Vera Kessels Passed Away

Dressage

U.S.A.

The Dutch born American Grand Prix rider Vera Kessels passed away on 22 March 2025 after a brave battle against cancer. She was 62 years old.

From Holland to the U.S.A.

Vera Kessels was born in The Netherlands on 11 February 1963 and grew up in a horse loving family with a passion for show jumping. She is related to Dutch jumper Paul Hendrix from Baarlo (NED).

She first developed her skills as a jumping rider before focusing fully on dressage. She knew horses would be her path in life and after high school began working for a sales and training barn for ten years.

In 1995 Vera moved to the U.S.A. and brought along one horse, the KWPN bred Dotato (by Zeoliet x Hoogheid). Vera competed Dotato for the first time on American soil at the 1996 Palm Beach Derby at small tour level. Four months later she moved him up to Intermediaire II level and in January 1998 piloted him in his first Grand Prix test at the Winter Dressage Concours. They finished their partnership with two final CDI's, one in Raleigh followed by their last show at 1998 Dressage at Devon.

Nan Sexton

Kessels on Dotato in 1998
(Photo © Mary Phelps)

Vera initially worked for Nannette Sexton and took over the ride on Sexton's 1990 born Westfalian stallion Da Vinci (by Democraat x Goldlack x Windesi xx), bred by Heinz Lammerding, from Holger Bechtloff. She showed the grey as of February 1996 from training level to third level until Patrik Burssens took over the ride in 1997.

Sexton's KWPN bred Beaux (by ?) she showed once in the 1997 Palm Beach Derby at First level. Before Vera got the ride he was shown by John Achilla and after her Marcel van der Burgh competed him. In 1998 she also showed Helena Klukofsky's Westfalian bred Farewell (by Florestan x Fruhlingball) for one winter in Florida.

Dressage at Devon in 1998 with Dotato was Vera's last competition and a 7-year break from showing followed.

Michael Barisone

Vera met U.S. Grand Prix rider Michael Barisone and got married. Michael took over the ride on Dotato in 1999, showed the horse in Hickstead 1999 and at the CDI-W Palm Beach Derby in 2000, after which Dotato was retired from sport at a friend's farm.

The couple ran dressage stable Hawthorne Hill in Long Valley, New Jersey and wintered in Florida. Vera mainly focused on the training of horses and students, instead of competing herself. She also sourced foals and young horses in The Netherlands on annual buying trips.

She returned to the arena in Florida in the winter of 2005 with three horses: her husband's grey KWPN bred Maxim (by ? ), Bonnie Maxon's Oldenburg Wilson (by Wolkentan II x Davignon), and with Janet Bell's KWPN bred Naomi (by Zeoliet x Bold Indian xx). She showed them through small tour level.

Vera coached her husband Michael to his biggest successes in his career, i.e. being named U.S. second team reserve for the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong. With Jane Suwalsky's KWPN bred Neruda (by Haarlem) Michael ended up first reserve when first reserves Leslie Morse and Kingston dropped out. He travelled to the Olympics and trotted up Neruda, but never got to compete.

Whitman

After a four-year gap Vera returned to the arena in 2009 with Jane Suwalsky's Whitman (by Rhodium x Saluut).

Vera on Urbanus T
(Photo © Amber Heintzberger)

Rebecca Cowden made her debut on the then 6-year old but as of July 2009 Vera started showing him at Third level before the owner took over the ride herself in 2010. In 2013 Michael competed him once, but in March 2013 Vera piloted him down the centerline in Loxahatchee at small tour level.

In May 2013 she returned to the CDI ring after a 15-year break from international showing. She rode Whitman at the CDI Lexington in May 2013, where she finished second in the Prix St Georges (67.868%) and third in the Intermediaire I (69.289%).

She became a U.S. citizen in March 2014, the same month she did her first Grand Prix test again after Dotato last took her into the big tour in 1998.

In 2015 she continued to show at national Grand Prix level with Michael's KWPN bred Urbanus T (by Hemmingway x Amethist), who had recovered from injury. In February 2016 she last put on her show jacket at White Fences competing Nicole Cardella's Hanoverian Flirtini (by ?) at First level.

A New Life

Vera and Michael got divorced and a new life started for her. She stayed in Loxahatchee, FL, and focused on teaching and training. She was a well sought after clinician. Her principle clients and students were Jaime Dancer, Lauren Sprieser, and Denise and Kenneth Steele, amongst many others.

Sprieser praised Vera for being "detail-oriented, classical in approach and optimistic in attitude. She believes every horse and rider deserves earnest attention and positive training. Her experience is both broad and deep, having worked with nearly every type and breed of horse over the course of 40+ years."

Vera was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in August 2024. She completed chemo in December 2024 and was considered in remission. Unfortunately after travelling home to Holland to visit her family mid February, her health took a drastic turn for the worse.

Vera lost her battle to ovarian cancer on 22 March. She was surrounded by her Dutch family who had flown in from Europe.