Text © World of Showjumping

“It would be nice if the horse people in our sport would stay horse people, and if the people with horses would be willing to become horse people and learn horsemanship,” Jeroen Dubbeldam tells World of Showjumping. “That is how the perfect world would look like for me.”

The 2000 Olympic Champion, 2014 double World Champion and 2015 double European Champion is still actively involved in the sport, but now more so from the side-lines. “I'm a little bit everywhere,” he explains. “I'm still riding; I never made a decision to quit. We have a trading stable, we have students, and my partner Annelies is doing the sport at a high level – which is something I enjoy as well. Whenever there's a horse from a client or from Annelies that needs miles, I go to some shows. However, I don't have a string of horses for myself to make a proper plan. I take it as it comes; I am happy with what I am doing.”

Dubbeldam’s illustrious career spans over two Olympic Games, three World Cup Finals, four World Equestrian Games and nine European Championships. He is the second rider ever to have won the Olympic, World and European titles in jumping – the first was German showjumper Hans Günter Winkler in the 1950s. After winning individual gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Dubbeldam claimed the individual and team gold medals at both the World Championships and European Championships in 2014 and 2015. Prior to these doubles, he had already won team gold at the World Championships in Aachen in 2006 and at the European Championships in Mannheim in 2007. Dubbeldam’s impressive list of accolades also includes winning the two most prestigious Grand Prix classes in the world; in Aachen and Calgary. 

“I'm a little bit old-fashioned,” the 53-year-old reflects on where the sport of showjumping is today. “I was quite young when I had my top horses, and I grew up in a different generation. At the beginning of my career, there were no tours, there were no different leagues… We only had international shows on a lower level and on a higher level, and then we had the Nations Cups. In the summertime, we had the championships – the Europeans, World Championships or the Olympics – and during the winter, we had the World Cup Final. That was it – and it was fantastic.”

If I look at it as a horseman, I would love it if our sport would still be as it was when I first started

“I wish it would still be like that, because then everything would be way more horse friendly,” Jeroen continues. “You shouldn’t be going to a show if your horse is not really feeling right. However, these days, if you're part of a team that has paid for your participation, you might have a lot of pressure on you to go regardless of what your horse’s situation is.”

“I understand that the new shows, series and leagues have also brought good things,” he points out. “I believe they have taken the sport to another level. I don't want to say to a technically higher level, but for sure to a financially higher level. If I look at it as a horseman, I would love it if our sport would still be as it was when I first started. With less shows, we were able to make our own plans and really do what was best for our horses.”

Though nostalgic, Jeroen understands there is no going back to the good old days. “When I look back at my career, I think those were great times. Back then, everyone had a better overview of what really mattered. Nowadays, it’s difficult; we can have several five-star shows a week, and as a non-horse person, you don't know anymore which events are the most important in our sport. Where do standalone five-star shows, the Longines Global Champions Tour, the Longines League of Nations and the Rolex Grand Slam – just as examples – stand in relation to each other?”

Looking at it as a sportsman, and as a horseman, less shows would be better

“There's so much going on that it is difficult to judge what is the actual pinnacle of our sport,” Jeroen continues. “I wish we only had a few of the traditional five-star shows, the FEI championships and the World Cups in the winter. That would be the nicest scenario in my opinion; we should be more exclusive. However, there are more and more riders, so I know we need more shows than before… Still, looking at it as a sportsman, and as a horseman, less shows would be better.”

Jeroen hopes to pass some of his horsemanship to his students. “I'm passionate about horsemanship and it is something I am actively trying to teach to my students. It takes a little bit longer with my approach. What I aim for, is that someone that has spent years with me, at some point will know so much that they can go their own way, that they won’t need me around. That is what I'm trying to achieve, although commercially, it might work against me. If my students can find their own way after a few years with us, then I feel that I have done a good job.”

If people would learn everything the right way from the start, then the rules would not even be necessary

“If people would learn everything the right way from the start, then the rules would not even be necessary,” Jeroen points out when asked how he feels about the FEI rules and regulations. “If those involved in the sport would know how to deal with horses, we would not need such detailed rules. However, it's always a difficult task to decide where to draw the line. There are so many new individuals coming into the sport, and we have to consider them as well. We have to live with that, because our sport needs a big part of those new people. Often, they are the ones that can financially support our sport. We have to find the right balance between horse people and people with horses. I believe there is room for everybody in our sport.”

Everything that Jeroen wishes to pass on about patience and horsemanship, are lessons that he himself had to learn as well. “I moved to Switzerland at a very young age and started working at a dealing stable,” he recalls about the very beginning of his own journey. “It was always about short-term success, creating a quick deal through compromises. When I returned to the Netherlands, found an owner and started to have horses to ride for a longer term, I had to learn a totally different approach. It took a lot more patience, and I needed a vision – and I struggled with that at first. Managing horses over a longer period of time and really producing them properly is hard, and there are no quick fixes or short cuts.”

Managing horses over a longer period of time and really producing them properly is hard, and there are no quick fixes or short cuts

Hans Horn helped Jeroen understand the importance of patience and laid a foundation of horsemanship that his work is still based on. “When I came back from Switzerland, I went to Hans’ stable and learned a lot there. It was not that he was giving me lessons; I learned simply by being there and seeing how he managed everything. That is where my understanding of horsemanship comes from – and that is the way I'm still working. At Stal de Sjiem, everything is based on a long-term vision for the horses. I want to produce horses that can be successful in the sport for a long time, not create quick shock effects. Having patience and learning to take the long road have been very important steps in my career.”

“Every rider has a different approach,” Jeroen points out. “As long as everything is done with respect towards the horse, I'm fine with whatever approach people take. The current top ten are all super examples of riders who know how to manage their horses. They're top professionals with a lot of horsemanship. We are still talking about a sport, and one aspect of sports is testing limits. You need to go to the edge sometimes, also in our sport. However, it always has to be done with respect towards the horse.”

21.4.2026 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.