Dutch champion showjumper, Sandra Klinkhamer has been riding horses since she was only four years old. At eight, Sandra tamed an unrideable pony and started competing, but soon realised her passion was in show jumping. She started ‘military style’ training with a hard-nose coach—soon finding out there was no time for tantrums or tears, a tough gig for a young girl.
It has been a victorious career for Sandra, after some set-backs during trials for the Junior European Show Jumping Championships in 1986, and negative press around her ultimate selection in the championships, Sandra was focussed and even more determined to prove her critics wrong. Sandra and her horse, Willownook Venture, went on to ride the best round for Great Britain in Ireland, winning a team silver medal.
A close friend, who is also a professional show jumper and trainer, taught Sandra the importance of training horses successfully. Similar to athletes, horses need to be trained correctly to ensure enough muscle strength needed to compete in show jumping. She was once told never to jump higher than her own height. However, her skills and determination show her amazing ability as she jumped over seven foot in a puissance in Holland.
It hasn’t always been an easy ride for Sandra, her family was forced to sell her ten horses, leaving her heartbroken…Life was about to change, she had to get a ‘real’ job.
“I did not ride again until 2001, when I moved to Mersham in Kent, UK. It was difficult to resist as I was surrounded by horses. I first started training horses for friends and for many riding schools around the local area. I was anxious that I would not remember all that I had been taught, luckily my natural horsemanship soon came back to me”, says Sandra.
In 2008, Sandra relocated to Australia and tried her hand in the professional arena, Sandra soon realised that the office was not her forte. “I decided to get involved in my true love again, I was persistent in getting my name out there—ultimately it paid off”, says Sandra.
Sandra now works at Bellhaven Stud on the Sunshine Coast Queensland, where she trains and competes some of Australia’s finest competition horses. She was faced with the same challenge as in 2001, she was anxious that she had forgotten all that she had been taught, however, since moving to Australia she has learnt to be a lot more patient and not so demanding on both herself and the horses!
Sandra credits her greatest achievement as relocating to the other side of the world and fulfilling her dream of working with horses again. “If you want something badly enough, keep dreaming, have faith and your dreams can come true”, says Sandra.
Visit Sandra's Website Horse Training Sunshine Coast
