove exactly that.

He finished third in the CSI5*-W World Cup in Los Angeles in late 2024. In 2025, he was runner-up in major 1.60m Grand Prix classes in Ocala and Abu Dhabi before producing two clear rounds to finish second in the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome.

By then, O'Connor noted that Iron had jumped double clear in six consecutive Grand Prix appearances. Years after his first rounds at Stoeterij Duyselshof, Iron was still showing the qualities that had been built and protected throughout his development.

Why the road works
There is no single formula for producing a Grand Prix horse.
Every horse develops differently. Some need more time physically, others mentally. Some progress quickly, while others benefit from staying at a certain level longer. That makes knowledge of the individual horse essential. And that is where the structure of Stoeterij Duyselshof becomes so valuable.

Breeding, raising, training and international sport are not isolated departments. They form one continuous line. Information is carried forward. The people working with a young horse know where he comes from, how he has developed and what has worked for him along the way. That continuity makes it possible to make decisions based on the horse in front of you rather than on a predetermined timeline.

For Iron, Natalia was the right rider to build his early education. Later, Leopold had the experience to guide him into international top sport. It is not simply about having good riders at different levels. It is about putting the right rider with the right horse at the right moment in its development.

When everything comes together 
Iron's story is exceptional because very few horses ever reach this level. But the system behind his development is not an exception at Stoeterij Duyselshof. It is exactly what the structure of our stud farm is designed to make possible.

To breed with a long-term vision. To raise young horses with care. To understand them before asking more of them. And to have the people, knowledge and possibilities in place to continue developing them for as long as their talent can take them. For every horse, that journey looks different.

VDL Groep Iron Z showed just how far it can go.
For Stoeterij Duyselshof, that is the real story behind Iron. Not simply that we bred a 1.60m horse, but that we were there for every stage of becoming one.

From the first steps at home to the biggest arenas in the world.