Dutch show director Gerrit-Jan Swinkels has passed away after a horse riding accident in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, on Monday 25 May 2015. He was 67 years old.
Swinkels has been a driving force behind the CDI-W/CSI 's Hertogenbosch, aka Indoor Brabant, for the past forty years. In 2002 he became chair of the board of directors of Indoor Brabant and he had planned on retiring in 2017 on the 50th anniversary of the international horse event.
Swinkels was a passionate horse man and an accomplished director. His open mind towards the future of the sport always circled round the popularization of the sport which needed to attract bigger crowds and gain more media attention.
Gerrit-Jan supported the successful Dutch Foundation for Show Jumping horses (SFN) and was highly liked amongst athletes, sponsors, and in committees.
Swinkels was hacking his horse Het Zwin, a natural reserve with dunes in Knokke-Heist. Hikers found his horse unmounted and discovered the lifeless body of Swinkels on the ground. There were no witnesses to the accident but according to the Belgian police the horse had most likely tripped which caused the fatal accident. The rider might also have suffered from a cardiac arrest.
Gerrit-Jan leaves behind his wife Anja, his children Maartje and Teun and his grandchildren.
Photo © Astrid Appels
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