How it started
Ludo was put on horseback at a very early age by his father Antoon
“ Toine “ Philippaerts. He let him ride with his brother Johan and his sisters Greet and Rita at a rural L.R.V. club in Genk.
At the age of 12, Ludo was already county-champion jumping at the highest level on Gamin, and one year later in the same class even National Champion on Romanus ( s. Lutteur ).
In 1979, in Wachtebeke, Ludo became National Champion L.R.V. in the highest jumping ánd dressage class on Robber and Terrible ( s. Buenaventura ). In his L.R.V. -period, Ludo totaled 3 National Championships in dressage, and 2 in jumping, in the highest classes. Also during this period, he became Belgian Champion Young Horses in Gesves in 1980 with the five-years olds on Vandour ( Buenaventura x Flugel ). An impressive career start...!
In the early eighties, Ludo still being a junior, transfers to the Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation, and his most important highlight is the participation in the European Championships in Aarau, Switzerland. His competition horses in those days were Sabine ( s. Flugel ), Vandour and Terrible.
Being a senior, Ludo quietly extends his competition stable with professional supervision. He becomes slightly better known with Alkenaar ( s. Alkenaar ), and makes his first international appearance in 1986 in Brussels with Alkenaar, Colonel ( s. Tamara ) and the young Darco ( Lugano x Codex ). Riding the same Alkenaar, in 1986 Ludo finishes 8th in his first World Cup competition in Antwerp, and gets finally noticed in the International Jumping Competitors Guild.
In 1986 he was selected for the Belgian Team for the first time. ( Half way 2009 he had been competing in 105 Nation Cups, winning 8 of them )
There were results on a regular base throughout 1987, and 1988 became the start of Ludo's career with the legendary Darco.
