From my youth, I've always been surrounded by animals. Alongside my brother and sister, I shared a passion for horses and ponies, despite not hailing from a horsey background. However, my father, Marc Symons, had a background in the equestrian world as a project developer specializing in stable construction.

At the age of 16, I decided to pursue my love for horses and embarked on an apprenticeship. I was fortunate to work for renowned horse trader Neil Jones, collaborating with world-famous riders such as Lorenzo De Luca, a WEG rider, and Jaime Guerra Piedra, an Olympic rider. This experience laid the foundation for my skills as a rider.

Coming from a non-traditional equestrian background, I had to work hard and learn extensively to achieve my goals. My breakthrough came with Jugana, a showjumper with the potential to compete at 1m50 level. Together with the co-owner, I trained Jugana into a successful horse, resulting in placements at 2-star and 3-star levels. Eventually, Jugana was sold during CSI Valkenswaard.

With this solid foundation, I focused on further developing my sporting career with horses like Cayadix Hero Z, Nobel Van Het Hertenrooi, and Alana Hero Z. With these horses, I achieved numerous successes, even reaching 4-star level.

Following these triumphs, I decided to take a step back from competitive riding to concentrate on nurturing new talents, such as Queen Kinmar Hero. I find joy in the process of developing talented horses and growing together in the sport. My love for horses and building a bond of trust with them remain central.

Beyond my sporting ambitions, I also have a deep passion for the horse trade.

As a child, I was passionate about horses and spent many hours at the stable. It's no surprise, considering my background from a horse family. My father, Lieven Van Decraen, is a horse trader who rode up to 5-star level.

At the age of 16, I competed for the first time at 1m20 on a 1-star level. My career was brief but impactful. In less than a year, I rode my first 2-star 1m45 GP with Unique, and successfully so.

By my 18th birthday, I had the opportunity to train alongside 5-star rider Piergiorgio Bucci, a WEG rider, allowing me to participate in prestigious 3-star competitions up to 1m50-1m55 level.

I'm a rider who relies on the right horses. After my top horse, Unique, I competed up to the 140 level, except for Jolien van de Hondshoef, who brought me back to the 145 level. Jolien was also the first horse on which Hannes and I collaborated internationally, leading to the establishment of HK Equestrian after its sale.

To fully focus on building HK Equestrian, I took a few years off from competing, a period I thoroughly enjoyed. But the itch remains. Now that the company is growing, I've decided to pick up the reins again in 2024, eager to see what the future holds.