Autumn 2000, the after-season of the Belgian Dressage Competition Circuit, has been a tumultous one. Especially, the junior and young rider department of the country has been through two wars. Due to the poor performances of the riders at the European Championships, and due to other malfortunes, the junior rider 'department' in Belgium is been put under fire.

It is, of course, one person who has to carry the burder of this complete mess the whole group got in. Chef d'Equipe Leo Joosten received an enormous amount of criticism in the press and from parents before, during and after the European championships. Here are a few of the problems with which Leo Joosten and the Belgian Dressage Commission were confronted.

• During the national selection trials for the European Junior Rider Championships, rider Domien Michiels got expelled from the trials as he was reproached with the accusation that he sabotaged the test of junior rider Valerie Verellen during the CDI-W Lanaken. Although this fact was never absolutely proven, Michiels still got expelled because he showed at a few UDR competitions. As the UDR is a dressage organisation non-affiliated with the Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation, one saw proof for expelling this successful young man from the European Junior Riders Team (even though his scores had a higher average than other team members). Big dilemma fllowing this action is whether one should expel a good, solidly scoring rider from a team which needs all the quality riders it can get?
  
  
• Second problem deals with the conduct of Mr Joosten during the European Championships. Junior Riders' parents claim/rumour that Mr Joosten did not represent the team and the country in a decent fashion in Slovenia. It is said that Mr Joosten lacks status, prestige, refinement and leadership and is, therefore, unsuitable as a chef d'equipe.
  
  
• A third issue concerns serious bribery from the side of Rudy Verellen, father of team member Valerie Verellen. Mr Verellen runs a footing business and was so kind to offer a free footing for the CDI-W Lanaken, a competition organised by Leo Joosten. While some people say that this is "buying your way in", others can see it more positively: namely that this was as a favour or oa way of supporting Belgian Dressage.
  
  
• A last detail is that Mr Joosten is also involved in the organisation of various show jumping competitions. People say that he either should stick business to dressage or chose for jumping.

It is more than obvious that Mr Joosten has been attacked and slandered in an unfashionable, uncorrect and unnecessary way. Not only is it to nobody's interested what Mr Joosten does after his "office hours" but Joosten also has been put in a two pronged situation. Joosten always acted according to the rules, how provocative or biased the result may have been. Although the rule is outright silly, the KBRSF clearly states that no UDR members can participate in KBRSF competitions. Other actions from Joosten may look biased, but one has to face the facts: what are the options? Belgian has no better junior riders, and if someone comes to the rescue with a footing, why don't take the offer and just hope that, as a chef d'equipe, one will stay unopinionated. The only problem with the chef d'equipe which does have a level of truth is that Mr Joosten could have been stimulative and open towards riders and parents, more communicative with his ideas and definitely more relative when taking and outing a standpoint.

What has been left out of sight is the "other side" of the story, namely the side of the accusers instead of the accused. All what has been heard is the side of the junior riders' parents and not that of Leo Joosten. Never has the situation been scrutinized the other way round. Rivalry, mistrust, anger and back-stabbing actions have taken place amongst the field of competitors which try for a place in the Belgian Dressage Team. Ever since the beginning, that was when the current junior and young riders were still FEI pony riders, there has been a stingy rivalry between children and parents. Grasping a spot on the Belgian Team was like reaching Xanadu, one grabbed a state of divinity, one arrived at paradise. The situation was and is just outrageous. Never ever has there once been a "team spirit" amongst the former Belgian Pony team riders and the present junior and young riders. Parents were gossiping about each other and did not consider themselves as friends or a mentally -- financially everuthing seems to be ok -- supportive aid in the group. The children were being put in the front line and had to chose: you either are friends with your team mates and be their inferior, or you act on your own and be the leader of the group.. In a way, it still is like this.

When Katrien Verreet's Prins Donner died unexpectedly right before the European Junior Riders Championships, the parents claimed that the horse was poisoned. Where does this suspicion come from?

Now let's face some straight facts. The current Belgian Junior Riders Team is very inexperienced. All of them only made the change from pony to horse in 2000. Underestimating the difficulty of the change and the inexperience in riding a horse, it is more than logical that the results are not always aces. The quality of the horses is not as superior as in Holland or Germany. But, all horses are decent movers and are well built dressage horses, which should enable them to score solid 65%.

A more honest reason for all the junior rider (and young rider) problems could be the lack of professional, top level training. When results do not come promptly under the guidance of one trainer, the rider changes to another one. First of all does this destroy all the chances to develop a solid relationship between horse, rider and trainer, but this constant shift between training systems clutters the rider's mind and makes it impossible for the rider to sort out its feelings on a horse. As we all know, riding is a "confrontation with oneself". All this has not been the case with the Belgian youth riders. Constantly changing between the renown Belgian trainers: from Stefan van Ingelgem to Wim Verwimp to Philippe Jorissen to Tom Heylen to Germany to Holland, etc etc etc...where is the logic?

Now, wouldn't it be more suitable to find solutions, to look for examples in the neighbouring countries? Holland has a chef d'equipe, plus an assistent chef d'equipe who can provide additional help and can supervise the whole. Germany has a settled, solid, steady team trainer (Bundestrainer) who comes together with the group on a monthly basis and evaluate the progress each rider has made. A thorough communication between the Dressage Commission, the chef d'equipe, his assistant, the rider and the parents is further necessary to exclude jealousy and bias from the team and to stimulate a group-spirit.

Human beings are gifted with the quality of "neoteny". They learn slowly and need time to grow and ripen. The same goes for the Belgian Junior Riders Team. Looking for example in the surrounding countries is not a sign of incompetence and inferiority; it's a sign of tact and intelligence.

Text ® Astrid Appels
Image of Leo Joosten by Dirk C.