For the second year in a row, the organisers of The Dutch Masters in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, are experiencing a last-minute cancellation of their prestigious event. Last year, The Dutch Masters was cancelled on the same day as the horses arrived – due to the Covid-19 pandemic, that was just breaking out in Europe. One year later, the event has been cancelled a week in advance to prevent the spread of the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1 neurological form). 

Today, The Dutch Masters’s director Marcel Hunze shared his disappointment: “Over the past few months, the team has worked very hard to set up a safe edition with all the protocols. The intension to organise The Dutch Masters in an adjusted format, despite all the challenges with the Covid-19 virus, was received with much enthusiasm by the riders and the whole equestrian sector. Now that we are confronted by another virus, which means that the event had to be cancelled shortly before the start, is beyond comprehension. Unfortunately we can only look forward and work towards a next great edition,” stated Hunze on the event’s website. 

The Dutch Master was host to the first leg of the Rolex Grand Slam in Show Jumping for the year, as well as the FEI Dressage World Cup.