horse sport
snippet Double Success with a Dutch Accent For this Warmbloods Today reader, Dutch ponies really do rule!
been fortunate enough to meet the Dutch rider and trainer Werner Geven earlier in the year when he came to Georgia to give a dressage clinic. At that time, I had a Thoroughbred and a Welsh-cross pony. I rode with Werner every time he came to clinic at Donna
I
and Gary Stegman’s beautiful fa- cility, Poplar Place Farm, in Hamp- ton, Georgia. (Werner and his wife relocated to the area in 2000.) I was incredibly impressed with his riding, his gracious personality, his ability to teach each rider in his/ her own style and his sense of the horse. When I decided to look for a new mount, I knew that Werner was the one I trusted to help me find the horse of my dreams. I am very small, so I wanted a small horse or even a pony. Even though at the time in America ‘bigger was better,’ Werner and I knew that we could find a very competitive small horse or pony. What I didn’t know was that I would come home with two ponies—and that the two I would find would be so talented and competitive! Werner had been training young riders on ALJ van Esch’s fabulous NRPS (Nederlands Rijpaarden en Pony Stamboek) Dutch Riding Ponies, so first he took me to visit Mr. van Esch, a well-known breeder. I tried one of his beautiful mares, but I am simply not a mare person. Then he showed us his stunning stallions, including the brilliant Idzard and a young NRPS stallion named Ilja, by Idzard out of Oldert’s Karola by Oldert’s Fastwind. I fell in love with Ilja immediately and was astonished at his exciting gaits. He was only two years old and a stallion, neither of which I needed, but I was in love. Werner had another special pony, a three-year-old NRPS gelding named Ico, also by Idzard out of Jasmijn, a KWPN mare by Olympic Cocktail. He had already been started under saddle by an eight-year-old girl! Werner was so im- pressed by Ico’s outstanding temperament and gaits that he said we had to see him. My first impression of Ico was that he was cute, small and
86 March/April 2017
n 1999, I took a wonderful trip to Holland to look for a dressage pony. Little did I know then that this trip would change my life and increase my love for dressage. I had
fuzzy. I told Werner that he might not be what I was looking for, and he told me to “just wait.” Then he turned Ico out in the indoor arena and the pony’s gaits took my breath away. I rode him and he felt incredible. He too stole my heart! Since I imported the half-brothers to the United States almost 18 years ago in 1999, Ilja and Ico have had incred- ible success in the show ring and have won many year-end awards, including the USDF All Breeds, USDF Horse of the Year, Performance Horse Regis- try’s Silver Stirrups and Georgia Dressage and Combined Training Association awards. Ico and Ilja have helped many
Janie Pride and her husband Sam, who had imported the two Dutch ponies, Ilja and Ico, in 1999.
riders earn USDF rider awards. Werner’s wife, dressage rider Mar- jolein Geven, started her U.S. ca- reer on these two ponies, earning her USDF bronze and silver med- als, as well her USDF Musical Free- style bronze and silver medals. Ico, showing successfully at Grand Prix, helped rider Blair Bowers El- ver earn the Grand Prix scores she needed for her USDF gold medal. Ico helped junior and young rider Elle Turner earn her USDF bronze and silver medals. (She received one of the scores needed for her
gold medal at just 16 on Ico.) Ilja’s current rider, Billy Jackson, has earned his USDF bronze and silver medals with him. The “boys” also helped Meredith Mobley earn her bronze and silver medals. We have shown our two ponies extensively throughout the southeast, but the show we wait for and anticipate each summer is the National Dressage Pony Cup. We have made the trip to Kentucky for this event nine times. When I first read about the Pony Cup—an event solely for ponies—all those years ago, I knew that this was the show for us. I have taken both Ico and Ilja to the Pony Cup, but last
year (2016) only Ilja went. Ilja and his rider, Billy Jackson started at the Pony Cup at Training Level, and this year showed at the I-1 AA Level and in the I-1 Freestyle. Ico previously showed at Grand Prix but is now in “semi- retirement,” waiting for me to get him fit for next year’s Pony Cup. Ico made his last appearance at the 2014 Pony Cup with Elle Turner, who showed him at Training and First levels. He was champion at both levels and was honored as
By Janie Pride
Courtesy Janie Pride
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