In the picturesque Dutch town of Schijndel, Kees van den Oetelaar’s equestrian paradise has grown to represent a lifetime love of horses. At 13, Kees left behind conventional schooling to set out on a quest that would combine his destiny with these magnificent animals. Now, 63 years old, he is an accomplished horseman who has worked in breeding, sport, and trade in addition to managing a large riding school.

Through his adventures, he picked up knowledge from seasoned breeders and his family’s strong horse-centric heritage, which has helped him become a pillar in the equestrian world. But more recently, his open observations have sparked a critical discussion among the close-knit community of horse lovers.

Equestrian maestro goes candid over recent practices

Kees van den Oetelaar, director of the Anglo-European Studbook (AES), provided a glimpse into his distinguished life in a recent Instagram feature with World of Showjumping, detailing a voyage characterized by the hunt for the best horses, the agony of serious errors, and a viewpoint molded by decades of experience. The veteran said, “Today, everything has to do with money, but for me, money has nothing to do with sport – or breeding.”

Oetelaar explained, “the nicest aspect of breeding is that the most normal people still have the best horses. Because breeding has nothing to do with money and everything to do with feeling – and the same goes for producing young horses as well as the top sport.”

Now that dressage and show jumping have grown significantly in popularity thus boosting market, he noted, “young horses don’t have a chance to learn from their mistakes.” With phones capturing every corner, mistakes are immediately noticed and some riders may ride too cautiously in an attempt to appease owners, he added. He calls finding a good horse to be “finding a needle in a haystack,” emphasizing the need for patience and appropriate training to respect their age. Meanwhile, the feature garnered much attention on the internet.

Mixed reaction on veteran’s opinion

In the end, Kees said, “Despite all the money in it, you cannot buy yourself to anything in this sport,” which wasn’t taken quite well by many. Someone wrote, “please clarify,” while another said, “Unfortunately it’s simply not true. And see no evidence of this at all”

Another realist commented, “My dream is to be around by my own horses again, at least one But not always is possible and unfortunately “money” is an issue.”

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A rather sarcastic comment read, “What a great statement unfortunately top sport does not work with a lot of money.” Some even dropped praises for his candidness as one said, “FANTASTIC, LOVE IT.” Another wrote, “I agree.” Finally, one put it out simply, saying, “Lovely interview.”

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