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Eurodressage
F.O.C.U.S.
Rider
in the Spotlight: Ellen Bontje
 In
the last ten years Ellen Bontje has been a solid member
of the Dutch Dressage Team. Based in Dreiech, Germany,
Ellen is training with Conrad Schumacher at Hofgut Neuhof.
She rode Petit Prince, Piccolomino, Olympic Larius,
Heuriger N and her latest mount is Olympic Gestion Silvano
N. With this horse Ellen is an unmissible piece for
the silver Dutch Dressage Team.
It
was her father who fulfilled her child's dream of getting
a carriage pony. A year later he also bought a riding
pony for Ellen. This mare was very spirited as she foaled
every year and became obnoxious when she had to leave
her baby. Ellen was very scared when she had to ride
this pony, and this fear has never gone away. "I'm still
not a real hero, and when a horse is bucking or jumping
round the arena I immediately pass on the ride".
At
Nico van der Stigt's stable in Garderen, Ellen started
out as a groom. For two years she was able to ride an
off track racing horse. When she had to canter with
him, he became very frisky so it was important for her
not only to ride with her body but also with her mind.
When she left Van Stight, she had an excellent seat
but she couldn't ride the exercises. At age 21, Ellen
went to Germany to work with Josef Neckermann. "I have
never even dreamt of going to the Olympic Games, but
when I arrived at Neckermann's I had to groom for him
at the international competitions; I saw how the real
show world looked like and I was immediately amazed"
After
three months of grooming, Ellen had to ride three horses
a day. Neckermann rode with a lot of feeling and several
times Ellen had to redo an exercise fifty times. When
she asked him what
was wrong, he couldn't give an answer. That's why his
training was very difficult.
In
May 82, Ellen moved to Conrad Schumacher in Dreieich,
but she kept working for Neckermann until his death.
Ellen competed for one year and a half before she made
her Grand Prix debut with Neckermann's Marius. But Ellen
really florished at Schumacher's stable. Not only did
she get better equine material to ride, but Conrad's
lessons were very different. He could explain everything
so clearly and could bring rider and horse closer to
eachother. He discovers so many different ways to solve
a certain problem.
After
the Olympic Games of Seoul, Ellen went through difficult
times. Her Grand Prix horse Petit Prince had to go back
to Sven Rothenberger after CDI Amsterdam and Larius
was still too inexperienced. In 1994 she was selected
for the World Equestrian Games of The Hague with the
Trakehner Heuriger N. Placed fifth in the individual
rankings, Ellen could only enjoy this highlight in her
career for a short period, as after that event the owner
pulled Heuriger out of the show circuit to focus him
on his breeding duty. Her new come back come with the
Holsteiner Gestion Olympic Silvano N, with whom she
competed at the European Championships of Verden (1997).
Of course she contributed a large part to the silver
Team medal for the Dutch Equestrian Team. At the WEG
of Rome, 1998, Ellen became eigth with scores between
70% and 72%.
Living
and working in Germany, Ellen only competes for Holland
in international competitions and the Dutch national
championships. She does not own any horses herself but
with her professional skills and good connections through
Schumacher, Ellen has always had to opportunity to ride
excellent dressage horses. As Prix St. George mount,
Ellen has control over the reins of the KWPN approved
stallion Facet (formerly ridden by Mieke de Kok). Thanks
to the high scores she gathers at the CHIO Aachen and
other notable events, Holland can not ignore the importance
of this wonderful rider for its dressage team.
Pictures
copyrighted by Dirk Caremans of Hippofoto
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