Jildau Hart: The most beautiful moment of my life at Friese Avond
The Frisian Evening at Indoor Friesland. Much has been said and written about it, but we can't get enough. Goosebumps, emotion, joy, excitement, emotion, admiration, enthusiasm—it all ties in with that one evening in October at the WTC Expo in Leeuwarden. The anticipation and the afterglow are certainly part of it. We called Jildau Hart, owner of Gouverneur fan 't Hertefean. During the Frisian Evening at Indoor Friesland 2022, this magnificent Frisian stallion gave her the best moment of her life.
Jildau is 45 years old and lives on Boelenslaan in Friesland. She has two sons, aged 21 and 19, and works 24 hours a week in healthcare. For twelve years, she has kept six Friesian horses at home as a hobby: the stallion Gouverneur, a broodmare, and four young horses.
Jildau: "I started with one, it became two, and even ten, but that was crazy. Six is a good number. I'm a social person, actually a horse person. I even want to have a drink with horse people. I love being around horses. I do ride, but I'm definitely not just a rider. Actually, I'm more of a manager; I think it's very important to make sure a horse can be a horse."
Gift for friend
I bought Gouverneur as a foal as a companion for one of my own breeding horses. I bought him sight unseen as a gift for my boyfriend. I really wanted an offspring of Nane and saw a video of Gouverneur. I took a picture of that video, put it on a halter, and gave it to him. My own breeding horse has since been sold, but Nane stayed. Gouverneur is now seven years old and still a stallion. To my great joy, he looks a lot like his sire. Jelmer Chardon started riding him and often competed against Sybren Minkema. When Jelmer stopped, Sybren asked about him, and he still rides him.
Governor at Frisian Evening and in Team Challenge
In August, Sybren Minkema and Gouverneur became National Honors Class champions, a coveted title that earned them a ticket to Indoor Friesland. In July, I became regional champion in the Ladies' Class, and a day later, Gouverneur became Frisian Champion Z2 dressage with Harmina Holwerda. Harmina has been training him successfully under saddle for years. During the Frisian Evening at Indoor Friesland this year, he will compete with Sybren in the Honors Class and the Prize of the Best. During the dressage weekend, Harmina will also ride him in the Team Challenge, ZZ Light class. So, Gouverneur will be ridden by three riders at three different levels and in different classes. Does that make you all-around or not?! I'm incredibly proud of him.
Very beautiful
Regarding the Frisian Evening, Gouverneur won the Prijs der Besten (Prize of the Best) in 2023. His father, Nane, won it in 2022, also with Sybren, and a year later, his son. I still get emotional when I look at the footage; it was the most beautiful evening of my life. As a child, I went to Indoor Friesland. It was THE event, you simply had to go. When it came back, I thought it was FAN-TAS-TIC. It was even more beautiful when I was there in the arena with my own horse a year later. We went there as underdogs. The entourage, all those people, truly special. If you've never been there, you don't realize how special that evening is. The entire WTC is on fire—unbelievable. The horses sense that too; you can tell by how they react. I really didn't see this victory coming; it was incredibly beautiful. Luckily, I have everything on film.
Formula for success
I haven't been in this world for very long, but for me, this evening is one of the highlights of the year, and I'm really looking forward to it. All the beauty of the Friesian horses comes together in a fantastic setting. The incredibly enthusiastic audience that evening is magical, a formula for success.
Governor of the Hertefean
The Friesian horse—I don't know what it is, but it's unique. When I look at Gouverneur, he's incredibly sweet and well-behaved, and he knows exactly when to perform. He's very stately and can practically go on and off. He has a gorgeous black color and incredibly beautiful feathers. Finally, he always thinks along with his rider and adapts easily to his rider. I ride him myself, and I wouldn't dare do that on a KWPN horse anymore.
And and and story
Back to Indoor Friesland. The competition has history, it holds a certain status, I grew up with it. It's fantastic that it's back, and for the driving sport, it's the most beautiful event there is. It's truly special to be able to ride in that ring in October. Everyone should just come and watch. (laughing) Because Gouverneur is participating, but also because it's just a fantastic evening. Even for those who aren't horse people. It's so beautiful, it's an experience. The whole package is complete, a show from the first to the last minute, you're taken from section to section. It's really all about both sides. The organizers, the participants, the announcer, the ringmaster, the audience—the picture couldn't be more complete.
Photos: Digishots
Text: Media team Indoor Friesland
