In 2026, the Dutch Para-Driving Championships were due to take place at the Paardenspektakel Beekbergen from 23 to 26 July 2026. The organisers subsequently decided to skip a year, partly due to developments in the international competition calendar, and to focus fully on a strong international programme in 2027 and, in particular, on a potential World Four-in-Hand Championships in 2028. The latter proved successful, and the 2028 FEI World Four-in-Hand Championships will take place in Beekbergen from 6 to 10 September 2028.
As a result, a different venue had to be found for 2026 to host the Dutch Para-driving Championships.
The De Eschruiters Driving Club in Wierden offered to help by agreeing to organise the Dutch Para-driving Championships and extending their annual combined driving competition in Hoge Hexel – which was due to take place on 31 July and 1 August 2026 – to three days for this purpose.
It is a pity that, in the end, only four teams lined up for the Dutch Para-Driving Championships, but then again, for para-drivers, this is an off-year as far as World Championships are concerned.
With the 2027 World Championships in mind, Gerard Horst is weighing up which pony he wants to continue developing with ahead of the 2027 World Championships. With the 1.30-metre Hackney pony or the 1.48-metre New Forest cross? He sees the most potential in the latter, which is why Gerard competed in the Dutch Championships with ‘Now Or Never’ (nicknamed ‘Brammetje’).
On Friday 31 July, Gerard rode the dressage test with Brammetje. Unfortunately, almost the entire test was ridden at a slightly too slow pace, with some resistance and not enough contact.
The lesson for next time: ride the dressage test more actively !
The three judges awarded the dressage test an average score of 52.5%, resulting in 76.00 penalty points.
On Saturday 1 August, the marathon was on the agenda. The A course was completed neatly within the set time limit, so no penalty points were incurred.
The B course was also completed without any faults, albeit with two last-minute corrections to the route. Obstacle 5, the water trough, posed no problems for Brammetje. However, overall, a lot of time was lost at the obstacles, resulting in a slight time penalty.
In the end, the marathon resulted in 158.49 penalty points.
The cones test took place on Sunday 2 August. It was a challenging course with some sharp turns. Gerard was due to start first after the single-horse Z-class event. Due to the dry, warm weather, the course had been watered that morning, which meant that in some places it was quite wet – and therefore slippery.
With one ball knocked off and a significant time penalty, the cones test resulted in 29.01 penalty points.
Incidentally, not a single pair managed to complete the cones test within the set time on Sunday, and only two pairs managed to do so without knocking a ball off.
Nevertheless, the cones test was once again the best event for Gerard and Brammetje.
With a total score of 263.50 penalty points, the team finished in 4th place in the final standings.
As only four pairs ultimately took part in the Dutch Para-Driving Championships, the organisers invited all four pairs to the awards ceremony. A gesture that was greatly appreciated !
Looking back with satisfaction on a well-organised National Championship – thanks to the support team (Roos, Leanne, Tessa and Lynley) – and with plenty of areas for improvement to work on, we set off on the journey home, ready to move on to the next competition.