Marian Lunsche wins Horses2fly ticket at first selection competition
On the back of her home-bred seven-year-old gelding Niki Lauda (by Jardonnay VDL), Marian Lunsche managed to win the 1.30m class of the Horses2fly Competition at Manege Gaasterland in Harich, Friesland on Saturday. For her victory, she received a Golden H2f ticket that gives her direct access to the final of the Horses2fly competition during Indoor Friesland.
Marian completed the jump-off in the winning time of 31.56 sec. Second was Linde Bulthuis in the saddle of Ozenta Baraka and third place went to Jorinde Dolfijn and New Starsina. Linde and Jorinde clocked 31.61 and 32.09 sec respectively. The other Golden Tickets this first Horses2fly weekend were for old acquaintances Martine Gramsbergen (1.35m), Age Flapper (1.20m) and Amber Kiewit (1.10m).
Drenthe quarter hour
Marian is 37 years old and lives in Norg near Assen. She is a true Drenthe native. She is married and has two children, two girls aged eight and four. Two days a week she works at Het Drents Kwartiertje, a company that organises staff outings and family parties. Marian has six competition horses that are stabled with her parents. They breed their own horses, train them for the sport and finally offer them for sale. Marian: “That number of six is actually way over the max, one or two of these have to be sold.”
Niki Lauda
“Niki Lauda is a black, incredibly sweet gelding. He is above average and very competitive. You can’t make him happier than by giving him attention. I now ride him in the 1.30m and he can do much more. I have already ridden 1.35m with other horses and now I am going to see how far we can get with Niki.”
Harich especially for Indoor Friesland
“Two years ago I also rode at Indoor Friesland in the 1.20m and last year I didn’t start any selections. This year I really want to be there again and that’s why I immediately registered for Harich and Eext. Harich is no less than an hour and a half drive for us, but that’s worth it to me. This result immediately makes me want more and I’m going to try to be selected with another horse. In my pony days I also rode at Indoor Friesland, but I can hardly remember anything about that. I think the new version of the event is great. The large audience, the entourage, super nice. If you can ride there as a national rider it’s of course great. That’s very different from a standard riding school.”
Never too old to learn
“That's why I had to do the long ride to Harich. I had also ridden the 1.20m and I came second despite having ridden quite fast. I also decided to start the 1.30m and although I was slower than in the 1.20m, I still won. It will be a while before the end of October and I can travel to Leeuwarden and until then we will continue to practice. My father always guides me and in the meantime I try to learn something from watching and listening to other riders. After all, you are never too good to learn!”
Photos: Gaasterland Riding School and private Marian Lunsche
Text: Marjan de Wildt for Indoor Friesland
