Anne Meulendijks Gets Second Anky & Sjef Horse to Ride, Issey Myake

Dressage

The Netherlands

Dutch team dressage rider Anne Meulendijks has received a second horse to ride from her trainer Sjef Janssen and his wife Anky van Grunsven.

She welcomed the 8-year old KWPN bred gelding Issey Myake (by Johnson out of Rumora (by Rubinstein x Nooitgedacht). He is bred by A. Hummel-van der Wal.

Guardian S

A collaboration between Meulendijks and Janssen/Van Grunsven first started in the summer of 2019 when Anne received the ride on the now 10-year old KWPN stallion Guardian S (by Bodyguard x Trento B).

After representing The Netherlands for the first time as a senior rider at the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam, Meulendijks left her long-time coach Jeanine Fiechter and begin training with Janssen.

"I plan on competing Guardian soon," Anne told Eurodressage. The stallion is Grand Prix ready. "When I don't know exactly, but it won't be long."

Issey Myake

The new trainer-rider collaboration flourished and the famous Dutch Anky-Sjef duo have now entrusted the 27-year old Meulendijks with a second horse: Issey Myake.

Aniek Schuiling began riding Issey for the breeder after the horse was saddle broken. Schuiling rode him very briefly as the breeder received an offer she couldn't refuse.

"I was asked to ride in a clinic with Rien van der Schaft. A clip from that ride was posted on Facebook and then he sold," Schuiling told Eurodressage. According to Aniek, Issey sold through agents Jurg Broek and Elisabeth Penterman to Van Grunsven and Janssen in the spring of 2017.

Issey Myake has been at Anky's ever since. In 2020 her working student Jade Oord has been riding him before Meulendijks took over.

"Anky and I are very happy with Issey and see a talented future Grand Prix horse in him," said Sjef Janssen. "He already has a nice piaffe and good starting passage. He can do the tempi's but they are sometimes still hard to manage because of his very good hindleg and enormous eagerness to work. He wants to overachieve. He has a great mentality and will be doing small tour this year as soon as it is allowed again to compete."

No Avanti in Tolbert

Last weekend, the first Dutch Olympic squad observation and selection trial of 2021 took place in Tolbert, The Netherlands, but team rider Anne was strikingly absent from the event.

Anne kept her number one, Avanti (by United) at home because she could not fully prepare due to the heavy snowfall in Holland that week.

"Our arena was frozen last week so we couldn't properly train," Anne told Eurodressage. "At Anky's they had just put in a new surface because the snow came inside, so I couldn't trailer there either in the way you prepare for a show. it's a bummer because Avanti is in super shape. Fortunately there is Utrecht in two weeks."

Meulendijks plans on competing Avanti at the second Dutch Olympic observation trial in De Meern (Utrecht) in two weeks.

"Avanti has done enough shows so I'm only competing him when necessary. He no longer needs the experience, just some competition rhythm. It's always a bit touch and go after such a long break. But I'm definitely looking forward to it."