How will you describe the period around the Olympics? 

At first, I wasn’t a reserve. Hermes was selected to ride in Tokyo. But then all of sudden his passport wasn’t ok. That came as a real shock to us. And I was devastated when they told me I couldn't go to Tokyo with Hermes. It really, really broke my heart. Because the Olympics were my dream and it really felt like someone came and took that away from me. We did everything to deserve that spot and we worked so hard for that. Then because of a stupid mistake, that someone else had made, we weren’t allowed. That is a big thing to cope with. Luckily, I also had Haute Couture and she was selected to be reserve. So, I could still go to Tokyo which, of course, is a privilege! But for me it was also hard to see everybody ride, when I knew that my horse, Haute Couture, was in such a good shape, and I couldn’t show her in the arena. I have to say I’m happy that I’ve been there, but it wasn’t the easiest and happiest days of my life. 

How will you then describe the period around the European Championship?

The period around the Europeans were fantastic. We practiced so hard in Tokyo so Haute Couture was just in fantastic shape! And I’m so happy that we could show the whole world what we were capable of. Haute Couture is a fantastic horse and she is just a little tiger in the arena. The feeling she gave me there was just mind-blowing. I was so extremely proud of her being a super star! And of course, after the Europeans I rode Aachen with Hermes. Those two weeks were just a dream - really a dream. All of the sudden everything fell into its place and everything worked out even better than we had hoped for!

What can we expect from you in the future?

I hope that you will see me a lot in the competitions and competing with different horses. Hermes is my best horse and super star at the moment so I hope to ride championships and big competitions with him. But I also have a lot of very nice young horses, whom I hopefully can keep on training until there old enough to ride Grand Prix. Lastly, of course, I hope to get better and better every day!

Photo: Leanjo de koster

Photo:  Leanjo de koster

Photo: Libby Law Photography

How will you describe the training and dressage riding that you are representing as an athlete? What are your most important values?

That’s a difficult question! I think the most important thing for me is that both the rider and the horse have fun. I love to work with my horses and I think my horses like working with me. To build a bond between rider and horse is a special thing and that’s what I love most about horse riding. My goal is to use the smallest aids and to be as harmonious as possible.

What do you think overall characterizes Dutch dressage?

I don’t really know - I tend to look at everybody individually. I try to look at the positive things of every rider, no matter which country they come from. I don’t really think it’s fair to say that there is a “Dutch way to ride a horse” or for example a “German way”. Everybody has their own style and, of course, you will like one style better than the other.

Who are your biggest role models and why?

I don’t really have role models, but I definitely have some riders I look up to. I absolutely love the riding and also the seat of Charlotte Dujardin. It’s always a pleasure to see her riding! And, of course, I look up to Isabell Werth because of everything she has accomplished. She has been at the top of the dressage ranking for so long, and even with so many different horses - that’s just wow!

You have almost just begun as a Grand Prix rider. What are your hopes and plans for the future?

Well, of course I want to ride in the big competitions and championships. But for me the joy of riding is the most important – also in the bigger competitions. To feel that you and your horse are still growing and getting better is just a fantastic feeling. And I hope to ride Hermes for a long time and to ride the Olympics with him. I also hope that I will have more Grand Prix horses in the future. My ultimate goal is to get a gold medal in the Olympics. But the road towards it is already very cool at its own! So, I will not be disappointed if I never get that medal. How cool is it to work with horses every day? If I can keep on doing that until I’m 80, I’m a very happy person!

What is the best – and most difficult - part of your horse, Hermes?

Hermes is very good in all the collection work. So piaffe passage is really his thing! He is very smart and definitely willing to work. The difficult thing is that he is easily bored and because he is stallion he can be distracted. He does all of the difficult work so easily and because it’s not that hard for him, he sometimes makes up his own routine. So, keeping him focused and have him pay attention to me is sometimes the hardest thing to do.

Photo: Leanjo de koster

Can you take us back to the very first time you sat on a pony? How was it?

I was six years old and the pony was called Flits. She was white and very quick. I fell in love with her the very first time I saw her. She belonged to some of our friends, but they got too big for her so they let me ride her. And I immediately fell in love with her - and in love with horse riding!

When did you transit into horses? And how did it feel?

I got my first horse when I was around the age of 15. Back then I already thought I was a very skilled rider. So, we bought a young horse and I wanted to teach him everything - all by myself. But it was not that easy, as horses are, of course, different from ponies. So, it was not that easy and it took me forever to even get his head down. He was very sweet but young and I was, of course, very inexperienced.

Why did you overall choose to go with dressage?

Haha, at first, I actually liked jumping and I thought that dressage was boring. But my second pony wasn’t that easy and she kept stopping in the middle of the arena and I couldn’t get her to go either forward or backwards. So, my jumping instructor advised me to ride some dressage with her first, so I could get a little bit more control of her. I started doing that, and then all the dressage competitions went so well, that I never stopped doing it.

When did it begin to get serious?

I have always wanted to become a professional rider. Ever since I was 12 years old, I had a dream of riding and training other people’s horses. I wasn’t dreaming about riding Grand Prix or riding in the Olympics. I just had a dream of riding horses and getting paid for it. I was actually quite young when I started riding other people's horses. I just started riding horses for people who didn’t have enough time to ride their horse every day. Later on, I also started to ride some of the more difficult ponies, as the kids were a little too scared of riding them. I wasn’t scared of anything so I would just climb up and ride it. So, after I finished my high school, I started riding even more horses and giving more lessons. When I was 21 years old, I began riding for Stal Hexagon. When I started working there, I got a lot of opportunities to ride some really nice, horses – old and young - so I learned a lot there! This was also when I started riding international competitions and I also learned how to ride Grand Prix there. In 2015 I started to work for myself and started my own business and that was when I started to ride the horses Hermes and Haute Couture. Last year I then started to ride Grand Prix with them and then everything went pretty fast from there!

What does an average day look like for you?

I typically start riding the horses in my own stable around 8 in the morning and I’m usually done by 3 in the afternoon. After that I go to Hermes’ stable and I ride him there. In the evening I typically give lessons normally until 9 o'clock and then I eat dinner, take a shower and go to sleep.

By Line Holm Rasmussen // Photo: FEI