Release date: 12/08/2011 |    

Gerco Schroder is the highest GCT ranked Dutch rider in at position 18 and here he talks about his year so far.

The year started quite well for me with placings in the first few of the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix’s.  The last three shows I did not get through to the second round but I am hoping to do a good result this weekend in Valkenswaard.

For me it will be hard to get to the top of the GCT ranking but for me I hope to do good results for the last three events and I will be going to Rio and Abu Dhabi.

This weekend I have brought my good horse Eurocommerce New Orleans.  I had to choose a little bit the ‘program’ around this horse as the European Championships are nearly here and that is also a big focus for me.  It is very important for Holland as we still need to qualify for the London Olympics.

This has meant that I have ridden my younger horses through the tour and other events.  I need to have New Orleans really ready for the Europeans.  The other horses are a little bit less experienced although they have done a very good job.

The Global Champions Tour this year has been good for me to step other horses into the bigger classes. When we started in Valencia and then Hamburg I rode my young horse the 9-year-old Eurocommerce London. It was the first time she did these types of classes and she placed in both.  It was really nice that she went well and gained valuable positive mileage.  This, for me, was a highlight so far.

I think the Global Champions Tour is a very good tour and important to my year of competitions and producing very good Grand Prix horses.  Of course it is also very nice to compete at these events set at great locations.  They are very well organized and okay the prize money is very good also.  It is very nice for the riders to go there and a pinnacle of our competition season.

The courses In Valencia the second round was very tough, it was one of the toughest this year I think.  The shows in Monaco, Cannes and Valencia have all the spectators close to the arena but the horses are used to that from the indoor season.  Then there are the open arenas at Chantilly, Doha and Valkenswaard that require different approach with the horses.  This is what makes things interesting.

Setting the season with the sponsors is very easy as we have the same thought about what should transpire.  I sit down with Ger, son of my sponsor Kees Visser, at the beginning of the year.  We plan out our possible events and the programs for the horses but of course this is flexible and shifts depending on how things progress

Next year of course we want to be on the GCT but first we need to see what happens for us in Madrid at the Europeans. If we qualify then we have to set the season around the development of the team.

The Dutch riders are a very close group even though we compete against each other.  It is very good in Holland as the riders talk a lot together and try to help each other.  For sure in the end we try to win by ourselves.  It works very well for our Nations Cup teams.

GCT has made all of their shows very, very nice.  They are all good in their own ways.  Monaco on the marina and Valkenswaard with the nice grassed arenas.  They have their own very nice things. Cannes and Monaco are very nice events for my sponsor to come to.  They can come there and have some nice time during the day for leaure and watch the horses at night.  Here in Valkenswaard we can bring other horses, the young ones and jump a little bit more.

Photo credit: Sportfot/www.sportfot.com