Bert Rutten has announced that he will resign as chair of the KWPN stallion licensing committee. He will leave his post at the end of the KWPN autumn stallion performance testing.
Rutten combines his duties for the KWPN breed society with being a trainer of national and international dressage riders. He wants to commit himself more to training, especially now that he has sold his yard in Hunsel, The Netherlands, and has more time to travel.
"I can no longer combine my work as a trainer with the work for the stallion licensing committee," he explained. "Life has changed considerably since I sold my business, which meant that I had to re-evaluate in which direction I wanted to go and at this point I'm choosing coaching students at international shows."
The 62-year old Rutten is a former international Grand Prix and Dutch team member. He won team silver at the 1986 World Championships. He is known as a trainer of Grand Prix horses and riders and produced KWPN licensed stallions Havidoff, Clavecimbel and Paganini to Grand Prix. He is a former Dutch team trainer.
Since December 2015 he has been a member of the KWPN licensing committee, succeeding the late dressage judge Wim Ernes. The first crop of stallions he assisted with the committee was the I-crop, from which stallions such as Indian Rock came. Rutten has always stressed rideability as well as a more diverse blood-profile in his choice in breeding stallion, steering the KWPN away from the oversaturated Jazz/Ferro profile. He has been outspoken about his vision on breeding and dressage sport.
Photo © Astrid Appels
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