Daan van Geel reigns supreme in the Horses2fly 1m35 final at Indoor Friesland

The Horses2fly finals are already over. The final class was highly competitive, and the crowd was as enthusiastic as ever. After a thrilling jump-off with six combinations, victory, as well as third place, went to Daan van Geel. Daan is 45 and lives in Gees, Drenthe. He claimed victory with the eight-year-old stallion Meetoulon Ryal K (by Etoulon) in a time of 29.43 seconds. 

Second place went to Renate Beuving aboard the seven-year-old gelding Nevada W (by Dallas VDL). Renate crossed the finish line in 31.40 seconds. Third prize went to Daan with the nine-year-old mare Lady Ludine S (by Kannan X) in a time of 31.60 seconds.

Lots of tactics 

Daan is joined on stage in the media square by his twelve-year-old son, Noud, who earlier today achieved a respectable fifth place in the 1.10m class of the Horses2fly final. Like his father, he stayed clear twice. Daan: “There was a lot of tactical pressure in this class, as there were a lot of fast ladies in the group. It was a challenging course. With my first horse, it went smoothly, and then you know what to do with your second horse. I had two of the six horses in the jump-off, so I figured I shouldn't go too wild. However, Renate was faster than me with my first horse, so I decided I needed to ride the stallion a bit tighter. I managed that by taking one less stride on a line.”

Not international 

I enjoyed today. We compete in many training competitions during the week that are held without spectators. An entourage like this is magical. Furthermore, I don't have any international horses this weekend. We're a trading stable and have to make a living from sales. The best horses are sold. The horse I won with today could have competed internationally, but I didn't have a Grand Prix entry. Because I also qualified for this final, I enjoyed competing in it. I didn't win a Golden Ticket, but I managed to qualify through Zuidwolde and Tolbert. We always go there anyway, but this is a nice bonus.

Together with son Noud in the final 

I still get to ride the Horses2fly Super Final on Saturday, together with Noud, who also qualified. That adds an extra dimension to this for me; I think it's fantastic what we're experiencing together. Noud currently rides two horses and already much prefers being on horseback to going to school. Besides Noud, we have two sons: nine-year-old Teun, who is only focused on football, and four-year-old Sepp. Sepp recently started riding an A-pony.

The final word goes to sponsor Alex Nijboer: "We can look back on a fantastic day with great competition. I thoroughly enjoyed it."

Photos Digishots

Text: Media team Indoor Friesland