18 January 2021

Checking in with…….Edithe van Roosmalen

The sport of combined driving has had the privilege of knowing a great number of people who have had a lasting impact on the sport. Hoefnet went in search of a number of these legends to ask how they are doing now. In this chapter we are talking with Edithe van Roosmalen.

Beesd 2015
Photo: Rinaldo de Craen

The native Belgian Edithe van Roosmalen (73) is a horsewoman through and through. She was chef d’équipe for both the Belgian and Dutch four-in-hand teams and was herself an active international single driver. Edithe was introduced to the sport of combined driving through her husband Tonny.

 

Springsport

Edithe groeide op tussen de paarden; thuis hadden ze een pensionstal en zij reed paarden onder het zadel. Veelal in de springsport, waarin zij ook op topsportniveau heeft gereden. En met succes. Zo overwon ze met haar paard Kilalou een muur van twee meter hoogte.

Er werden daarnaast ook veel jachtpaarden getraind en verzorgd. Op zondag nam de high society dan deel aan jachten. Natuurlijk werden er ook regelmatig paarden verkocht, wat voor de jonge Edithe soms een hard gelag was. Zo vergeet ze bijvoorbeeld nooit de Engelse volbloed die heel bang was voor een balkje. Maar Edithe won zijn vertrouwen en kreeg hem klaar. “Hij had een blesje en vier witte benen”, weet ze nog. “Ik heb met dat paard heel veel gesprongen. Toen ik zeventien of achttien jaar oud was, werd hij verkocht en ik vond het heel erg om hem twee weken later terug te zien bij zijn nieuwe eigenaar met vier dikke benen. Hij heeft hem nooit uitgebracht.”
Dat Edithe een veelzijdige paardenvrouw is, bleek al op jonge leeftijd. Want ook aan de draverskoersen onder het zadel in België nam ze deel.

1964: Edithe in action with Kilalou
Photo: Private collection

From show horses to combined driving

Husband Tonny was an active figure in the harness horse world and it was here that she was introduced to driving. Edithe even took part in the lady to drive classes. One day on a whim she decided to visit the marathon in Zutendaal. Edithe: “We didn’t know what we were looking at and thought ‘what are these people doing with their horses?!’ But nonetheless the sport intrigued them: “We live in the forest and Tonny didn’t enjoy driving pair so he would drive tandem. I was his groom as I was still riding under saddle at the time. We really enjoyed the competitions, at the time there were still five phases. Tonny even won the championships one year, but because he was Belgian he couldn’t be named champion. It was pure hobby and relaxation for us; we were never busy with the results. The first ten or fifteen years the competitions in Belgium were really fun, and had a great atmosphere. The camaraderie between the drivers makes the sport so special, though I have to say that these days the single drivers are the only ones that really demonstrate that camaraderie still.”

 

2003: Goud met het Belgisch team in Aken
Photo: Private collection

Chef d’équipe

“I was the chef d’équipe for the Belgian team drivers for eight or nine years. I knew all of them well which made the job easy and it was around 1997 that I rolled into the position. In Belgium it is really a form of art to bring together the french speaking Wallonian drivers and the flemmish speaking Vlaams drivers, but I have to say that was not an issue for us. At that time Felix Brasseur was the only professional in the team, the rest were all amateurs.

One of the best moments from that period was winning gold in Aachen (2003) and a year later winning the bronze medal at the World Championships in Kecskemét. “The Belgian team really worked well together”, tells Edith. “Felix said:’Tonight the barbecue is at my truck’. While in contrast the Dutch drivers did everything separately.”

In 2005 and 2006 Edithe was the chef d’équipe for the Dutch team drivers. “I got a call with the question if I wanted to take it on. My predecessor Jaap Boom told me: ‘You can do this.’  I had to think about it, but in the end decided that it would be a fun challenge.”

“The assignment from the KNHS was for two years and was agreed to before I started.” In the Netherlands the level of the team drivers was much different than in Belgium. Not just in the number of drivers, but most of the Dutch drivers were professionals. Edithe of course knew them all, but more from a distance. She had to invest the time to follow them, watch how they trained and what equipment they used.
“I really enjoyed doing it”, she says over that time. “I enjoy organizing things and I always put my heart and soul into any project I take on, that is just who I am.” It was with this foundation that the drivers IJsbrand Chardon, Koos de Ronde and Theo Timmerman later could build their success on.

In the two years the Edithe functioned as chef d’équipe she followed her drivers at every competition and was unable to drive or compete herself.

 

Edithe in action with Chico
Photo: Marie de Ronde-Oudemans

Single

In the very beginning Edithe drove with a pair, but single driving was more her thing. “I’ve never been a great in dressage apart from one gelderlander with whom I drove a 33 in dressage. The quality of the horses is of course the advantage in the sport. For me, my chestnut Kick was a great horse. He had driven indoors with a pair, but was a great single horse for me.”

With Kick Edithe drove internationally and was known for her consistently good cones driving. After Kick came Chico, a horse who needed some extra care: “He was extremely unconfident and had an injury in one eye. As a result the eye had to be removed. If he trusted you he was a very sweet and good horse. I have enjoyed driving him for many years and he is here in the pasture now enjoying his retirement.”

 

The new hobby: Whippet Paddy in action
Photo: Private collection

Dogs

The Van Roosmalens have hung up their reins and have stopped driving. Their last competition in Horst (2016) ended abruptly when they turned over in an obstacle and Edithe had a bad fall. Edithe: “Tonny broke his shoulder and I broke my tailbone. After the fact we realized that I had also broken a vertebrae in my back and had to be put in a body cast.”

Luckily the physical injuries are behind them, but driving is no longer a part of their lives. “In the forest around us you have to constantly open and shut barriers with a key which means getting on and off the carriage multiple times during a drive.” explains Edithe. “Tonny is almost 88 and that is just not agile enough. We have done everything that you can think of with the horses and now our lives have found another rhythm. We love being outdoors and enjoy our dogs.”

A new love is the sighthound sport, where the Whippets can have an absolute blast and decide themselves what they enjoy. A new 12 week-old puppy has joined the family and they hope to enjoy his company for years to come. Edithe: “We have also bought a camper so that we can easily travel to the driving competitions if we feel like it and are welcome.”

Puppy Beau-ke is the new family member
Photo: Private collection

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