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Ermelo Aftermath
by Merri Melde
Welcome to Holland - Thursday June 5 2008
Again...Last year I stayed with Eric and Anita Lamsma, then travelled with them to an endurance ride in Kreuth, where their young friend/family junior rider Jarmila Lakeman, rode their horse Satarov rode and finished the 120 km.
This year I am back with the Lamsmas, this time to see the Dutch put on an endurance ride: for the seventh year, Eric is the organizer of Ermelo. It's not just another endurance ride, but a CEI3* 160 and Dutch Championship, a CEI3*/3* YJ 125 km (that's Juniors and Young Riders), a CEI2*/2* YJ 100 km, and a CEI* / *YJ 60 km.
Organizing the ride with him are Jarmila, and Pieter Wiersinga, and, participating in everything from acting as Stewards to setting up vet gates to supplying tea and coffee to keep everybody going are the Sturruses - Anita's family. They'll also be crewing and cheering on riders Anita and sister Marjolein (in the 160 km - both finished the European championship last year in Portugal, on the same horses they are riding this weekend), a niece Karin (in the 160 km), and Jarmila (in the 100 km).
Here also is the big presence of the Technical Delegate "Zulu" Liebenberg of South Africa, whom many of you will know from all the work he's done in Malaysia; he's been tirelessly marking course here since Thursday... and remarking... and remarking... because some of the trail markings (signs and tape around trees, signs on stakes in the ground, ribbons in trees) are coming down soon after they are put up, especially on the blue loop. Eric got permission from the national forester, and he talked to the landowners the ride will be passing by, but apparently somebody is not amused. Another big presence missing from the ride this year is Joan Eikelboom, winner of last year's 100 km and a member of the organizing committee, who died suddenly earlier this year.
The number of entries has jumped from 72 last year to over 100 this year. The trails take riders through the national (and some private) forest, and over the heath on firm sand roads - just about perfect footing, especially after the rain showers the last few days. There are no rocks and no hills, but it's not a straight race course; there are enough twists and turns and slight changes of footing and landscape to keep riders and their horses interested and paying attention. When you're cantering through the woods or heath, you can almost imagine you're in the wilderness instead of the middle of the crowded Netherlands... until you see cars on a main road in the distance through the trees, or when you hear the constant hum of traffic over the soft hoofbeats of your horse.
Many of the riders in the 160 km are here to get their qualifications for WEC Malaysia, but there will be some that are here to win the title of 2008 Dutch Champion.