Imke Schellekens-Bartels Resigns as Dutch Children and Pony Team Trainer

Dressage

The Netherlands

Imke Schellekens-Bartels will be resigning from her position as Dutch team trainer for the children and pony riders. The former Dutch team rider and Olympian wants to focus on her own riding career again.

Schellekens-Bartels succeeded Monique Peutz in January 2019 when the judge moved into the position of Dutch junior/young riders team trainer.

Thirteen Medals in Four Years, None in 2023

In five years time Schellekens-Bartels won 13 medals with her "kids", all of those between 2019 - 2022.

In the pony group there was team silver (2019, 2022) and team bronze (2020, 2021) as well as Kur silver (Maddy Dijkshoorn 2022). In the children division there was team silver (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), individual silver (Lara van Nek 2019,) and bronze (Maura Knipscheer 2020, Lize Van Den Heuvel 2021, Sophie van Norel 2022).

This year the Dutch were unable to win any team or individual medals in the pony, children, junior or young riders' classes; an unprecedented fact that dates back to 28 years ago.

Back to Own Riding

Imke and Honore at the 2022 CDI Opglabbeek

The KNHS reported that Imke's "own ambitions in sport and the busy job at home are the source of this decision."

Schellekens-Bartels stated that, "I very much like to compete internationally again and now I have the horses for it. I want to do that as well as possible. This means I need to make a plan which fits my horses instead of planning shows secondary to my other job. Also our company at home is demanding and the training of our students take more time. I also want to give my son Joep plenty of attention. It's all getting too busy."

Imke looks back on a great time, "I've done the job of team coach with much pleasure. It's great to work with such talent youth riders. I'll miss that tremendously, but I need to allocate my time differently."