On 9 and 10 May 2026, Menteam De Heemhoeve took part in the combined driving competition in Greven Bockholt, with Lynley Benneker riding Stapleford Joint Venture in Class A and Gerard Horst riding Stapleford Shake A Leg in the para-categories. The driving team was represented by the new grooms, Leanne, Roos and Tessa.
There was a large number of entries in Class A for ponies, with nearly 40 pairs taking part. The programme kicked off on Saturday 9 May with this class, featuring the dressage and cones course. Generally speaking, good scores were achieved in the dressage. With a score of 45.60 penalty points, Lynley and Joint Venture (nicknamed Johnny) finished 25th in the dressage.
Lynley and Johnny completed the cones course well within the time limit, but unfortunately three balls were knocked off, resulting in 9 penalty points. This secured 27th place in the obstacle course.
In Class A, the competitors had to navigate four obstacles in the marathon. Lynley and Johnny completed the course with the four obstacles with a score of 45.91 penalty points, finishing in 19th place. However, the score of 45.91 penalty points was less than 10 penalty points higher than that of the winner, so a great result!
The final number of competitors in the para class was limited to four. Significant differences emerged as early as the dressage test. Riding Stapleford Shake A Leg (nicknamed Shaky), Gerard achieved a score of 63.125%, or 59.00 penalty points, and took third place.
A challenging course had been set up for the cones round, featuring several tricky turns, meaning no clear-round performances were achieved. With a score of 12.14 penalty points (two knocked-down balls and a time penalty), a respectable 2nd place was secured in the ocones round (and 2nd place in the provisional overall standings).
In the marathon, the para-drivers had to negotiate five obstacles. Gerard and Shaky completed this course clear of faults with 102.98 penalty points, securing 4th place (just 0.61 penalty points more than the combination in 3rd place).
With a total of 174.12 penalty points, Gerard and Shaky ultimately secured a fine 3rd place in the final standings. A fine and satisfying result!
And what about the new grooms? They thoroughly enjoyed the lovely setting and the well-organised competition in Greven Bockholt. And with the fine weather—dry and well over 20 degrees—the grooms gained valuable experience and laid a solid foundation for the upcoming competitions. Both drivers were very pleased with their efforts and contribution.