Mission accomplished! Marit Smit is looking forward to the Allspan Pony Cup

She had been a spectator at Indoor Friesland for two years when she discovered it was possible to ride the magnificent WTC Expo arena herself. Reason enough to enter all the qualifying competitions, and her mission was accomplished. Together with her pony, Lynn, she is among the elite group of 25 pony combinations that will compete in the Allspan Pony Cup final on Thursday, October 23rd. It's not just any final, but a final in which the young riders will be coached by a top rider and will thus experience a unique day. We called the second-placed rider after six qualifying rounds: Marit Smit. 

Marit is sixteen years old and lives in Nijeveen, on the border of Drenthe and Overijssel, near Meppel. She has an older sister and brother. Her sister also rides and has her own horse, which, along with Marit's pony, is kept at their grandparents' house. Marit is in the fourth year of pre-vocational secondary education (MAVO) and hopes to make horses her profession in the future. Besides horseback riding, she loves korfball.

150 combinations, 25 starting places

Marit: "I did indeed compete in all six qualifying rounds. The competitions where they took place are always great, and I really want to compete at Indoor Friesland. I won Tolbert and Franeker, and together with the results from the other qualifying rounds, I was delighted to qualify with a good score. They rode well, and I never expected to finish second in the final standings."

Sanne Thijssen example 

I think Indoor Friesland is fantastic. We've been to the Frisian Evening a few times, and I thought it was really cool, especially the Elf Steden Jumping. Now I get to ride myself, which is even better. Having a top show jumper as a coach is also very special; you won't find that anywhere else. Who would I most like to have as a coach? Marriët or Willem; they ride so well. Sanne Thijssen is my role model, and at home, my mother and sister help me. Every Monday, I have jumping lessons at our riding club, De Veenruiters, in Wanneperveen, and I have dressage lessons from Jolanda de Nekker. I know it's difficult, but I'd love to make horses my profession. The chances are slim, but I'm going for it.

Goal achieved 

I also had the opportunity to compete in the Dutch Championships this year. That was fantastic, as was my victory in Tolbert, but I expect Indoor Friesland to surpass those two. Thinking about it makes me a bit nervous, but I shouldn't be. I've achieved my goal, and that's just fantastic. I expect my pony to be well-behaved and calm, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm not going to do anything special in preparation. We won't be competing anymore. We will go to club lessons, and I'll have another dressage lesson, but that lesson was already scheduled.

Pony Lynn 

About my pony. Lynn is a nine-year-old black-and-brown E-level pony. She's a mare, and she's very sweet and well-behaved. I've had her for a little over a year. We currently jump 90 centimeters, and later this indoor season we'll move up to 1.00 meters.

Photos: Manon van Spijker & Private archive Marit Smit 

Text: Marjan de Wildt for Indoor Friesland