By Nancy Brannon
Most folks at horse shows don’t pay a lot of personal attention to the members of the jump crew. At the Germantown Charity Horse Show (GCHS), Show Manager Philip DeVita’s crew were a group of hustling, hard working young men who could set up, change, and dismantle courses with speed and skill. But one young member of the crew had a historic horse show connection that few realized: A J De Leyer, the grandson of Harry De Leyer, was among those hustling jump crew members at the GCHS.
Andreas John, “A J” De Leyer considers himself unique among jump crew members. He’s the only one who rides and trains horses, foxhunts, shows frequently at hunter/jumper shows – and works as jump crew.
A J wants to own his own farm some day with his own horse business. But before he does, he has spent the last three years learning all he can from some of the top professionals in the country. AJ spends a lot of time on the road traveling all over the country to horse shows. This summer he’s working jump crews at Saratoga and Lake Placid after finishing in Germantown. His strong work ethic comes from his grandfather and his dad. “Go earn your respect,” AJ said his dad told him. “You learn so much” from professionals like Philip DeVita, AJ said. “I really respect this guy.” And A J has seen quite a bit in his short life, who, by the way, just turned 21.
His father, Johannis, “John,” DeLeyer, can be seen pictured as the one-year-old on the back of Snowman, “The Eighty Dollar Champion,” as portrayed in Elizabeth Letts’ book. But folks may also be familiar with Harry DeLeyer’s other champion, Dutch Crown, his famous Grand Prix horse.
“My grandfather came to the U.S. with $50 in his pocket because the Nazis took over his farm in Holland,” AJ explained his family history. “My grandfather had lots of kids to help run the farm. There were only two girls in the family; the rest were boys. My dad says he lived a hard life, riding difficult horses. Then he got the best out of the horses and, ultimately, went to Madison Square Gardens.”
He rides for his father, trains, breaks, and shows horses in jumper classes, equitation, and hunters, as well as hunt seat medal classes. “I love Thoroughbreds!” he said. “We need more Thoroughbreds in the sport.” John DeLeyer, owns North Fork Farm in Tomball, Texas. He is also MFH, Huntsman and owner of the 24 hounds of the Longacre Hunt Club. A J is a whipper-in with his father’s hunt and says, “that’s the sport that got me riding!”
His grandfather owns Nederland Farm in Dyke, Virginia, near Charlottesville. AJ refers to an August 2011 article in USA Today by Craig Wilson about his famous grandfather that describes “the De Leyer way with horses,” Harry’s immense talent with horses, and the “galloping grandfather” who was still riding every day. Wilson quotes Harry about horses:
“They're a lot stronger than we are. They're quicker. They're easier to teach, easier to get along with. I've ridden my whole life. I get along with them. I learned from every horse I ever rode.” De Leyer loved horses from childhood, and A J follows that tradition. He is on a mission to learn from every horse and horseman he meets.
Most folks at horse shows don’t pay a lot of personal attention to the members of the jump crew. At the Germantown Charity Horse Show (GCHS), Show Manager Philip DeVita’s crew were a group of hustling, hard working young men who could set up, change, and dismantle courses with speed and skill. But one young member of the crew had a historic horse show connection that few realized: A J De Leyer, the grandson of Harry De Leyer, was among those hustling jump crew members at the GCHS.
Andreas John, “A J” De Leyer considers himself unique among jump crew members. He’s the only one who rides and trains horses, foxhunts, shows frequently at hunter/jumper shows – and works as jump crew.
A J wants to own his own farm some day with his own horse business. But before he does, he has spent the last three years learning all he can from some of the top professionals in the country. AJ spends a lot of time on the road traveling all over the country to horse shows. This summer he’s working jump crews at Saratoga and Lake Placid after finishing in Germantown. His strong work ethic comes from his grandfather and his dad. “Go earn your respect,” AJ said his dad told him. “You learn so much” from professionals like Philip DeVita, AJ said. “I really respect this guy.” And A J has seen quite a bit in his short life, who, by the way, just turned 21.
His father, Johannis, “John,” DeLeyer, can be seen pictured as the one-year-old on the back of Snowman, “The Eighty Dollar Champion,” as portrayed in Elizabeth Letts’ book. But folks may also be familiar with Harry DeLeyer’s other champion, Dutch Crown, his famous Grand Prix horse.
“My grandfather came to the U.S. with $50 in his pocket because the Nazis took over his farm in Holland,” AJ explained his family history. “My grandfather had lots of kids to help run the farm. There were only two girls in the family; the rest were boys. My dad says he lived a hard life, riding difficult horses. Then he got the best out of the horses and, ultimately, went to Madison Square Gardens.”
He rides for his father, trains, breaks, and shows horses in jumper classes, equitation, and hunters, as well as hunt seat medal classes. “I love Thoroughbreds!” he said. “We need more Thoroughbreds in the sport.” John DeLeyer, owns North Fork Farm in Tomball, Texas. He is also MFH, Huntsman and owner of the 24 hounds of the Longacre Hunt Club. A J is a whipper-in with his father’s hunt and says, “that’s the sport that got me riding!”
His grandfather owns Nederland Farm in Dyke, Virginia, near Charlottesville. AJ refers to an August 2011 article in USA Today by Craig Wilson about his famous grandfather that describes “the De Leyer way with horses,” Harry’s immense talent with horses, and the “galloping grandfather” who was still riding every day. Wilson quotes Harry about horses:
“They're a lot stronger than we are. They're quicker. They're easier to teach, easier to get along with. I've ridden my whole life. I get along with them. I learned from every horse I ever rode.” De Leyer loved horses from childhood, and A J follows that tradition. He is on a mission to learn from every horse and horseman he meets.
