Epplejeck Viertallen Cup, even if you lose, you still get better

Riding a foursome is much more than just performing a freestyle with four combinations. Riding a foursome involves thinking together, acting together, and becoming one. Not just with your horse, as in regular dressage, but also with your teammates. One team that has so far narrowly missed out on a starting spot in the Epplejeck Foursome Cup final on Friday evening, October 17th, during Indoor Friesland is team "Salva Pony Power Noord." They've been deeply disappointed twice, but they're not giving up. Under the guidance of trainer-coach Marian Staal, they're going for it again. They'll try to qualify again during the Last Chance competition at the WB Stables in Warga on September 28th.

“We spoke with Marian Staal. Marian is 58 years old and lives in Schildwolde, in the Municipality of Midden Groningen. She has a broad education and worked for the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, among others. In 2018, she was involved in a serious car accident, which made it difficult to continue these activities. Since 2000, she has owned her own equestrian business, which has evolved from a training and boarding stable to a focus on coaching. It was always clear to her that her passion lay with horses, and so, after her accident, the focus shifted to her company, Salva Paardensport. In this company, she focuses on training and coaching coaches and trainers. This primarily involves mental training. In addition to equestrian sports, she does some coaching and team development in organizations outside the horse world. Her passion for equestrian sports was there from a young age. She rode Grand Prix dressage, but has also competed in show jumping, eventing, and even driving.”

Four riders, commander and coach

Marian: “I've always been the team captain; I loved coaching and training. Our team was only formed in June of this year, and I joined right after. The team consists of Linde Bos, Tess Cuperus, Tessa Schoenmakers, and Sophia Gavriel, with Marsha Smits as the captain. They are girls aged fifteen to seventeen who know each other from competitions. They're still in school and all ride Z1 and Z2. In competitions for foursomes, you can compete in any class, but because all our girls ride Z, we chose Z. We only have four riders, but we do have reserve ponies in the background. For the National Championships, we also had a rider on standby just in case, but she didn't train with us. We also have a captain who leads the team in the test and gives a lecture. All the girls ride Welsh ponies, and they're easily recognizable by their blue coats. They're handsome ponies with a lot of talent, just like the riders, but they're also sensitive to what's happening around them.”

Twice the bad luck, three times the charm 

We went to the Groningen Regional Championships to compete in the Hippiade and Indoor Friesland. It went well, but during the test, something happened in the warm-up ring, causing all our ponies to briefly buck off. Fortunately, everyone stayed put and were able to finish the test, but the girls were incredibly disappointed that they couldn't showcase their talent as they'd envisioned. Another opportunity followed at the Dutch Championships. We became champions in the Z class, which would also have qualified us for Indoor Friesland. However, the KNHS (Royal Dutch Horse Federation) decided to combine all the classes and create a single ranking. This proved to be a double disappointment at the National Championships. In this new ranking, we finished second, meaning we not only missed out on the championship but also our starting spot for Indoor Friesland. We were happy with second place, but also disappointed because of a questionable rule. You can imagine how incredibly disappointed we were; it really hit us hard. This would be the case for everyone, but for my pony riders, who are still children, it was even more so. On."

“However, we have turned the page and we are going for it; third time’s the charm.” Developing resilience is an important theme in my work, and that is coming in handy now. I have no idea how many participants there will be on the 28th ^or how many will make it through; we are simply going for the win. We are trying to cover every possible point in the training, and we are also going to sit together without horses to prepare ourselves optimally.

Homework for team and individual 

The girls come from all over the province of Groningen, and we train once a week at a location with a 20x60 cm (60x200 ft) court available. I give the girls homework for this, both as a team and individually. They're incredibly enthusiastic and really put it into practice at home.

Past recognizable 

Riding at Indoor Friesland is our dream. I've ridden and judged there myself in the past. I even had the opportunity to ride a pas de deux with Christa Larmoyeur. When the competition relaunched four years ago, I immediately realized I had to be there again. I'm definitely not disappointed; everything is fantastic. The facilities, the spectators, the promotional village, the curtain in the main arena, everything. It's basically a new take on tradition. The first year, I went to the dressage as a spectator. Show jumping is fun too, of course, but I can't do everything. I love progress, but fortunately, much of it is still familiar from the past. I'm thrilled that a competition like Indoor Friesland, with its top-level sport, which so many Frisians and other northerners love, has been brought back.

Basic and multi-team sports underestimated 

Finally, I'd like to say that recreational sports should receive more space and attention at the KNHS (Royal Dutch Horse Federation). It currently feels to me like this group is a bit of an afterthought. So much is involved in this aspect of the sport. It's not just riders and horses; think of parents, owners, sponsors, and so on. Basic and certainly pony sports are very important, and team sports are even more crucial for the development of young people. It's incredibly good for basic development and certainly not just a train ride. It's a sport, but the mental aspect of riding in a team shouldn't be underestimated. Even if you don't continue in equestrian sports, it benefits everyone. Even if things aren't going so well, as in our story, you still grow. Incidentally, we're talking about the riders now, but this also applies to the horses. They become easier with all the experience they gain.

Thus spoke Marian Staal. She is dedicated to her team, but certainly also to grassroots and team sports in general. Thank you for this candid, honest, and wonderful conversation, Marian. Respect for your commitment, perseverance, and enthusiasm. Best of luck on the 28th ⁱⁿ Warga and hopefully see you at Indoor Friesland.

Photos: Marian Staal archive

Text: Marjan de Wildt for Indoor Friesland