Marc: ‘This was a fantastic season!’

A historical victory from the Dutch team at the FEI Nations Cup final in Barcelona! Part of this Orange squad was our Sterrehof’s Calimero with Marc. He says about the one of a kind performance: ‘Barcelona was super. Very special to win this trophy with a team like this. The final is the pinnacle of the whole Nations Cup series with the best teams of the world gathered in one competition. With Calimero I had one fault. It was not bad, although I rather would have had a clear round of course. On the other hand it was a comfortable result for our anchor man Harrie. He needed a clear for the win but at the worst case scenario we still would have grabbed the third spot.’

Highlight Aachen

With a finish like this we can conclude that it has been one of the best seasons in Marcs career. It started with gold at the national championship, then came three top 3 finishes in 5* Grands Prix and a victory at the GP of Ommen. Marc even compares this season with his dream year 2012. ‘In that year I won Rotterdam and was very successful at the Olympics with Tamino, but if you look at what Calimero has done and how many times at the important moments I can say this has been an equal season.’

The highlight for Marc was the result at the Grand Prix of Aachen, he tells: ‘Winning the national title was fantastic but nothing compares with Aachen and to be able to finish third in this Grand Prix, which also was a conformation of the fact that Calimero belongs to the best horses in the world.’

Regretfully this couldn’t be repeated at the European Championship, maybe the most disappointing show for Marc in the season. ‘There you could see that Calimero with his ten years of age still can get more experienced. Therefore I believe he will even get better when gaining this experience. Nevertheless he did perform already at such a high level. I knew he was capable of doing it, but then he still has to show it when the heat is on.

Baccarat and Cayetano

Not only with Calimero but also with his second Grand Prix horse Sterrehof’s Baccarat Marc had a very strong season. Several time they had high placings in Grands Prix, like in Münster and Hagen. Marc: ‘Of course Baccarat jumped in Calimero’s shadow but in our sport you need a team of horses that can help each other. I works super with these two. They unburden each other and that’s very valuable.

Last but not least we had the successes from Marcs wife Julia with Sterrehof’s Cayetano Z. They also peaked in several Grands Prix and were present at the Europeans. Marc: ‘She really had a super season with Cayetano. Great to experience, also for me!’