People
Dutch Horses Unlimited is owned by Nicole Bours and Ane Visser. Below are their statements:
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My youth has been pretty standard: loving parents who indulged me by letting me clean every stable I could find and in return people let me ride their horses. I bought my first Gelderlander mare (Dutch warm blood) when I was just 16, I trained her myself and rode her competitively for 4 years.
I then moved to Florida where it took me no time at all to find another stable that would have me ride and train their horses. After a while I found more people who wanted me to ride for them in dressage, jumping and 3-day event. Together with a few other dressage riders we founded the Deep South Dressage Ass. And we organized the first show in Fort Walton Beach at the Air Base (my husband at the time being A.F.) Our Dressage judge for that day was Colonel Howard Morris and after the show (he saw me ride at 4 different levels) he invited me to his farm in Hope Hull to see me ride on his beautiful very well trained horses. That was the first time I felt the piaffe and the passage. I loved that day, he even invited me to stay in training. But unfortunately my husband was being transferred to Okinawa. We will put our knowledge and experience together to help you breed the horse you want, and to get you acquainted with the Dutch Warmbloods.. Nicole Bours
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From an early age on horses had a great appeal to
me. When I was 7 years old, I got my first little Shetland pony, which we held in a little paddock behind our house.
Later, when I was 11 years old, my pony was traded for a Welsh pony mare. My father encouraged me to breed this mare, so I went looking for a suitable stud. I ended up selecting a halfbred Arabian, which my father approved, and the next year I had a beautiful foal. After high school, I went to Wageningen Agricultural University, where I got my masters in animal science. In this period, my main emphasis was on dairy cattle, but I never lost my interest in horses. After I finished University I went to New Zealand, and worked as a scientist for a dairy breeding organization. After a few years we went back to the Netherlands, where I worked for an animal feed company initially. I was involved in the development of simulation programs for animal production. However, after a few years, I started my own company, specializing in the development of software for agricultural businesses. Meanwhile, I picked up my interest in horses again. Over the years, I have done several major projects, mainly for animal feed companies. In 2005, we had an opportunity to return to New Zealand, which has never lost its appeal to us. With Dutch Horses Unlimited, we want to assist you to breed the horse you want, making use of Dutch tradition of breeding sport horses.
Ane Visser |
