It was no surprise that 2004 individual Olympic gold medalist Anky van Grunsven will lead the Dutch Olympic Dressage Team with IPS Salinero. The Dutch superstar also won individual gold in 2000, has nine World Cup Finals to her name and two individual World Equestrian Games titles.
Imke Schellekens-Bartels will join van Grunsven with Hunter Douglas Sunrise. Schellekens-Bartels also rode on the Dutch team in the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she placed 11th individually, and again on the 2006 Aachen WEG team.
The third rider for the Netherlands will be Hans Peter Minderhoud with Exquis Nadine, and Adelinde Cornelissen will travel with Parcival as the reserve rider.
However, seven horses will go into quarantine before the Games. Van Grunsven’s second horse, IPS Painted Black is on the list as well as Edward Gal’s Interfloor Next One and Alex van Silfhout’s Luxform’s Nimbly. Four years ago at the Athens Olympics two Dutch horses—Edward Gal’s Lingh and Antoinette Falandt’s Jarwo—had to be replaced at the last minute due to injuries.
The horses will fly to Hong Kong on July 25 and return on August 23.
