After 10 Years Schellekens-Bartels Back on the Grand Prix Centerline at 2025 CDI Tolbert

Shows

2025 CDI Tolbert

Ten years after riding her last international Grand Prix test, Dutch Olympian Imke Schellekens-Bartels was back on the Grand Prix centerline at last weekend's CDI Tolbert on 10 - 13 April 2025.

Ten Years a Break

Schellekens-Bartels rode her last CDI big tour show in December 2015 with her black KWPN gelding Toots, after which she sold him to Japan.

Six years she stayed away from international competition as she took up the post of Dutch pony and children team trainer and combined it with the full time management of her family's yard, Bartels Academy in Hooge Mierde, The Netherlands. With Joep and Tineke Bartels retired from the day-to-day managerial business, Imke had her plate full, but quietly kept producing horses up the levels.

In 2021 she returned to the international stage at small tour level with Honoré, a now 13-year old KWPN gelding by Jazz out of Krack C, bred by Tineke Bartels and VCG Horses. He has been home trained by Tineke, but assistant Lars op 't Hoog showed him nationally as a youngster. Imke took over the ride in 2020. She premiered him at the 2021 CDI Opglabbeek and showed him in two more CDI's in Compiegne and Leeuwarden until October 2022 after which she focused on consolidating the big tour moves on him. Imke resigned from her youth team coaching position at the end of 2023.

In October 2024 Imke premiered a second small tour horse at the CDI Leeuwarden: her own and Jan Anker's now 12-year old Danish warmblood mare Straight Horse Sezuanna (by Zack x Don Schufro), who is the full sister to triple World Young Horse Champion Sezuan (Dorothee Schneider) and to Straight Horse Ascenzione (Helen Langehanenberg), the winner of the 2021 Nurnberger Burgpokal who also finished 6th in 2023 Louisdor Cup finals after which Ascenzione disappeared from sport (so far).

Back in the Grand Prix Ring

At the 2025 CDI Tolbert, Imke piloted Honoré into the international Grand Prix ring to score 65.565% in the Grand Prix (15th) and 73.935% in the Kur (3rd).

"I was so proud of Honoré yesterday in the Freestyle," Imke stated. "Already a lot more relaxed than in the Grand Prix, in which we couldn't ride the test I had hoped for. But yesterday in the Freestyle it was really so much better. Especially very proud of the piaffes he showed. It took him so long to learn this but now he is doing it so well."

It was a trip down memory lane for Imke as she rode to music of her career making mare Sunrise. "I was ahead of the music unfortunately, but what a pleasure it was to ride to the beautiful music of Sunrise."

The weekend has whetted Imke's appetite for competition sport. "Still so much homework to do, but the first international Grand Prix competition in I think 12 years is a fact," she said about her comeback. "Now on to more! And keep learning! Because horse riding is so difficult, but it's oh so beautiful to be out and about together and grow. Thank you Tineke for all your help and wise words. So nice that we can do this together with Honoré."