Thursday, January 30, 2025

We'll meet up at Schiphol Airport, then early afternoon, we’ll travel to ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch). We plan to stay at a locally owned, private hotel which has charm and great service. 

 

After check in - we’ll take time to refresh and get a brief rest (but hopefully not so much we can’t sleep that night). That evening, we'll enjoy the first of several wonderful dinners. I’m making reservations at The Picasso and you’ll discover why it was voted “Best Restaurant in Den Bosch” six years straight! 

 

Den Bosch is a beautiful city (a big town by US standards) filled with interesting high-quality shops and excellent restaurants along brick lined streets. During our three days there, you’ll be impressed with the vibe of this idyllic community, its people, and its architecture. You’ll remember how it made you feel. For my taste, Den Bosch is a destination by itself and provides a wonderful backdrop for our three days there. 

Friday, January 31 - Saturday, February 1, 2025

KWPN Stallion Show

Friday and Saturday mornings we’ll enjoy our first of many wonderful European style continental breakfasts with some amazing assortments of breads, meats, yogurt, eggs, and of course, coffee!  

 

We’ll have a low-key, slow-paced morning as we’re working against jet-lag, but as we’re ready, we’ll travel to the nearby event venue, Brabanthallen, (just a few minutes away) and attend the KWPN stallion show. We’ll have ground transportation organized, but in years past, I’ve sometimes chosen to walk the 15 minute distance to “get my steps in” for the day!

 

We’ve organized a VIP table for you which provides a who’s who in the room experience, an all-day table service with coffee, tea, water, snacks and later red and white wines. Liz van Woerden, a vendor with the KWPN reached out to me offering headsets for real-time English translation during the event. As my Dutch is quite limited, I’m quite pleased about this. 

 

We’ll see some of the world’s best young stallions presented and judged. Only a small percentage will be accepted. I can’t think of a more interesting and better way to tune one’s eye for high quality, and to become familiar with what’s hot and what’s not in terms of bloodlines in 2025. 

 

On the fun side, this event is extremely entertaining. It also attracts an impressive array of vendors with tack, apparel and equipment you can’t find in the US. I have insider information that the KWPN is working hard to make the Friday evening presentation one of the best. I promise you that after these first two days, you’ll already feel like the whole trip has been worth it. 

Sunday, February 2, 2025

We’ll enjoy one last amazing breakfast at our Den Bosch hotel before checking out and heading toward our first stop a short distance away.

Young Horse Facility:

Smart investors understand the advantages of leaving young horses in Europe; lower cost and better opportunities in their early careers. But without connections, this is difficult. So, I thought it would be a good use of our time to explore a new and potentially interesting resource. The family of a world-renowned rider from central Holland is developing a facility/program devoted to supporting owners like me - people who invest in young horses and want them cared for in an optimal, yet surprisingly affordable environment. While we have other resources for raising young horses, we’re interested in learning more about this one and we’re pleased to bring you along so you too can learn about it.
 

We’ll tour the facility and learn about this operation and the fashion in which they raise young horses. Next we’ll drive a short distance just east of Den Bosch to our next stop.

Dinja Van Liere: 

Olympic rider, Dinja Van Liere is in Uden and the home-base of her training stable and breeding operation in partnership with Reesink Horses. Dinja has recently emerged as one the the world’s top riders (FEI ranking 3rd in the world at the time of writing) and within the past few months finishing 4th at the Olympics on Hermes, and 4th at the World Championships (7 year old) on Mauro Turfhorst. 

 

It’s worth mentioning that Dinja had three horses ready for Paris; Hermes, Hartsuijker, and Vita De Lusa. In my opinion, this is the biggest difference between European and American dressage professionals. Successful Europeans work harder at having more horses in the queue for future competitions. Americans tend to put all their hopes on just one prospect at a time. Europeans often have many younger horses in the queue. American riders sometimes have one younger one at most. (I just wrote an article about this topic)

 

Dinja has extended a warm welcome to us and plans to provide a riding demonstration and talk about her training program. We’ll enjoy lunch, meet the handsome stallions that live there, and enjoy a tour of this beautiful training facility along with the breeding lab. 

 

Dinja has an exclusive business relationship with Reesink Horses and most of the horses she is riding are owned by the Reesinks. Because of that relationship, we are able to provide this special offering and exclusive educational opportunity for your benefit.

 

Next, we’ll head out to the east side of The Netherlands to the charming Dutch border-town, Winterswijk.

 

After checking in and a bit of down-time, you are welcome to join me in discovering the quaint town of Winterwijk and enjoy dinner at one of its many charming restaurants.   

Monday, February 3, 2025

Monday is “Germany day.” That morning after a continental breakfast at the hotel and some much-needed coffee, we’ll head out on our next adventure.

Haaksbergen: Arie Hoogendoorn Veterinary Clinic:

We’ll head north to the beautiful Haaksbergen region to visit a state of the art veterinary clinic run by the former Dutch Team Veterinarian, Arie Hoogendoorn. I’ve known Arie for more than 25 years and I think he’s one of the best. We’ll hear from Dr Hoogendoorn about his perspective on pre-purchase veterinary exams, and become familiar with this impressive facility. 

Stefan Holtwiesche

Not too far from the Dutch/German border, we’ll stop in for a visit with a world-class trainer of young dressage horses, Stefan Holtwiesche. The last two consecutive years, the Westphalian Verband Dressage Champion Stallions were trained, prepared, and presented by Stefan and his team.

 

I’m especially interested in this stop because I have a horse in training there, and I’m eager to pick up any ideas that contribute to his impressive success. 

Westphalian Verband

Our next stop is in Warrendorf, where we’ll enjoy a VIP reception from the Westphalian Verband. We’ll tour the facility, and hear from the organization’s leaders about their thoughts on the direction of dressage horse breeding. Reesink horses has enjoyed a very positive relationship with this organization over the years, and as such, we are privileged to have this opportunity. 

Dinner at Stal Reesink

Next, we’ll head back to our hotel in Winterswijk, NL. After a time to rest and refresh, we’ll catch a short ride to Eibergen, and to the lounge of Stal Reesink.

 

We are pleased to accept the invitation of Reesink Horses for a casual dinner with their family and an informal discussion (which I’ll facilitate) about selecting great horses, good buying strategies, and what it will take to make the USA a stronger competitor in world dressage in years to come. 

 

With any luck, we’ll hear the fascinating success stories of Florencio, Vitalis, and other legends associated with Reesink Horses. I promise, you’ll be sitting at the edge of your seat!

 

(Guests on Abbreviated Schedule leave for Amsterdam after dinner)

To accommodate any guests who need to leave early, we’ll provide a ride to the area around Schiphol Airport on Monday night. Guests can be on a plane Tuesday morning and by home by dinner time Tuesday afternoon. 

 

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

After a good night’s sleep and another wonderful breakfast buffet experience (to satisfy your newly developed carb addiction) and some now-crucial coffee at the hotel, we’ll start out on Tuesday’s adventure, when we’ll focus on young horse training. 

Stal Reesink

Our first stop will be at Stal Reesink. We’ll have a more comprehensive tour of their facility and an interesting presentation of some world-class young horses. 

 

We’ll learn more about the program they have from when a 2-year-old is brought in from the field through its 3rd or 4th year when it is either sold or placed with a world-class rider to advance its career. 

 

As you’re probably aware, Europeans tend to keep young horses on regulated programs where their careers are carefully managed. There are various milestones where decisions are made during the first few years. Is this horse a stallion prospect? Which registry? When? Is this horse shaping up to be a world class riding horse? Does it need more time? Will it pass a stringent pre-purchase veterinary exam? We’ll become more familiar with a typical and proven European young horse regime. Along the way, expect to run into some jaw-dropping two-, three-, and four-year-olds at liberty and under saddle. 

 

We’ll hear from Reesink’s resident trainers, including trainer Phoebe Peters and Jesús Garcia Santos on ideas on working with young horses. 

 

Phoebe has quite the resume as a young trainer. She’s broken three World Records and in 2015 was ranked #1 in the FEI rankings having won two Individual Gold medals at the Pony European Championships in 2012, vice-European Champion Silver Medalist in 2014, and 5 gold medals in 2015. 

 

After three years of riding as assistant to Charlotte Fry, Phoebe and her partner, Jesus Garcia Santos accepted positions as in-house trainers at Reesink Horses’ Eibergen facility. As you’ll see, they are world class trainers and especially talented with young horses.

 

Phoebe is warm, articulate, and humble. I’m looking forward to hearing her and Jesus’ ideas on young horse development together with Annebeth Reesink, who has overseen the company’s training success for several decades. 

 

After a refresh on coffee, we’ll visit another young horse training facility nearby.

Bart Veeze

If you follow international dressage, Bart needs no introduction, having just won the 2024 Young Horse World Championship (five-year-old) on Red Viper. I first met Bart at the Reesinks, more than 20 years ago when he was starting his career as an employee at their farm. Since that time, Bart has made a name for himself as a world-class trainer especially for developing young horses. His wins are too lengthy to mention here, and Bart has attracted a stable full of some of the nicest young stallions that the world is yet to discover.

 

If circumstances allow, Bart will ride Red Viper for us and possibly some other super-star horses under his care. We’ll learn about his ideas on bringing along young horses and get a better understanding of what lies behind his strong history of success on the World Championship stage. 

 

Tuesday afternoon we’ll return to our hotel in Winterswijk, rest up a bit, then enjoy another nice dinner at one of Winterswijk’s great restaurants, or lie low with a simple dinner at the hotel. (TBD)

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

 

On Wednesday morning, after breakfast at our hotel, we’ll pack our bags, say goodbye to Winterswijk, then head out for our last day of adventures. 

KWPN:

We’ve arranged for a special VIP visit with leaders from the KWPN. What better way to wrap up this trip than to stop in Ermelo, and have some interesting discussions with this successful organization, especially on their ideas of the future of dressage.

Tack Shop:

Next to make the perfect trip even more perfect, we’ll enjoy the ultimate retail experience for dressage riders - a mega-tack store in Holland. Leave some room in your suitcase - you might need it for that interesting bridle or must-have pair of breeches. 

 

That evening, we’ll settle into a hotel near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. We may wish to meet up for a farewell toast to a great week - we’ll play it by ear. That evening, everyone is on their own for dinner. The sensible among us can get an early dinner at the hotel and a good night’s rest, while the wild ones can catch a ride into Amsterdam’s and enjoy some city life.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Rise and shine - it’s time to head to the airport. Our hotel is near Schiphol and provides a shuttle to the airport every 30 minutes. You’ll be home in the US in time to do night check at your barn!