,,Thanks to the mistakes of others, I was able to win”, said Monique van den Broek with a sense of reality. She surprisingly won the Grand Prix of Jumping Tolbert in a packed HJC riding school in Tolbert with Kaspar R.
It was an accurate typification of the competition of the rider from the hamlet of Ten Arlo near Zuidwolde, because only three of the eleven combinations managed to stay clear in the jump-off. The biggest victim of a clumsy mistake was Bas Moerings from Brabant with Kivinia, who was more than five seconds faster than Van den Broek at the finish line. “I took the mare a bit by surprise, because I suddenly decided to omit a canter jump. In retrospect, I should not have done that”, admitted Moerings.
Loud crowd
Van den Broek took it easy with Kaspar R in the jump-off. “I didn’t feel like I could win. That’s why I rode a quiet ride to wait and see where I would end up after a clear round. That attitude suits me well, because I am much more of a trainer of horses than a rider who wants to win. That is why a competition like this fits very well in that educational process. The boisterous audience created a bit of an exuberant atmosphere, giving horses a lot of experience. I am sure that if a horse has been here in this arena, nothing will scare him anymore. In addition, the courses, the slopes and the entire infrastructure are top notch for each other”, says the happy winner.
For many combinations, the basic course was an obstacle too long. Many riders who had counted themselves among the contenders in advance received a fault on the back post of the very last fence. Course builder Jos Brinkman had set up the last three obstacles in such a way that the riders really had to drive forward between the obstacles.
Last hurdle
The problem was that for many combinations the very last obstacle was reached with just too little collection, so that the width of this oxer ensured that the last tree was tapped out of the spoons with the hind legs. “The course starts at obstacle one, but the last one also counts,” said Brinkman, who in this way ensured that at least ten combinations did not qualify for the jump-off, which was well filled with eleven horses.
There was ‘girl power’ in that jump-off, because Amanda Slagter (Slochteren) and Cornet Blue PS were placed second, just ahead of Chantal Regter (Bovensmilde) with Garrincha van de Kalevallei, who recently joined her stable.
No entrance fee
Helen de Koning, chairman of Jumping Tolbert, was enthusiastic afterwards. “We had eight days of matches and there was always a large audience, with Saturday evening as the highlight. This is partly because we do not charge an entrance fee. Life is expensive enough and we believe that our sport should also remain accessible. That also works, because we get this job done with highly motivated volunteers,” said De Koning, who was able to watch with a big smile as Monique van den Broek rode her lap of honor. Not on a horse, but on a highly loaded wagon with bales of hay that the local contractor had added as an extra prize to the winner’s check for 2,000 euros.
Van den Broek himself did not have to take care of the transport of the bales to Ten Arlo. That is arranged by the contractor.