Looking ahead to Indoor Friesland 2026 with Bas Moerings
Many riders live from competition to competition. Those competitions are all different; not a single one is the same. The preparation is long, and many spend months on it. The same goes for Indoor Friesland. All for three days of dressage, four days of show jumping, and a show day. It is almost time again: the fifth edition of Indoor Friesland 2.0. We are proud that so many riders have our competition firmly in their calendars, wanting to ride into that unique arena of the WTC Expo in Leeuwarden every year. We are counting down the days, and hopefully, so are you. That is why, until the time comes, we regularly look ahead with a person who will be active in our Frisian capital. You don't just watch Indoor Friesland; you have to experience it! One rider who has been there from the very beginning is Bas Moerings, and we spoke with him as well.
Bas was the best-performing rider of TeamNL show jumping recently at the World Championships in Aachen. He always rides horses bred by his parents. When we called him, he was on vacation in Ibiza, but he was happy to make time for us and spoke in a relaxed and candid manner.
Ibiza
Bas: 'That's right, I'm currently on vacation in Ibiza. It's fun, really, but it was actually at the initiative of my girlfriend, dressage rider Kris de Vries. I never used to go on summer vacations; I only go skiing every year with a few friends. What do we do here in Ibiza? All sorts of things, but definitely not sunbathing; I hate that. Sometimes for half an hour, but then back to work. We've already rented a scooter, we're kayaking, and we've been to a flea market.'
First step
'I have had the opportunity to ride in every edition of Indoor Friesland 2.0, and I was particularly happy with that the first time. Your competition was actually my first major international competition. I was able to compete because my sister was doing an internship here. Indoor Friesland is a competition with a rich history that is fortunately fully up-to-date again. The competition has been well received and is very valuable and educational. It is especially valuable for younger horses and riders to gain experience. Speaking for myself, five years ago it was the first step towards my current career.'
VDL Stud
I find the Frisian evening with the Frisian Eleven Cities Jumping to be typical of Indoor Friesland. That evening is very special, if only because of how busy it always is; the stands are packed. Unfortunately, I don't have a horse to compete in that class this year. You really need a suitable horse for that, partly due to the atmosphere that evening. Do I have any connection with the province of Friesland? Actually, nothing, only with the VDL Stud. We have often used their stallions for our breeding; for instance, their Cardento is the sire of our breeding product Jesther.
Dear Dutchman
'I was indeed the best-performing rider in TeamNL show jumping at the World Championships in Aachen earlier this year, but to be honest, I don't focus on that. I would have preferred that all four of us had ridden fantastically. In fact, I wouldn't have minded if I had been the worst-performing Dutch rider, as long as we had reached the final.'
Maikel and Jesther
'My best memory of Indoor Friesland so far? Even though I have placed several times and even won, that is not an achievement of my own. My best memory concerns Maikel van der Vleuten and our breeding product Jesther. They achieved a good result right away, and it was beautiful to see how well they complemented each other.'
Kivinia, Ovinio, Ovinia
I will be taking three horses this year. Definitely our mare Kivinia, whom I will also start in the Grand Prix. In addition, probably two talented seven-year-olds: Ovinio and Ovinia. Both are offspring of my top horse Ipsthar, and we bred all three of these horses ourselves.
Training our own top talents
Breeding is wonderful and I see my future in it, but in ten years I will probably focus a bit less on the sport and a bit more on the business operations of our stable. Big competitions are fun if you have a really good horse. However, traveling the world to compete in five-star competitions isn't for me. I only compete if it really suits me, and I don't want to ride only big competitions; I enjoy training my own top horses much too much.
It's pouring
'I'm looking forward to Indoor Friesland; it's hard to explain, but there's a different atmosphere there than at other competitions. No one is better than anyone else there, and everyone comes for the same thing: the sport and the camaraderie. (laughing) I realize I do know a few Frisian words after all: It giet oan!'
Photo : Digishots
Text: Marjan de Wildt for Indoor Friesland
