The dressage career of 16-year old Belgian junior rider Noémie Goris shifted into a higher gear when her parents acquired Ucelli T
, the most successful Prix St Georges horse of The Netherlands, on 12th May 2010. The news sent a shock wave through Holland as the biggest rising FEI star and Grand Prix hopeful of Holland had been sold abroad. Eurodressage could not pass up on the opportunity to be the first to photograph this brand new combination which could brighten the future of Belgian Grand Prix dressage even more.
Dressage in Belgium is clearly on the rise. Last year the Belgian pony and junior riders team finished fourth in the team competition at the European Championships. Three pony and two junior combinations made it into the Kur to Music finals. And since the 2006 World Equestrian Games Belgium has had individual and team riders compete in all the major championships at Grand Prix level. Unprecedented!
For 2010 prospects are even more promising as Belgium will be sending a team to the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky that has been scoring internationally between 66 - 70%. The selected riders are Jeroen Devroe, Vicky Smits, Stefan van Ingelgem and Philippe Jorissen. All Belgian dressage fans are crossing their fingers for a good outcome.
However, in order to solidify the base rising young stars have to be nurtured and trained so they can also make the transition to Grand Prix. Quality training and good horses are the absolute stepping stones towards that goal. The Goris family wants to invest in the future and therefore acquired a super star for their daughter Noémie. While the junior will continue to show her current mount Wunderbar NG, a Hanoverian gelding by Waikiki, in the junior riders' classes, the 9-year old Dutch warmblood Ucelli T will most likely be her senior tour ride.
Excellence in School and Dressage
Noémie's parents have given her daughter this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on one condition. Her school results have to stay excellent. "This one thing depends on one other," Paul Goris told Eurodressage. "If school is not working out, it is finished with riding horses." Noémie attends the very strict high school Vita et Pax in Schoten, Belgium, where students still wear uniforms, have to shake hands with the teachers, and Latin is obligatory course.
"This school is very performance oriented. It allows Noémie to compete her horse and take leave for shows, but her scores are not allowed to drop at all," Paul explained. In two years Noémie will go to University and is currently contemplating Law School at the University of Antwerp.
The Goris family lives near Antwerp, one-hour drive from Devroe and De Bondt's Dressage Stable De Langaard. Due to school obligations, Noémie can only go for lessons three times a week. Jeroen and Carmen train her horses the other three days and they get Sundays or Mondays off. Belgian Grand Prix champion Jeroen Devroe runs De Langaard together with life partner Carmen de Bondt, who coaches Noémie as well as several other Belgian pony, junior and young riders and Polish junior Ania Jedrzejczyk.
Wunderbar NG
De Langaard is nestled in rolling hills with apple and pear orchards near Aarschot, Belgium. The entire farm is built in terraces with the stables and indoor at the highest level and the outdoor school down the hill in the middle of grass fields that screamed for cutting.
Goris first worked Wunderbar NG and was atypically taught by Jeroen Devroe that day. Normally Carmen is her trainer, but as Jeroen also rides the horse, he sometimes steps in with his advice and expertise. Noémie and Wunderbar have a confirmed spot on the Belgian junior riders team for the 2010 European Championship in Kronberg and are now working on more expression and lightness in the show frame.
Devroe regularly stressed keeping an open frame in order for the hindlegs to stay engaged. He told Noémie to be patient for the horse to develop self carriage. "Wait for him to take the initiative to take the weight on the hindlegs," Devroe said. "His posture will change. Collect him using your seat and weight, not your hands. Once you get that feeling he can swing forward in the rhythm, over the back." (see video of Devroe training Goris on Wunderbar)
The horse got regular walk breaks and the lesson finished with some long and low posting trot over the back.
Teaching a Dutch Horse to Talk Flemmish
As Noémie was wrapping up her ride on Wunderbar, Carmen groomed and saddled Ucelli for the occasion. The horse came to Belgium on 13th May 2010 and Jeroen has mainly been riding him because Noémie went to a five day CDIO competition in Moorsele, Belgium, right after his arrival. Since the show Noémie has been getting acquainted with her new top horse and admitted that riding him is a thrilling experience.
The bay gelding is confirmed at Intermediaire I level and won the 2009 Dutch small tour championships with mid 70% scores. Hans Peter Minderhoud trained and competed him the past four years and has prepared him for the Grand Prix. Ucelli is schooling a lovely passage but is still very novice in the piaffe. His movements are huge and this horse has an amazing engine behind that is always active and engaged
Trained in the Dutch system where legs mean "go" and hands mean "ho", Ucelli now has to learn to speak Flemmish: the same language, just with a different accent. "All the buttons are there, we just have to find where they are," Devroe told Eurodressage. "He has been explosively ridden with much energy from behind. He sometimes gets a bit strong in the mouth but then you reach the right point and he's totally light and delicate to ride."
Noémie started her warm up in the indoor school as Ucelli had never been in the outdoor so far. Carmen trained her and straight away paid attention to detail. "Collect in the corners. Make him responsive to your leg without rushing him," she said.
De Bondt admitted that it takes at least three to four months before a rider and horse become a real combination. "It takes a while for a rider to discover the way to ride him refined," Carmen stated.
Same Wavelength
After the warm up, Jeroen led Noémie and Ucelli downhill. The horse spooked a little from the bath-tubs that are used as troughs in the paddocks but for the rest he kept his cool and made no fuss about being outside.
The lesson continued and mainly focused on the pair getting on the same wavelength as Noémie tried to find the right buttons. The trot extensions were super and Ucelli collected easily for the pirouettes. In the trot half passes it was a bit more difficult to find the balance between the crossing of the legs and keeping him up and light in the hand.
"It is such a big difference riding a horse of this caliber," Noémie confessed. The pair finished their lessons with some nicely elevated and suspended passage work before giving the horse the reins to stretch his neck and relax in a posting trot.
When asked what the show strategy for the future is, neither coach nor rider, nor owner were able to give a definite answer. "It's too early to say anything definitive," the foursome agreed.
Two options are at hand: either use Ucelli as a Young Riders' horse, or make the transition to the senior tour and start with the PSG/Inter 1 before going to Grand Prix.
"I have the feeling that Noémie is a little bit tired of chasing a team spot, which is such a big pressure for youth riders," Carmen disclosed. "She wants to ride and be good without having that pressure to obtain qualification scores all the time. There is no problem to have different horses in different age categories."
Up Close and Personal with Trainer Carmen de Bondt
De Bondt is a highly acclaimed coach for youth riders and has multiple students on Belgian teams in all age divisions. When asked what the secret to her success as a trainer is, she replied after careful consideration, "I can teach a young rider to ride a very correct test. I can really calm them down and get them focused before a test."
Carmen also admitted that she has the luck to be teaching talented combinations with supporting parents on the background. "I can empathize with them. These riders want to do their best for themselves, for their trainer, their parents, and they don't need any added pressure."
De Bondt only rarely rides the horses in Devroe's stable. "I condition them sometimes but I don't consider myself a trainer." Carmen has competed many horses at the Belgian Young Horse Championships (Juweel O, Bravurnik,) as well as at FEI level (Remy Martin and Alzac). She does not shy away from helping her students in the stables with feeding, mucking, grooming and braiding horses. "Many of the children don't have horsey parents, so I find it normal that I help them. I get to know the horses better and I would miss out on a great part."
Carmen used to be a member of the Belgian dressage committee but resigned one year ago. She was chef d'equipe of the Belgian team that competed at the 2009 European Championships in Windsor. "I can contribute to the development of the sport without having to be in meetings," she said. "We are currently working on putting something together for the senior Grand Prix riders. We want to give them more structure like installing A and B-teams."
Nurturing Noémie
Young riders with super star horses often face the challenge of being able to ride such quality. In the Grand Prix so much collection is required and all movements come right after each other. Carmen strongly believes that Noémie has what it takes. "Noémie is an excellent competition rider. She always does better in a test than in training. She can make that extra effort when it matters, not only on a horse, but also in school."
When youth riders continuously produce high scores in their division, more or at least the same is expected at each new show. "Noémie is a real fighter. She can be super concentrated and never blames anyone else if it goes wrong. She shows much respect for her parents, even when they might get nervous at competitions in her place."
So are we dealing with a picture perfect student? "No, sometimes she is slacking, like she hasn't tacked her horse on time because she is busy with a hundred things," Carmen revealed. "She doesn't like cleaning her tack and is very performance oriented. Sometimes less is more and that's something we had to teach her. She is a control freak and we had to tell her to put less pressure on her horse and trust him more, rely on him."
When young riders get a new, expensive horse from their parents these teens often have to deal with jealousy or envy from peers. "Jealousy is a personal trait of some people," Carmen reciprocated. "All riders have the same problems. Whether they have an expensive horse or riding a cheaper one, they all have to deal with the same issues in the show ring. They can make mistakes, have a horse that spooks. Each rider has to have talent, dedication and perseverance, no matter if they are poor or rich."
Noémie's mom Annick is probably the most nervous mom on the scene because she can not watch her own daughter go in the show arena. Despite this nervosity she is a key person in keeping Noémie's life as normal as possible. A school and international show career is difficult to combine and youth riders often get stuck in this tunnel. Carmen declared that "life shouldn't only be school and horses. It shouldn't become an obligation." So mom Annick makes sure that Noémie doesn't by-pass her youth by only sitting on a horse's back. "We often go on vacation for some weeks. Noémie loves snowboarding and I want her to do different things than ride all the time," Annick stated.
Profile Noémie Goris
Date of Birth: 22nd January 1994
Nationality: Belgian
Place of Birth: Herentals
Sign: Aquarius
Profession: student
Hobby: Riding, snowboarding
Your Best personal quality: humour
A Personal defect: stubbornness
Favourite book: none
Favourite film: Taxi
Favourite actress: Marilyn Monroe
Favourite actor: Johnny Depp
Style of music: RnB, 1970s
Favourite singer or band: Black Eyed Peas
Favourite car: Ferrari California and Ford Mustang 1967
An unforgettable holiday: New York City
Favourite dish: king crab
Website: www.noemiegoris.eu
Related Link
Ucelli T Sold to Belgian Junior Rider Noemie Goris