Armando Trapote & Tornado VS

Four championships, one remarkable partnership

Armando Trapote and Tornado VS arrive in Aachen for their fourth championship together, bringing with them a partnership that has been established at the highest level of international showjumping.

Their record is already impressive. At the 2023 European Championships in Milan, they jumped double clear, reached the individual final and helped Spain secure its Olympic qualification for Paris. Their form has continued across the world’s major competitions, with a World Cup Grand Prix podium in La Coruña, clear rounds for Spain in Nations Cup competitions, five-star Grand Prix placings and an exceptional week in Barcelona, where they produced four clear rounds, including double clear in the Nations Cup for Spain and in the Grand Prix, finishing third.

At 15, Tornado remains in top form. For Armando, the focus now is simple, arrive in Aachen with the horse feeling his best and give him the ride he deserves.

The story behind that partnership, however, began almost a decade ago.

“Since he was seven, I believed he could be a five-star horse”

Armando bought Tornado when he was six years old. He immediately recognised the quality in the horse, even if the character was something they would have to understand.

“When I bought him at six, I always thought he had the capacity to be a very good horse. His character was difficult, though, so I knew we had to find the right way with him.”

Then came the moment that convinced him there was something special.

“What really impressed me was when he was seven. You could put really big jumps in front of him and he would make them without any effort. It was so easy for him.”

That was enough for Armando to start thinking beyond the next class.

“Since he was seven, I always believed that he had the chance to become a five-star horse.”

The talent was there. The partnership needed time to develop.

Learning to ride Tornado

The first changes were practical. Armando shortened his stirrups and adjusted his position, but the biggest change was in his approach.

“I had to learn to ride him more quietly and stay more in his rhythm. I’m naturally a very active rider. I like to pull, I like to push, and I can be quite enthusiastic.”

Tornado asked for something different.

“He showed me how to ride more smoothly and with more rhythm. That was a really important lesson for me, and it made me a better rider with my other horses too.”

Tornado has always had a strong personality and likes to take responsibility. Armando learned that trying to control every stride was not the best way to bring out his qualities.

“He really needs to feel like the leader in the team. I try to follow him as smoothly as possible, but at the same time he needs to understand that we are a partnership.”

The quieter Armando became, the better Tornado responded.

“When I stay quiet and follow his rhythm, without doing too much with my hands or my legs, he becomes much smoother. He reacts much better to everything I ask.”

It is a way of riding that has become instinctive after so many years together.

Teresa Blázquez and the importance of time

Teresa Blázquez, Armando’s wife and a successful businesswoman whose work has helped shape the legacy of the Andalucía Sunshine Tour, played an important role in Tornado’s development during his formative years.

Her approach was calm and consistent, particularly with a horse whose personality could make the early stages challenging.

“Teresa is very smooth with horses, and with Tornado it was quite strong in the beginning. It wasn’t easy for her.”

She stayed patient.

“She was patient and consistent, and he really liked the way she rode him. That was very important for his development.”

Tornado was already jumping ranking classes at seven, but there was no rush to move him into the biggest competitions.

“At seven, he was already jumping ranking classes, but everything was done very smoothly and without pressure. Teresa stayed with him until he was nine, and I think that was really good for his mentality.”

Those years gave him time to mature.

“When I eventually started pushing him towards the big shows, he was ready. I really believe that if we had tried to make him a five-star horse when he was nine, the story would have been very different. He was still very young mentally. He was innocent, he liked to play, and he needed time.”

Armando believes the three of them found the right balance during those years.

“I think the three of us were a really good match. We all developed him in a different way, and together we gave him the time he needed.”

Milan 2023

By the time they arrived in Milan for the 2023 European Championships, Armando and Tornado had already grown into an established international combination.

The championship became an important moment in their career. They produced double-clear performances, reached the individual final and helped Spain secure the Olympic qualification place for Paris.

For Armando, it was a reflection of the development that had taken place over the previous years.

“It was a very important moment for us. By then, I knew he was ready for that level, and he showed it.”

The success did not change the way Armando approached Tornado. If anything, it reinforced the importance of doing things the same way they had always done them.

“He has the ability to jump anything. My job is to give him the right ride and let him show what he can do.”

The ride that sets them apart

There is one particular element of Armando’s riding that has become part of their identity.

He likes to add a stride.

“I’ve always liked to ride a little bit old school and add a stride in the lines and to combinations. With Tornado, doing that is easy.”

Tornado has an unusual ability to make those adjustments feel easy.

“I can add a stride in places where it is almost impossible, and he makes it feel easy. That gives me a lot of confidence.”

It is also something Armando knows he cannot automatically carry over to every horse.

“With Gin Tonic, my future mare, it’s completely different. You cannot add the stride with her because you lose the scope. Every horse is different.”

That difference is something Armando has come to appreciate. Tornado has given him a particular freedom in the ring, while his younger horses continue to teach him to adapt.

At 15, the horse comes first

Tornado is now 15 and still in top form. At this stage of his career, managing his workload has become an important part of keeping him competitive.

“He is a big responsibility for me. And when a horse starts getting older, you think more about the fact that one day it will be the end.”

Armando does not want to decide when that day comes based on age.

“I don’t put a number on it. I just want to feel that when the time comes, he cannot do the job properly anymore, that will be the day .”

For now, the priority is keeping Tornado fit, happy and fresh.

Armando explains that while a normal horse might compete in 16 to 18 shows a year, he would now prefer Tornado to do around 11 or 12.

“I want to keep him really fit, happy and in good shape. When he arrives at the show feeling like that, I know he can give me everything.”

If Tornado continues to feel capable of jumping the biggest classes, Armando will keep going.

“If I feel that he can still do the big classes properly, he will be there. It could be fifteen, sixteen or seventeen. I don’t put a number on it.”

Aachen, WEG 2026

Now their attention turns to Aachen.

Armando arrives with big expectations, but he also understands that a championship asks for patience, precision and a horse in the right frame of mind.

“I’m going to Aachen with really big hopes and big dreams. I know it’s not easy, but I also know what this horse can do.”

He believes Tornado’s character can suit the demands of the championship.

“With his character, I think this kind of format suits him. He likes responsibility, and when he is in the ring, he knows that he has a job to do.”

Armando is equally aware of his own role.

“He is in good form, and now I need to ride him in the best way possible. I want to give him the best chance to show what he can do.”

The ambition is there, but there is no need to predict the outcome.

“We have big dreams, but we are also realistic. We will go there, give everything we have and see where it takes us.”

Still learning from each other

After so many years together, there is still plenty of humour in the partnership.

If Tornado could describe Armando, his rider already knows what he would say.

“I’m sure he would say that I’m too intense, that I never give up. I can be too intense.”

Armando laughs before adding:

“Sometimes I think I should be quieter and calmer.”

There is some truth behind the joke. Tornado has changed the way Armando rides. He has taught him to trust the rhythm, to avoid doing too much and to give the horse space to take responsibility.

At the same time, Armando has learned exactly when Tornado needs support and when he needs freedom.

That understanding has been built slowly, through thousands of rounds and countless hours together.

One more championship

The partnership that started with a six-year-old horse has become one of the most recognisable combinations in international showjumping. The results are already part of their history. What continues to make the story interesting is how much they are still learning from each other.

Tornado is 15, but he remains fit, competitive and happy in his work. Armando remains ambitious and has no interest in putting an artificial deadline on their partnership.

For now, there is Aachen.

Their fourth championship together.

A big arena, a big goal and a horse who, nearly a decade after Armando first saw his potential, still has the ability to make the biggest jumps look easy.

And perhaps that is part of what makes Armando and Tornado VS so special. The partnership is admired by the crowds who follow them, but the affection goes far beyond the arena. Everyone who has worked with Tornado, spent time around him or crossed his path seems to have a story about him.

He has a personality that people remember, a way of going that makes people watch, and a partnership with Armando that has become something the crowd genuinely loves.

As they head into another championship together, that connection is there too. The results have made them respected. The partnership has made them loved. ability to make the biggest jumps look easy 

PH VS MEDIA / SERGIO ISLER

© Rights Reserved.