Annebeth Reesink
Annebeth Reesink may be one of the most successful dressage professionals that you've never heard of because she dislikes being in the limelight. With an uncanny ability to evaluate horses and predict their dressage potential, her list of accomplishments in doing just that behind-the-scenes are nearly endless.
Her husband, Eugene is more often in the spotlight and interviewed for the press, but those who have worked closely with this couple knows what an important role she plays, and just how incredibly intuitive she is in sizing up a horse.
Several of the US team riders have come to trust her to not only evaluate horses in Europe for them, but to ride them before they are purchased and imported to the USA. Her ability to access rideability is uncanny and her ability to read horses' personalities is a valuable asset to the team.
Among Annebeth's long list of success stories is her horse, Robin Hood. In 2003, Annebeth handed over her young horse to compete in the prestigious PAVO cup where he won the 5-year-old championship. Later, she sold this horse to the USA for her friend, Sue Blinks to ride and compete through Grand Prix.
Annebeth is known for her honest, straight forward way of communicating. She doesn't mince words or mask the honest truth about things. And that's one of the attributes that Reesink Horses clients have come to love about working with her. The depth of her success and insights about horses combined with her honesty and genuine desire to help people find good horses makes her the ideal traveling partner for clients in Europe. She is brilliant at horse shopping, an ideal partner, and good company!
Today, Annebeth directs the training of horses, helps in evaluating horses, and helps oversee the operations of the Reesink's Farm in Eibergen. When she isn't in the stable, she can usually be found gardening, playing with her ponies, or trying to train her Australian Terrier.
Advice From Annebeth
"To pick a good horse you have to find one that really wants to work for you. They might be a little unsure, a little nervous, maybe even a little hot at the beginning, and that's OK. If they want to work for you, it will all work out in the end."
"Also, I like a horse with a good hind leg. It should be active and a bit electric, not slow or clumsy in any way. A good hind leg makes a horse so much easier to train."
"When I try a horse, I pay a lot of attention at how they react to the leg and how they take the contact. Great horses give you a good feel even when they're still young. I like to pick horses that give a good reaction from the leg to the hand. If they are difficult or complicated in their contact, that will be a problem through every stage of their career."