By Gemma Jansen / KWPN
Photography: © Jessica Pijlman
The year 2024 will undoubtedly go down in history as both a successful and unforgettable year for Robbie and Chantal van Dijk. Among other things, they were awarded the Brabant Cup, and they took three homebred dressage mares to the National Mare Show (NMK), with Radio Gaga VD earning a place in the final.
During the National Harness Horses Day, The Finale der Nationale was a tribute to these passionate horse enthusiasts, with three home-trained horses on the podium. And recently, the KWPN stallion Oberon, presented by Robbie, won the Westfort Stallion Competition.
However, the beginning of 2024 was less rosy for the couple from Odiliapeel in Brabant. Five foals were expected at Arve Ponderosa. Unfortunately, the first mare did not accept her foal, and after days and nights of trying, Chantal had to resort to a foster mother. The second foal had a physical defect and was unable to pass fecal matter, leading to the decision for euthanasia. Fortunately, things went well with the remaining three foals, which was a positive boost after a worrying start.
Different kinds of horsepower
Ponderosa is the small-scale farm named after the famous television series ‘Bonanza’. Robbie was born and raised here, and although his father and brother Cor were true horsemen, who trained and traded numerous horses, Robbie was more interested in motocross bikes and mopeds. Different kinds of horsepower, so the speak.
In 1989, he started dating Chantal, who had been riding ponies and later horses since she could walk. “My brother rode as well, but he wasn’t nearly as passionate as I was. Since my parents wanted to keep him riding, he always got to ride the nicest ponies, while I got the difficult ones. I never had a schoolmaster pony, like you often see nowadays. Eventually, my brother didn’t continue riding for long, but I did.
“My parents gave me every opportunity, and I would compete whenever I could; showjumping, dressage and vaulting. It was a wonderful time to look back on, with lots of fun and always those beautiful parades. When I was 16, my father and I bought my first harness horse because I thought it was such a beautiful animal. Robbie didn’t have the money to pitch in at the time. After a few years, he did, and then Robbie bought my father’s share.”
Radiating chemistry
Robbie: “I was busy with other things. I didn’t miss out on anything in my youth and went out a lot, even when Chantal and I were already dating, we had a lot of fun and didn’t hold back. Since I wasn’t earning much at the time, Cor took me along as a bricklayer to construction sites. I was also handling horses at inspections, so I earned a little extra that way. That’s when I started to develop more interest in horses.”.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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