Dressage Actitivies
Mark van de Donk and his dressage team were highly successful in 2010 in the Dutch rural and national competitions, following on from an equally buoyant 2009 competition year. Mark was re-selected for the Rabobank Talent Plan in 2009; this sponsorship places him in a select group of talented young riders and provides a structured training and development path, at the core of which is training by the renowned dressage riders Christa Laarakkers and Adelinde Cornelissen.

Horse Training

All the horses in Mark’s yard, which he runs with his partner Robert Roel, are trained under saddle by Mark – including Robert’s carriage horses, which are ridden and competed to the Dutch equivalent of Advanced Medium level. Mark also trains clients’ horses, both at the start of their ridden careers, and later on when they need help to learn more difficult movements or move up a competitive level. It’s also very common for clients to ask Mark to train and showcase their horses at competitions prior to sale or sports horse grading.

Dutch dressage training, horse production and competition riding is regarded as a respected profession, and as such is bound by national guidelines and training exams. Mark is qualified to produce and compete horses in all classes up to and including Z2, and produce horses to small tour level. Sending your horse to Mark for training can take various forms, such as production to compete at IBOP EPTM or Young Horses events. The structure inherent in the training for these competitions ensures that the horses are trained in a progressive manner that allows the horse to use his frame and potential without injury, or without skipping important building blocks in the foundation of a correctly trained horse.

At times a horse and rider partnership can get stuck in their development, and this is when Mark can, firstly, assess the situation and then temporarily take over the ride to train the horse past the sticking point. Once the horse understands and is established at its new level, Mark then re-establishes the original horse and rider partnership.

Instruction
Mark gives dressage lessons and training to Z2 and Orun-graduate instructor level. Having produced and competed several horses to Z2, and being very active in the competition world, he understands what is expected at different levels, and how best to produce horse and rider combinations for the competition arena. Mark believes that positive, friendly and constructive teaching works best and offers one-hour lessons, which include help with warm-up and cool-down. For more information about training and instruction with Mark, please contact us.

Clinics & Demonstrations
Mark gives Clinics and Demonstrations in both Holland and Scotland; please contact us for dates and venues.

Wedstrijdpaarden
Op het moment heeft Mark een aantal vaste wedstrijdpaarden. Hier worden de paarden aan u voorgesteld die momenteel actief zijn met Mark in de wedstrijdsport.