Nicknames |
Piet (samshield.com, 2013) |
Injuries |
He sustained a wrist injury in September 2021. (gva.be, 18 Sep 2021)
In 2020 he broke his hand at an event in Doha, Qatar. (studforlife.com, 30 Mar 2020) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"You can't make a horse do something out of pressure. I think the horse must have the feeling that it's very happy to do it for you." (cnn.com, 02 Jul 2019) |
Awards and honours |
He received the Jury's Award at the 2022 Equigala in Belgium. (robtv.be, 18 Jan 2023)
He was named Best Rider of the Year in Belgium at the 2020 Equigala in Brussels, Belgium. Along with Gregory Wathelet, Jos Verlooy, Jerome Guery, and Olivier Philippaerts, he also received the Team of the Year award at the ceremony. (devos-stables.com, 25 Jan 2020; robtv.be, 22 Jan 2020; hln.be, 21 Jan 2020; sporza.be, 23 Aug 2019)
He was named the 2008 Talent of the Year by the Flemish Equestrian League [VLP]. (devos-stables.com, 06 Aug 2018) |
Famous relatives |
His younger brother Wouter has represented Belgium in equestrian jumping at Nations Cup event. His wife Caroline Devos-Poels has competed for the Netherlands in the sport. (zangersheide.auction, 24 Jun 2019; fei.org, 04 Sep 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 31 Dec 2015; equnews.be, 31 Jul 2015) |
Other information |
STABLES
He and his wife Caroline Poels run Devos Stables in Bekkevoort, Belgium, where they train, breed and sell horses. (devos-stables.com, 24 Aug 2022)
SUCCESSFUL LATE CALL UP
He was selected as a reserve for the Belgian equestrian jumping team at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He ended up competing in the team event after Niels Bruynseel's horse sustained an injury, and won a bronze medal. (vrt.be, 08 Aug 2021; cheval-in.com, 22 Jul 2021)
ONLINE BUSINESS
In April 2020 he and horse breeder Klaas De Coster joined forces to market horse embryos via the internet. They named the business Mares of Mancha. "I joined this project because I believe in it. Horse breeding and showjumping will both benefit. The more top horses there are about, the better. I am a top-level equestrian too and I know how difficult it is to get hold of exclusive top-level jumping horses. It's a select group. I believe this project can expand that." (sporza.be, 25 Jun 2020; vrt.be, 22 Apr 2020; worldofshowjumping.com, 20 Apr 2020)
FRUIT BUSINESS
He and his brother Wouter own a fruit farm. "My brother and I inherited a big fruit company from our parents when I was 17 or 18. It's a second-generation business and I am commercial director. I've grown up doing both jobs, the fruit business and the horse business, and it works because I have a great team on both sides." (devos-stables.com, 22 Apr 2020; studforlife.com, 30 Mar 2020; horse-canada.com, 19 Nov 2018) |
Milestones |
He was part of the Belgian team that won the nation's first gold medal in equestrian jumping at the European championships, following their victory in the team event at the 2019 edition in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Nov 2020; sporza.be, 23 Aug 2019) |