From a sporting point of view, winning a prize is the highest achievable during CH De Wolden. Buying or selling a horse for the right price is another branch of sport. And it is often practiced out of sight of the public.
Whether you speak to the experienced hand or the one who is there for the first time: CH De Wolden is an ideal platform to showcase horses for sale. What makes the event in Veeningen so popular in the equestrian world?
It starts with getting the peripheral matters in order. Next to rows with dozens of horse trucks, Hans van Rooy from Moergestel is sitting in the awning of his caravan on Friday morning with a cup of coffee. The groom, responsible for taking care of the horses, is there for the first time. His friends from the Brabant sport horse company for which he works are staying in a bed and breakfast nearby. “So that the rider can start the competition well rested. I fed the horses at seven o’clock this morning. They will come soon.”
He himself lacks nothing. “The grooms can get free breakfast here in the morning. You don’t get that in many places, it’s all just well organized here.” Other grooms on the grounds confirm Van Rooy’s lecture, the breakfast is popular.
It fits in with the organisation’s vision, says chairman Michel Broek. Everyone should want to come to CH De Wolden: audience, riders with their entourage, volunteers and sponsors, he explains in the glass shed between the two competition arenas. You can rent a VIP table in that room for a pretty penny. “Many people network here. Where people are, people want to be. There is room for 350 people in the warehouse.”
It brings in money for the event that has two race weekends. “We work here with a budget of about 750,000 euros,” says Broek. “We started in 2005 and are trying to get better and better. We want to have everything arranged down to the last detail and want to improve every year.”
The total prize pool of the 17th edition is filled with 240,000 euros. A nice lure that makes the event interesting for internationally renowned riders.
And big names have to attract the public again, which can enter for free. Broek estimates that about 5,000 spectators come every weekend. “Because we don’t sell tickets, that’s an estimate, not a measurement. After corona, people seem to have forgotten a bit that the event is taking place, as we saw last year. Too bad, it’s free because we want everyone to come.”
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