Marten Luiten Voted KNHS Talent of the Year 2021

Dressage

The Netherlands

Marten Luiten, the 2022 European Young Riders Champion, has been voted KNHS Talent of the Year 2021. The annual prize is part of the talent plan of the Dutch Equestrian Federation (KNHS).

Marten received the prize - which includes a 5,000 euro cheque, a cooler and the title - from KNHS Talent Plan ambassador Anky van Grunsvan and Iris Boelhouwer, director of KNHS Topsport.

The 20-year old Winschoten based Luiten is 2021 Dutch and European Young Riders Champion aboard Fynona. He was also nominated for the FEI Rising Star Award. The young man is studying for a Bachelor in Marketing and combines it with a (semi)-professional career in riding, receiving a growing amount of horses in training.

The KNHS determines the winner of the Talent of the Year title by vote. Three groups can vote: team coaches and trainers, the press, and the general public. Luiten was the favourite and top scorer in all three groups.

"This is super cool that I had the most votes in all three groups," Luiten commented. "Winning the title is already nice, but this makes it extra special. On a sportive level I squeezed everything out of 2021 that I got and the past year I got really nice horses in training. 2021 was a very beautiful year in that way. I'm in my third year of Business Management and will possibly continue on for a Master, but after that I want to see how I'll arrange my further equestrian sport career. It all depends on what comes my way. To become KNHS Talent of the Year is a nice milestone I'm very proud of."

KNHS Talent of the Year

The title of "KNHS Talent of the Year" was first bestowed upon Marlies van Baalen in 1999. In 2020 there was no Talent of the Year because of corona.

Previous recipients of the title, that were dressage riders, are: Jeanine Nieuwenhuis (2019), Anne Meulendijks (2017), Rixt van der Horst (2014), Lotje Schoots (2009 and 2007), Laurens van Lieren (2005), Angela van den Berg (2004), Annemiek van der Vorm (2001), and Marlies van Baalen (1999).

The talent plan was originally sponsored by Rabobank, but they pulled out in 2015. The KNHS continued to self-fund the programme.