24 December 2022
Out of the shadows: Rian and Annemiek Klessens
In the sport of combined driving there are many people constantly active behind the scenes. Driving is a discipline of equestrian sport that you just can't do alone. Support from family, a partner or friends is indispensable for active competitive drivers and the competitions themselves are run thanks to the dedication and hard work of enthusiastic organizers and volunteers. In this series of articles 'Out of the shadows' Hoefnet will be shining a light on the people who play such an important role in the background of our sport.For this post, we talked to Rian and Annemiek, also known as ‘the ladies Klessens’ or ‘the ladies Houterman’, as they are more often called these days. The twins, who grew up in Uden (NED), can laugh about that. “I get it, all those names. Our families are very close and we are all active in driving in our own way. I understand that if you don’t know us well, it’s difficult to tell who belongs to whom, let alone which surnames go with it,” Rian Peters starts off.
Annemiek Houterman (left) en Rian Peters (right)
Photo: Private collection
The family
Rian and Annemiek have been active in the driving sport all their lives. It started as driver (Rian) and groom (Annemiek) with a single horse. Later they switched to a pair, followed by a Four-in-Hand. Rian and Annemiek got to know their partners (Jeroen Houterman and Willy Peters), who became infected with the horse virus, partly due to the ladies’ enthusiasm. Jeroen even retrained as a course designer.
The sisters both had two children, all of whom are also active in driving in their own way. When the children started driving more seriously, the sisters put their sporting career aside. They are still often present at competitions as groom, mother, chef and as volunteers in the competition offices, in the obstacles, and in catering.
Annemiek is married to Jeroen Houterman and has two daughters: Eline and Anouk. The couple runs a member cactus nursery. Eline is fanatical about the sport of single driving (read: fifth at the World Championships in Le Pin au Haras 2022) and Anouk has also driven single. Since Eline took over Flow (the horse she drove at the World Championships in 2022), Anouk has been playing soccer fanatically. Still, she always makes time to groom. She helps Eline at almost every show.
Rinie often joins the Peters and Houterman family on shows. Willy then takes care of the horses at home and keeps the vegetable shop running
Photo: Private collection
From dog to horses
Rian and Annemiek were born in 1966 in Uden. Father had a good police dog and was extremely busy with it. When the twins were about one year old, he thought it was time to put more energy into his young family. He said goodbye to the dog and bought a horse, which his wife thought was a bad idea at first. She didn’t want it to take as much time as the dog. He convinced her by buying a carriage so that they could go out with the family.
Tanerco
Tanerco was born in 1977 to the van Rian and Annemiek family: a luxuriously built horse from a thoroughbred stallion and a Gelderland mare for that time. “We saw him being born, not knowing that he would come to us shortly afterwards and would be at the basis of our driving adventures”, say Rian and Annemiek. “His owners grew tired of him quickly; for example, he refused to go into the stable with the mare and often tried to break out. He was naughty.”
When Annemiek was big enough, she rode Tanerco under the saddle and later Rian competed him in the combined driving sport. “When the horse I rode gave birth to a foal, I was allowed to compete Tanerco in driving,” says Rian. The sisters became more and more serious. In the mid-eighties Rian switched to pair driving and Tanerco also had his job to do in the later Four-in-Hand. Annemiek stood on the back and went everywhere with her. “We really experienced that adventure together,” they say. “And Dad was always there for us.”
Meanwhile the children were born. Daan is the oldest, followed by Eline and Maud (thirteen days apart) and Anouk. The children went along to the competitions and grandpa and grandma were always there to keep an extra eye on things. “The children were therefore infected with the horse virus at an early age, haha!”
Rian and her team with Annemiek and Eline as grooms
Photo: Private collection
Learn to make good coffee
As the children grew older, they increasingly took over the four-in-hand horses. Priorities changed and the weekends were too busy when Eline and Rian both competed. “In addition, two horses became too old for the sport. We then decided that it was the turn of the new generation,” says Rian. “After that I drove a pair of horses with Daan, but when he got too busy with his timekeeping company Time Scoring, that was no longer possible. From that moment on, Annemiek and I just drove recreationally, with the pair of horses that were also getting older by the day.” They kept that up until the beginning of this year, when one of the two horses died.
But sitting still, that’s not in their dictionary. “When the children became more and more independent, we sometimes said to each other: ‘Now we still have to learn to make good coffee, otherwise we won’t be needed at all soon!’ We can still be found at competitions a lot to support Eline , Daan or Maud and Cas. In addition, we are happy to help competition organizations move forward. We can then be found at the show office, at the catering, or in the obstacles. Although sometimes we have to be careful not to do too much! It is also nice to just do nothing or to just be a visitor at a competition.”
from left to right: Maud, Eline, Anouk and Daan
Photo: Private collection
Everyone helps each other
Rian looks ahead: “When I think about the future, I hope that we can all continue this for many years to come. That we just have fun with the horses and can continue to share this with each other. The children are brother and sister rather than cousins. They help each other when needed. For example, if Eline needs a truck driver, cousin Daan will help. IfDaan is short of hands with Time Scoring, Eline will come to the rescue.”
“I hope we can continue to share this with each other for a very long time,” says Annemiek. “I totally agree with that,” says Rian. “And if one of Eline’s horses retires in the coming years, I think it would also be great to go on forest rides again with just the two of us!”
The families help each other when needed
Photo: Private collection
Horses keep families together
“Our mom didn’t really like the equestrian sport. But she always said: ‘Those horses are strange animals, but they have really kept our family together’. And she was absolutely right about that,” says Annemiek. “Actually, the horses keep our family together from the past to the present day. Both our families share the same passion and even our partners have become infected.”
The horses have been with Annemiek and Jeroen for twenty years, but if help is needed, Rian and Willy drive without hesitation for 45 minutes to Horst and back. For example, to feed the horses. “For me it is a luxury that when I look outside while cooking, I can see Eline training in the arena,” says Annemiek. “And I’m not used to anything else,” says Rian. We used to live right in the city center and we biked eight kilometers every day to go to the stable! I hope we can share our passion for a long time to come.”
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