The 19-year old Dutch young rider Joanne Koch has found a new horse in the internationally competed small tour horse and broodmare Darabel.
Darabel is a 13-year old KWPN mare by Westpoint out of White Spot (by Don Schufro x Flemmingh). She is bred by Willem Goesten in The Netherlands.
Broodmare
Darabel has a double career as broodmare and sport horse. She was purchased by Willeke Bos of Stal 104 at the 2008 Prinsjesdag Foal Auction and went on to become the 4-year old champion at the KWPN Mare Championships.
She has been flushed numerous times for embryotransfer and has no less than 12 publicly recorded offspring on the ground.
In 2015 she produced two licensed sons: the KWPN licensed stallion Kilimanjaro, which sold to Australian Jessica Dertell, and the AES licensed stallion Kityikana (by All at Once).
She has also produced four elite KWPN mares: Inebel Taonga (by Negro), Irabel (by Charmeur), Jarabel (by Charmeur) and Karabel (by Ebony).
Vai Bruntink
The elegant mare Darabel was trained from the start by Vai Bruntink.
In 2014 they were the reserve champions in the 2014 KNHS Subli Championships and were selected to represent KWPN and The Netherlands at the 2014 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany, where they placed 14th in the consolation finals for 6-year olds.
At the 2016 Dutch Dressage Championships they were 11th in the consolation finals for the small tour.
In 2018 the combination made its international show debut at small tour level in Ermelo, where they placed third in the PSG and second in the Inter I Kur. That year Bruntink also took her to Saumur and Exloo and never placed below fourth sport. In 2019 Darabal did her last international in Lier, Belgium, placing 10th in the Prix St. Georges and 7th in the Inter I.
Joanne Koch
Koch made her international show debut as a pony rider on the New Forest Pony Beauty Star (by Make My Day x Sultaatik's Fireball) in 2017 and competed him through 2018 in Joosland, Roosendaal, Hagen, Diepenbeek, Exloo, and Leudelange. In 2020 she campaigned Dalivia for one year at international junior level with starts in Le Mans and Sint-Truiden.
Joanne, whose name is spelled Jo-Anne with the FEI as her mom believed that the hyphen would avoid mispronunciation, received the ride on Darabel five weeks ago.
"I have been training for many years with Yessin Rahmouni (who rides Willeke Bos' stallion All at Once) and he is coaching me on Darabel," Koch told Eurodressage. "We got to know Willeke through the international pony competitions and found my other horse Dalivia through her. This is how Darabel came on my path."
The duo already made its national show debut in Houten on 5 December, where they scored a winning 67,35% in the young rider individual test.
"I don't have specific plans for the future. I just want to enjoy this lovely, nice, super mare," Koch added. "I want to get some (international) competition experience and this can happen with Darabel. She has three super gaits and at the moment we are trying to find the best possible connection with eachother."
Photos © Astrid Appels
Specifieke toekomst plannen hebben we niet, ik wil vooral ontzettend veel gaan genieten van deze lieve, fijne maar vooral super merrie!
Related Links
Scores: 2016 Dutch Dressage Championships
Dutch Horses Selected for 2014 World Young Horse Championships
Forty, Eddieni, Dion Johnson DVB Win 2014 KNHS Subli Championships