Dutch paralympian Rixt van der Horst has secured her future with a new ride, Akuna Matate, and put her back into the race for the 2024 Paralympics in Tokyo.
Van der Horst is one of Holland's leading paralympians. With the 12-year old Findsley (by Belissimo M x Obelisk), which she competed from 2018 to 2021, she won gold and silver at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and 2019 European Championships. At the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo they won individual bronze but then had to withdraw from the freestyle as the mare knocked herself and went unlevel.
Tokyo was also the end of the partnership between Rixt and Findsley, who returned to owner Lisa Sanders where the mare is still recovering.
"After Tokyo I personally went through a very tough period and tried to find joy in riding again," said Rixt "I had lost this a bit the past few years. To do top sport for many years has its physical and mental impact, especially if you want to be the best and people expect this from you and considered it an automatism. Until Tokyo I was in a survival mode on a train steaming forward. And then this train stopped and I had to take a step back. I started a process with a sport psychologist to sort things out."
Two weeks ago sponsor Egbert van Hes acquired the 9-year old Westfalian mare Akuna Matata (by Arpeggio x Lanciano) for Rixt to ride. The bay mare was previously shown in Germany by Lisa Koch and Tabea Rüdiger.
Van Hes is the ceo of Eisma Media Groep and chair of the board of Foppe Foundation, for which Rixt is an ambassador. She has planned her show debut on Akuna Matata for next week in Belgium.
Van der Vorst, who trained with Fenna Roefs and in 2020 switched to Chantal van Luttervelt, found Akuna Matata in Germany through her former trainer Caroline Slisser.
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