BY BETTINE VAN HARSELAAR / KWPN
PHOTOGRAPHY: LEANJO DE KOSTER

Living in the city center, without having a private stable, yet successfully building a breeding program while also running a thriving dressage horse sales agency, British-born Rebecca Dudley does it all.

During the most recent KWPN Stallion Show, she had two stallions selected for the performance test, one of which, Thanks a Million (Desperado), was also awarded a premium.
“Breeding is actually a hobby”, Rebecca Dudley says with a smile. It is, however, a hobby she takes very seriously, and one that has already brought considerable success. This year, at the KWPN Stallion Show, the stallion she bred, Thanks a Million (Desperado - Santana van Hof Olympia elite sport-dres pref prest PROK D-OC x Sandro Hit), co-registered with Yvon Kaptein and MT-Stables, was awarded a premium. She also had her homebred Toronto (Bonds - Gita A elite pref IBOP-dres PROK x Jazz), co-owned with Paardencentrum De Dalhoeve, selected for the performance test. Two years ago, Dudley also bred the premium stallion Rockstar Millionaire (D’Avie). This half-brother to Thanks a Million is now co-owned with Yvon Kaptein and Stal Witte Scholtens, and is ridden by Emmelie Scholtens.

No personally owned facilities

Dudley lives in the center of Leiden and runs her equestrian business through various collaborations. “What I do may be a bit unusual, but it works”, she laughs. She works closely with Yvon Kaptein of De Vrijhoeve, as well as with Marcel and Tamara van Manen, Nol Gerritsen, and others. Not having her own facilities is something she actually sees as an advantage: “Because I’m not tied to one location, I get to see a lot out in the field. I travel a lot with clients and see many horses. I see offspring from all stallions, let my clients ride them, and observe how they respond. I attend veterinary inspections weekly, so I also gain insight into the health of different bloodlines. That gives me an advantage over people who have their own facilities and everything at home, but rarely leave their yard. You learn a lot by observing.”
It was never Dudley’s intention to end up working professionally with horses. She was born in Great Britain to a Dutch mother and a British father, a naval officer who passed away at a young age. She was raised speaking English and, due to her father’s work, lived across Europe as a child. Dudley was always passionate about horses and learned to ride Welsh ponies in Cornwall. She continued riding until she went to university in London to study fashion.
After graduating, Dudley moved to the Netherlands, her mother was living there again and, as a recent graduate, life in London had become too expensive. She initially planned to stay temporarily, but during a winter sports holiday in the French Alps she met a Dutchman. She ended up staying in the Netherlands and never left. They have now been together for 25 years and have two children, neither of whom are involved with horses...

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