Text © World of Showjumping

After five years as chef d’equipe for the French jumping team, Henk Nooren is leaving his role at the end of the year. The 69-year-old, who first worked with the French team from 2009 to 2012, has been in charge of the French jumping squad since 2019 and it was under his lead that they claimed a team bronze on home soil at the 2024 Olympic Games.

“In the end, the situation in France is quite intensive,” Nooren explained about his decision to World of Showjumping. “We have so many shows in the country, from two- to five-star level, which means endless selecting – and because of your selection, you have to disappoint people, every single week. Also, due to my work, in the past few years, I have spent approximately 50 weekends annually on a horse show with my riders. Now, I want to get more days privately to myself, and do something else.”

“I have had some really good years with them,” Nooren tells about his time with the French riders. “I have enjoyed working with the French federation, and the people within the federation have given me the freedom to do my job. Especially in the last year and a half where we were working very intensely with a much smaller group towards Paris 2024 has been a great time and I am very happy it resulted in a medal.”

“The only thing I know for sure is that I want to stay in touch with horses and the high-level sport,” Nooren says about his future plans. “If this will be through individuals, or a smaller country, I don’t know yet. I would also like to see if I could be of any help to my daughter Lisa and her fiancée Gianpiero.”