Preparing herself for an exciting international small tour debut at the 2014 CDI-W Toronto on her home bred Jewel's Amethyst, Dutch born American Eliane Cordia-van Reesema has big ambitions in the international dressage sport. Trained by experienced Olympian Ashley Holzer, Eliane has the drive, horse stock and professional management required to make it in the big time.
While 38-year old Eliane is preparing her number one Grand Prix horse Jewel's Adelante (by Don Schufro x Phaeton) for the summer CDI-W events at Saugerties and Devon, she's bringing the 9-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Jewel's Amethist (by Sandro Hit x Flemmingh) to Toronto. Home bred at her parents' farm Jewel Court Stud in Wuustwezel, Belgium, the cradle of many international dressage and show jumping stars, Amethyst came to the United States 2,5 years ago and made his PSG debut in Florida this winter.
"Adelante and Amethyst are the two horses I'm focusing myself on fully at the moment," Eliane told Eurodressage. "I acquired Adelante as a Grand Prix schoolmaster to teach me more of the Grand Prix, even though I prefer training horses up the levels myself. He turned out to be more talented than we all expected and really proved he wants to fight for me. Amethyst we bred ourselves and was started at home, but I trained him to FEI level myself. He really gets great scores for his gaits and I want to qualify him for the 2015 Pan American Games."
Based in Rowayton, Connecticut, Eliane does the 45-minute commute to Holzer's stable in New York for coaching on a regular basis. Eliane is happily married to Dutch born American Volckert van Reesema and a mother to three beautiful children, Jasper (6), Fleur (3) and Nicoline (10 months). She got her Bachelor's degree in Business in Barcelona and did the Masters Education for a professional riderd in Deurne, The Netherlands.
"I moved to the United States for my husband," Eliane explained. "I met Volckert by pure accident as my brother Keesjan was running the New York marathon. We first moved in together to test our relationship. After three months I knew he was the real deal, but after half a year in New York I realised I wasn't a city person. I got home sick, missing farm life and the horses, so went to Central Park just to smell the horses in the air there. I had to make a decision, my Grand Prix horse Caracol was injured at the time. I really wanted to ride again and went to Riverdale Riding in New York, where Ashley Holzer, a Canadian Olympic trainer, was based. It was serendipity."
Holzer turned out to be the key to Eliane's international dressage career. "Every day she amazes me. She is incredible," said an enthusiastic Eliane. "I'm not easily impressed and never had an idol but I'm a very big fan of hers. Her strength is that she can explain everything so well. She has an unbelievable anatomical view on horses and analyzes every horse differently."
Holzer's positive energy rubs off on the horses and riders. "Her training is very focused on the conformation of the horse and she'll always start from the positive side," said Eliane. "We practise the things we're good at because it gives the horses a good a feeling and positieve self-consciousness. There are always tons of sugar lumps at hand to reward the horses. As soon as they did a good training, she'll jump off, loosen the girth and praise them."
Eliane said she has found her match in Ashley and together they aim to bring Cordia-van Reesema on the U.S. team, hopefully for the 2015 Pan American Games. "She's strict but fair, very correct," said Eliane. "She has talent to train horses to the highest level and we have an amazing girl team around us. It's real girl power in our barn. Together with P.J. Rizvi we are the only American high performance riders at Riverdale surrounded by Canadians."
With her sight set on riding Amethyst on the U.S. team at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Eliane is tackling the endeavour with passion and positivity. "Since I was a small child I saw riders compete at the Olympics. I have those same highest ambitions, but my goal is to get better each time than my last version. I set small goals which give me the strength to move on. With my performances I want to achieve that what the U.S team is looking for."
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