It Hynder fan Harich: The passion of the Friesian horse The passion of the Friesian horse

Esther Liano is a passionate dressage rider who runs her own horse training centre in Harkema, Friesland. The focus is on training the Friesian horse for dressage. She trains horses up to and including Grand Prix level, gives dressage lessons and competes horses for their owners at IBOP tests and competitions. She has ridden many horses to championship titles.

As one of the first riders to compete a Friesian horse at Grand Prix dressage, she is a true ambassador for the breed. She is also the founder of the Kennis en Promotie Platform Fries Dressuurpaard (K&PP), a dressage judge, an ORUN instructor and a member of the KFPS Breeding Council. Her greatest goal remains the same: promoting the Friesian horse.

A passion for the Friesian horse

Over the years, she has developed and performed shows for events including Ahoy, Horse Event, the KFPS Friesian Proms, Faderpaard and De Stormruiter, and abroad in the United States, Denmark and Sweden. As a little girl, she dreamed of riding a big black stallion. Thirty years and ten KFPS approved stallions later, that dream has come true.

Her passion grew from the breed’s gentle, willing character. Esther worked mainly with KWPN horses and, through a client, happened to end up riding a Friesian: the stallion Hylke, owned by the late Joop Veenstra. It became her breakthrough, culminating in the approval of Hylke-Ielke 382 as a KFPS breeding stallion. Nine more breeding stallions and many sporting successes followed.

Creating shows is in her blood — her Spanish father was the well-known flamenco dancer and actor Pedro de Cordoba. The highlight so far was the ‘Horse in the Bubble’ act at Faderpaard in the WTC Expo Leeuwarden: riding inside a plastic ball 4.5 metres in diameter, an act that made history as a showcase for the Friesian’s character.

How the idea came about

Around nine years ago, the idea arose to create a show as an in-house production. What better advertisement for the Friesian horse than showing the breed in all its facets within an intriguing story? It proved an enormous challenge: after many attempts and disappointments, the proverbial ‘straighten your crown and carry on’ was very much the order of the day, and the coronavirus pandemic added considerable delays on top. But perseverance pays off, and persistence is second nature to Esther.

The theme devised by Tjerk Kooistra ties directly into the threats of our own time: after a great disaster, there are no modern amenities left, everything has been destroyed and we are thrown back on ourselves, and on the horse — the Friesian horse, our rock in the storm. Esther now works with a production team in which Tjerk Kooistra is artistic director and stage director; she herself is responsible for the horse direction and the artistic development of the horse acts.

Johanna is married with children and lives in Zandhuizen. In everyday life, she is an accountant.

She has always ridden horses. From an early age, she went along with her uncle and aunt to inspections. Around thirteen years ago she started riding Friesian horses with Harry Tubben and became second rider of Norma T.D. and Ime T.D.

In 2014 Johanna bought her first Friesian mare of her own: Yet M. (Ielke 382 x Dirk 298). Together they did a huge amount, including marathons under saddle and dressage. One of the highlights was the moment Johanna stood with Yet M. at the entrance of the WTC Expo to welcome visitors to De Stormruiter — among them the royal family, King Willem-Alexander and Princess Beatrix. That was exactly when it became clear what a fantastic horse Yet M. is: despite all the commotion and the hundreds of people walking past, she stood like a statue, full of pride and completely dependable. Yet M. has since had six foals, four of which are still with the family.

How did you get involved with It Hynder fan Harich?

Together with Esther Liano, Johanna sits on the board of K&PP, the Stichting Kennis en Promotieplatform Fries Dressuurpaard (a foundation promoting the Friesian dressage horse). Through those connections, she became keen to put her knowledge and skills to work for It Hynder fan Harich. She handles everything to do with the finances: from drawing up the budget to invoicing and payments.

It Hynder fan Harich is a great spectacle for young and old. We have a wonderfully friendly and enthusiastic team. And with the help of all our volunteers, both on stage and behind the scenes, we are making it a really beautiful production.

Berber is 35. After running her own riding school for twelve years, she is now taking things a little easier, keeping three horses for pleasure — including two Friesians.

In 2018 she took part in the mega horse theatre production De Stormruiter. It was a fantastic experience, in which everyone involved became one big family. She loves a show, preferably with horses, and best of all with the Friesian horse. So it didn’t take long for It Hynder fan Harich to catch her interest.

For the past few years she has been volunteer coordinator for Indoor Friesland. Putting on an event like that with so many people feels amazing — and just think: without volunteers, it simply wouldn’t happen. Last year she volunteered at Jumping Amsterdam and CHIO Rotterdam herself, to get a sense of how other major events go about it. She now has a great group of people around her who love to lend a hand at equestrian events.

Photo: Estelle Roelofs Images

For more than thirty years, Friesian horses have been at Stephanie Dietrich’s side — as a passionate rider, breeder and show rider. What began as a childhood dream has long since become her path in life.

She discovered her love for the Friesian horse at the age of five, when she went with her father to see the horse musical ‘Der Zauberwald’. During the show, she caught the proverbial Friesian bug. On the way home, she told her father: ‘Daddy, when I grow up, I want a horse like that too.’ That encounter shaped her and set the course of her life.

She later studied equine science in the Netherlands, specialising in Friesian horses during her studies. Over several years, she built not only her professional life there, but her personal life too. She has been active in show riding for more than twenty years. Her performances took her first to German stages and later to national and international events in the Netherlands.

Today she runs the Wickeschliede stud in Meinerzhagen, where horses are bred, raised, trained and sold with great passion. The stud was also home to the breeding stallions Gjalt 426 and Alke 468, who left a lasting mark on the breed.

With It Hynder fan Harich, a special circle closes for her. The show takes her back to that magical moment from her childhood — only now she is on the other side, helping to pass that very feeling on to others. Within the production team, she is responsible for marketing and social media.