Academy Bartels

Improve your knowledge, improve your riding, improve your horse

Over the past 18 years, the Dutch equestrian sport has developed and executed a talent development programme. This project came about through the Dutch federation and through the sponsor, Rabobank. Academy Bartels, based in the south of the Netherlands, was privileged to be at the basis of the Rabo Talent Programme. Imke SchellekensBartels, daughter of top trainer Tineke Bartels, director of Academy Bartels, and herself a dressage competitor in two Olympic Games, says, “It is very special that a private institution like our academy could co-operate with a big sponsor and a national federation for such a long period. Looking back now, there have been a lot of developments in those years.”

In this article, Imke will take you through the most fundamental developments.

What has been improved in Holland over the past 10 to 15 years?

Better education, better interaction between coaches, and improved scouting of young talents are definitely the most positive developments since the talent programme was implemented.

Next to that, our training methods have improved greatly. If you ask me, the Netherlands is not disengaged from the classical training system, in which my mother was educated. In my opinion, we modified that system by incorporating scientific research and experts from different sports.

Better education in talent development

My mother and father have been involved in education for many years. My mother graduated at the Dutch sports academy in Tilburg and my father is a psychologist and was the only equestrian professor in the Netherlands until recently.

In one of our books, my father wrote, “The central theme in all that we do is to learn more and keep developing; riding and training with more awareness and knowledge is our trademark.”