BORN in Muentschemier, near Bern in Switzerland, my parents and grandparents on both sides are and were involved in horses. I am the oldest of three children, both my brothers Marc and Daniel Etter are involved in the family horse-dealing business, Etter Sportpferde AG, led by our parents Gerhard and Hedi Etter.

My dad Gerhard, always had a soft spot for Ireland and Irish horses and used to buy a lot of Irish horses in the seventies and eighties.