Netherlands (by Claartje van Andel) Berend Minnen (63) is used to thinking conceptually. His business spirit and eye for detail is guiding him. Hence a new facility that combines all aspects of horses was born in the centre of the Netherlands, in the beautiful region of Veluwe, near the village of Harskamp, called Resim Dressage. People might know Resim Dressage because of the fertility centre Van der Holst Stud which is hosted at Resim Dressage.
Or dressage fans in the Netherlands might know Resim Dressage as the stables where 2004 Dutch dressage champion Edward Gal has his horses, others might recognize it as the home of dressage rider and trainer Els Jansen. Or it might be recognized as the breeding and raising location for young stock. Indeed, they all are right. Resim Dressage combines it all. Berend Minnen says: “This is a choice. Probably for most people Resim Dressage has the sound of expensive horses and expensive stables. But I do hope in future Resim Dressage will have the sound of professionalism, responsability, and perfectionism. For me, all our activities have to fit into those three important words. It is the essence and also the limitation of our growth.”
Let’s start with perfectionism. Berend Minnen is that kind of person! “When I bought this property in 1997, I immediately started to change and rebuild parts of it”, Minnen explains. “I am a perfectionist in everything. I started to enlarge the indoor arena from 35 to 60 metres. And that was only the start… I have added people into my concept who think the same as I do. Conceptual thinking means we all get stronger from each other.”
Following the enlargement of the indoor arena the renovation of the stables followed. A place for the young stock was next. A fertility centre was nice and easy because of all the stallions trained by Edward Gal. “In wintertime we freeze the semen on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while it’s easy to have the stallions in training meanwhile. The only thing I have to decide with every decision we take is whether it fits into our concept and whether our partners ‘have the same breath’ and the professionalism and are all of the same kind”, Berend Minnen says....