Good fortune for 20-year-old Dutch young rider Marlies van Baalen. Besides her own horses Roman Nature (by Rohdiamant), Habibi (by Ulft) and Inspekteur (by Darwin), Marlies also has control over the reins of the extremely talented Fidermark (by Florestan).
Through the connections of her trainer Johan Hinnemann, Marlies got Fidermark and now again, she can add two more mounts to her list of unbeatable trophy-winners. Stallion Station "De Havikerwaard" came to an agreement with Van Baalen to put its two breeding stallions, Welcome and Welt Hit II, under Marlies' care.
De Havikerwaard is one of Holland's most beautiful and resourceful stallion stations but until now, was unable to score with all its potential. In 1997 it purchased Isabell Werth's Grand Prix horse Welcome (by World Cup I) and the Oldenburg stallion Welt Hit II (by Weltmeyer). It was the Dutch Leida Strijk who was commissioned to show both stallions and, although it really clicked with Welcome, Strijk resigned from her position at De Havikerwaard after regular disagreements with the owners. The Swedish young rider Ebba von Essen was the next in line to try the horses but she could not fulfill the envisaged dream of the Van der Kamps, the owners of the station.
Marlies van Baalen is most likely to succeed with Welcome and Welt Hit II. With an influential trainer, Johan Hinnemann, and mother, Coby van Baalen, on the sideline, both horses are able to win their long-awaited trophies. Welt Hit II, a highly respected breeding stallion in the Oldenburg area, is pictured right under former rider Leida Strijk.
Image copyrighted: Arnd Bronkhorst