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hen Jeremy Janjic first met Django of Cacharel, long before their career together began, Jeremy claims it was love at first sight. “A semi had arrived with a horse to be broken by me and the driver asked if I could hold another horse while he unloaded mine. He walked Django off and handed me the lead rope. He was only five months old and like a small black cotton wool ball. I fell in love with him immediately. I asked the driver where he was going and found out it was to Lynn Jenkin from Tashkent Friesians in Dungog. I knew Lynn so I rang her to say how beautiful her new horse was. Lynn sent me other Friesians for training, and three years later, Django.” Years later and Jeremy’s opinion of Django hasn’t changed: “I still have the same feeling for him that I had from the first moment – how cute he was, how beautiful he was in the eye. I was just in love with him from the get-go,” he says.
P E R F E C T PA R T N E R S
Jeremy Janjic and Django of Cacharel Rejected by his mother as a new born foal, the stars aligned for Django of Cacharel when he crossed paths with top dressage rider Jeremy Janjic. SONIA CAEIRO ALVAREZ spoke to Jeremy about their extraordinary partnership.
The first outing in their decade long partnership was a walk-trot at Alexander Park in 2005. “He was so willing to do anything I asked. From novice to as high as we ever competed, we were both learning along the way. He helped me, and he always knew he was safe,” Jeremy recalls. “It was such an exceptional part of his nature. Over the years I took him over sand dunes for a video clip, into hotel foyers, and even for a film where I had to shoot a gun while riding him. He was so eager to please and loved to show off.” There’s something special about Django that touches the heart. Take, for example, the time when the pair had just finished the Grand Prix at the Brisbane CDI. “I’d left Django with the groom and turned around to see a strange man holding him, then crying and hugging him. I’d never met Carl Mitchel, Django’s breeder, so at first I didn’t realise that that’s who it was. But that’s the kind of horse Django is. He leaves such a deep impression on everyone.” On another occasion, the Maitland Mercury contacted Jeremy asking him to be involved in creating an interesting
