Filosophy as a Trainer
Joep Bartels, father of the famous rider Imke Bartels and husband of succesful trainer and rider Tineke Bartels, invited me to join the Trainer Platform. The Trainer Platform was created by the Dutch Equestrian Association to organize the trainers in Holland and they selected only the best riders and trainers. I am still honoured to be in this platform. We meet 2 to 4 times per year to stay connected with each other and talk about the current problems. The Platform also invites the best trainers, mental coaches and scientists from all over the world to educate us. Examples of subjects include horse biomechanics, psychology behind horse and rider, classical and operant conditioning, and seat and position of the rider. As a trainer it is very important to keep learning and keep updating yourself and your trainer skills. A few names that we have studies with:
* Richard Weiss, seat specialist, helped Anky van Grunsven and Isabell Werth
with their position.
* Andrew MacLean, scientist, well known because of his studies on horses about
how they learn.
* Rico Schuyers, mental coach of the Dutch Olympic Team. Many countries have asked
him to teach their topsporters, because of his knowledge.
* Sjef Jansen, Anky van Grunsven's trainer and trainer of the Dutch dressage team.
* Franke Sloothaak, rider and trainer, has had many great victories as a jumper rider.
I really enjoy teaching people and horses, because my passion is dressage. But I also love my job because I like working with different characters and I believe that a good trainer adjusts him or herself to the rider and -of course- to the horse. Control over the horse, adequacy and safety are the most important to me. And of course, the number one reason to start riding dressage: lots of fun, not only for the rider but also for the horse!
I don't use a special 'system' in my teaching, I am as classical as I am modern. I believe that the trainer should adjust his system to the horse. Much of what I have learned is the result of 16 years of studying with Jo Willems, Anky van Grunsven's former trainer. My other trainers have been Jurgen Koschel [Ger], Christian Plage [Ger] and Tim Coomans [NL]. I am influenced by Anky van Grunsven, Imke and Tineke Bartels, because I have had many opportunities to ride with them. It was very instructional as we competed at big tournaments together through out Europe. I also value the insights and opinions of my sister, Mischa Koot. She is currently competing nationally and will compete again at international Grand Prix level. We work well together and this year I started training her again.
Riding feels like a second nature for me…
Since I was 7 years old I have been riding horses and I started competing at the age of 10. Because I did not have a natural talent for it, when I started learning dressage it was very difficult. The good part of not being talented right away was that I learned to think about everything until I both understood it and could put it into words. My students in Holland, Spain and the United States profit from my learning experience, because I can explain things very clearly and simply.
By the time I was 15, I won a gold medal with my pony at the European Championships, in 1995 again with my first horse and in 2000 I was reserve for the Olympics with my second horse. It was the excellent teaching and dedication of my super trainer Jo Willems that I credit much of my success!
In 2002 I was invited to join the Dutch Trainer Platform, a small group of the best dressage and jumping trainers in Holland. We are given further training 4 times a year. Our teachers are the best specialists in the whole world on topics like psychology, mental coaching and how horses learn.
The foundation of my approach is respect for the horses and respect for their riders. Riding dressage is fun, but is also difficult and therefore I want to be supportive and positive as a trainer. My personal philosophy about teaching is - "a good trainer always adapts to the rider and the horse, because every individual has different characteristics, has a different learning pattern and different qualities". Thanks to 18 years of teaching experience and 26 years of training experience I have become an expert in assessment, within 5 minutes I have a very clear idea how to approach rider and horse. My students now tell me that keen assessment and flexible approach to the classical goals is why the so enjoy their lessons.