Following three meetings between the owners of the best performing Dutch horses in the three Olympic disciplines and the Dutch Equestrian Federation (KNHS), it has been decided to rename the Dutch A-teams to "Olympic" teams.
During the 2011 CDI-W/CSI-W in 's Hertogenbosch the owners met wit representatives of the KNHS with as goal to strengthen the bond between the national federation and horse owners. KNHS chair Theo Ploegmakers and top sport director Maarten van der Heijden have been working hard to establish a better relationships with the owners in order to prevent the sale of top horses abroad. "We can not always prevent the sale of those horses," Ploegmakers commented, "but we can make sure that the owners feel more involveds. We forgot to do that in the past."
One of the suggestions was to rename the A-teams to Olympic teams and implement stricter requirements to be submitted to that team. Riders will not only have to achieve the best scores but also have to show great commitment to the KNHS-programme.They will no longer be free in their choice to follow the official monitoring program. The horse owners insisted on this mandatory program so that the riders (as well as the owners) have certain rights and obligations towards the KNHS. Olympic horses will be scientifically monitored as well.
Photo © Astrid Appels
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