José Daniel Martin Dockx

José Daniel Martín Dockx’s passion for horses was born at an early age (12 years old), deeply influenced by his father and nurtured through his first mare, Candela, who marked the beginning of a lifelong dedication to the equestrian world. From that moment on, riding became not only a passion, but a defining path. By the age of eighteen, he had already stepped onto the national competition circuit with his mare Jamaica, steadily progressing through the levels and achieving early recognition as Runner-Up at the Andalusian Championships  at Prix St. Georges level in 1992.

At just 22years old, Dockx founded his own training base, Centro Hípico Dana, establishing the foundations of a career that would soon be defined by both competitive success and an exceptional ability to develop horses. One of the earliest milestones came with the arrival of Cosaco XI, a young horse he produced up to Grand Prix level before the horse was sold to American owner Kim Van Kampen. That moment marked the beginning of a long-standing and highly influential professional relationship.

Over the following years, Dockx continued to build a strong reputation within Spanish dressage, producing and competing horses such as Delmonte, Encanto XI, Amazing Grace, and San Rubino. His work during this period was reflected in multiple national titles and consistent success in young horse championships, highlighting both his technical precision and his vision for developing future Grand Prix horses.

Grandioso’s Era

 “Cosaco XI” became the connection that brought Kim Van Kampen & José Daniel Martin Dockx.  Following the sale of that horse, Dockx had under his training Encanto XI (Evento x Golondrino XIV), the first horse bred by Kim Van Kampen. Dockx debuted Encanto XI in 2009 at Prix St. Georges level, and after several national victories in the Critérium and Medium Tour levels, in 2011 he rode his first international centerline at the top level aboard Encanto XI at the Sunshine Tour.

Grandioso III (Adelante x Sevillano IX) competed at  the Spanish national arenas in May 2011. The horse had previously achieved success in the United States under Courtney King-Dye, but unfortunately she suffered a serious accident in March 2010. In the autumn of that same year, Van Kampen was in contact with Jan Bemelmans, who traveled to Wellington, Florida in late December. At that point, new possibilities opened up, as she seriously considered Bemelmans’ proposal: to train Grandioso III in Germany with the goal of competing internationally for Spain under Dockx.

And so it was. Dockx made his national debut with Grandioso III in May 2011 in Écija at Intermedia II and Grand Prix level. Following that debut, what would become his London 2012 Olympic campaign began. In the span of just six months, Dockx and Grandioso III traveled thousands of kilometers across Europe, competing in major arenas starting with their international debut at CDI3* Nambroca in May 2011. One month later, at Club SEK, Dockx claimed his first Spanish Grand Prix Championship title with Grandioso III. He closed the year competing in Europe, notably at the CDI4* Salzburg Arena in December, where he achieved two fourth-place finishes and his first Freestyle score above 71%.

At the start of 2012, he built momentum at the Sunshine Tour, achieving notable scores including 70.255% in Grand Prix and 73.900% in the Freestyle. Following these results, the road to the 2012 London Olympic Games continued in April with competitions in Saumur, Fritzens, his first Nations Cup at CDIO5* Rotterdam, and his first appearance at CHIO Aachen, where he scored 70.468% in the Grand Prix. After Rotterdam and Aachen, Dockx and Grandioso III were named first reserves for the Olympic Games. Following the withdrawal of Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and Delgado, Dockx stepped in to compete. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, he scored 69.043% in the Grand Prix and 69.286% in the Grand Prix Special.

From that moment on, Dockx and Grandioso III forged a powerful partnership, achieving numerous international victories. Between 2012 and 2016, the duo became a cornerstone of the Spanish team, competing in the European Championships of Herning 2013 and Aachen 2015, the World Equestrian Games in Caen 2014, and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

During these four years, their dominance at the Sunshine Tour 2013 stood out, as well as their double victory at the CDI3* Treffen in Austria, where they scored 71.681% in Grand Prix and an impressive 79.650%. That same season, at CHIO Aachen, the Spanish team composed of José Antonio García Mena, Morgan Barbançon, and Dockx secured a historic third-place finish in the Nations Cup. Individually, Dockx also delivered one of his best Freestyles, scoring 78.175% and finishing eighth.

The 2014 season marked their full consolidation as a top combination, consistently scoring above 73%. Dockx claimed his second Spanish National Championship title in Sabadell, Barcelona, before heading into the World Equestrian Games in Caen, where he achieved personal best averages with Grandioso III: 74.243% in the Grand Prix and 74.090% in the Grand Prix Special, finishing 18th and narrowly missing the Freestyle.

In 2015, he combined competition between Wellington and Europe with Grandioso III and Bolero CLXVIIII (Utrerano VII), securing several victories with the European Championships as the main goal. In August, Dockx and Grandioso III were part of the Spanish team that qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The 2016 season brought challenges, as Grandioso III suffered a minor injury, but he returned in time for CHIO Aachen, proving his form with a 71.343% Grand Prix score. This secured their place at the Rio Olympics, marking Dockx’s second Olympic appearance and Grandioso III’s final competition before retirement, where they scored 70.829% in the Grand Prix.

Grandioso III was officially retired at SICAB 2016, followed by another ceremony in January 2017 during USPRE Week in Wellington.

Following the Grandioso era, a new generation of young prospects emerged from Hampton Green Farm, including Campanero HGF, Ataturc (SICAB Champion as a 7-year-old in 2017), Oxido , and Mejorano HGF (Grandioso III x Ibiza HGF). With Mejorano HGF, Dockx carried out the full training progression up to Grand Prix, including participation in the World Young Horse Championships in 2018 at age seven.

In September 2019, at the CDN3* Dos Lunas, Dockx made a remarkable double Grand Prix debut. Riding Mejorano HGF, then eight years old, he achieved a dream result by winning with 69.043%. With Oxido HGF, previously runner-up in the Spanish Critérium Championship in 2015, he also delivered a winning performance in their first Grand Prix Special, scoring 70.404%.

A few months later, José Daniel Martín Dockx and Hampton Green Farm parted ways, and Dockx remained active in the competition arenas with Manchego ARB (Gumiel) at Grand Prix level.

Malagueño LXXXIII

In the following years, Dockx formed another remarkable partnership with the PRE stallion Malagueño LXXXIII, bred by Paco de Santiago.  They debuted as a combination in 2020. Together they achieved major international results, including standout performances at CHIO Aachen 2021, Claiming the third position at the Grand Prix Special.  They represented Spain  the 2022 World Championships in Herning and at the 2023 European Championships. More over, they achieved three victories in a row at SICAB (2022/2023/2024), Spain’s most prestigious event for PRE horses. In 2024, the pair won the CDI5* in Doha and secured double gold at the Spanish Championships in Grand Prix Special and Freestyle. They were also selected to represent Spain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Trainer 

In October 2024, Dockx announced his retirement from international competition, bringing to a close an extraordinary career that includes two Olympic Games, two World Championships, three European Championships, multiple Spanish National titles, a World Championship for Young Horses appearance, and four ANCCE Cup Final titles at SICAB.

Since 2021, he has also served as team selector for the PRE squad within the ANCCE Sport Development Program (PDD) for the World Championships, contributing significantly to the development of future riders and horses.

Since October 2025,  Dockx is the head trainer of Hampton Green Farm