Rs2 groom Sanne Vondel voted best dressage groom at Indoor Friesland 2025
Just like last year, Indoor Friesland is once again putting the grooms in the spotlight. These horse caretakers are there day and night for the riders' athletes. Many sacrifice themselves for the horses in their care. Thanks to Duo Hoef, Indoor Friesland, HorseGrooms, Horse & Country, Bakkerij van der Kloet, Marjan de Wildt, Equiglim, and Renate Brandsma Photography, the very best grooms were selected and honored at Indoor Friesland. Sanne Vondel, Marieke van der Putten's groom, was the absolute best.
The dressage grooms were monitored and assessed by undercover judges over the past few days. From the horses' arrival on Thursday until after the final awards ceremony, five different parties made rounds through the stables daily. Among them, a former groom and an FEI veterinarian gave their assessments. How often do the horses leave their stalls, do they always have clean water, how much attention do the horses receive, how well-groomed do they look, how well-groomed do the grooms interact with colleagues and other people; these were just a few of the aspects that were taken into account. It was a close competition because the quality was high. All the horses looked happy and meticulously cared for.
Marieke van der Putten , like the judges, is full of praise for her groom. Both have been working for Rs2 Dressage for many years. “There is no one better than Sanne. She is extremely precise in her work. You can leave everything to her; she thinks of everything and is wherever she needs to be. Thanks to her, I can focus completely, and that is what you need as a rider. When she is around, you know with 200% certainty that something will happen.”
Sanne Vondel : “I am completely flabbergasted; I never expected this and I think it’s great. It is wonderful to receive such appreciation for something you love doing most. I worked at Glock before Rs2 and have known Marieke since that time. Back then, I also went with her when she competed internationally. I have now been working at Rs2 for over six and a half years. I do so with great pleasure, partly because Marieke lets me do my own thing. We are also really on the same wavelength; we don’t need words to understand each other. In addition, we have, of course, very, very nice horses, and that is how I manage to keep going.”
Dinja van Liere on her groom : “I am happy that Susan won this prize, considering how hard she works. Taking three horses along by yourself for a week like that is quite tough, and yet she does it. It is important for a rider to be able to rely on their groom, and I certainly can. I trust her completely.”
Susan van Dongen : “I don’t like to be in the spotlight; I stand behind my rider and the horses, but I must honestly admit that I consider this award a great honor and recognition. For myself, but also for the other grooms who didn’t win a prize. I think it’s fantastic that Indoor Friesland brought this to life. We do this work out of passion and love for the horses, but still, this is really nice.”
Michael Klimke on his groom , who groomed for Klimke's rider, the Danish Amalie Aasted Albaek, during Indoor Friesland: “Thank you for this award for my groom, it is very nice. Nico is very dedicated to the horses, he loves them and is a true horseman. He has been working with us for five years now and is always in a good mood. He is never grumpy and is a real team player. I would go even further to say the latter; he is even a connector.”
Nico Wienströer : “I am honored and would like to sincerely thank everyone who tipped me off. It is fantastic that you are doing this; it is true appreciation for our profession. I used to ride myself, but I have been a groom for thirteen years now. Incidentally, this is not the first time I have won a prize like this; I have also won a groom prize in Germany.”
