Riding feels like a second nature for me… news
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 lot of 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 Controversy and in 2000 I was reserve for the Olympics with my second horse Galliano. It was the excellent teaching and dedication of my super trainer Jo Willems and all the support and help of my dear mom, dad and sister 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 6 times a year. Our teachers are the best specialists in the whole world on topics like psychology, mental coaching and psychology of horses.
In 2009, the Dutch Trainer Platform will be taught by Ruud Jacobs, the ex- gymnastics coach of Holland. he will teach us how we can improve our riding skills. He will show and explain exercises that we can do in the gym to improve balance, coordination and effectiveness and equality of our aids.
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 is different , has a different learning pattern and different qualities". Thanks to 18 years of teaching experience and 26 years of riding and 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.