The organizers of the National Harness Horse Day have succeeded in bringing one of the most successful drivers in international four-in-hand driving to Lunteren: the American Chester Weber. He has achieved his greatest successes with Dutch harness horses, winning multiple World Championship team medals and three individual silver medals at the World Championships.

At the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, he won team gold and an individual silver medal. Earlier this year, he became the U.S. four-in-hand champion for the 21st time and recently won the dressage phase at the prestigious CHIO Aachen with an impressive score. The final standings at Aachen prominently featured drivers with Dutch harness horses.

KWPN harness horse remarkably successful in international driving sport
The KWPN harness horse is remarkably successful and popular in international driving sport. The National Harness Horse Day organization is therefore delighted with Chester Weber’s attendance. Chairman Henk Lassche stated, “As an organization, we do not want to miss the opportunity to highlight our breeders of successful international driving horses. We would also like to express our gratitude to Hengstenhouderij Gebroeders van Manen, Wim Cazemier Equestrian Centre, and Wegrestaurant De Lichtmis for making his visit to Lunteren possible.”

In a 2018 interview with KWPN Magazine, Weber paid the following compliment to Dutch breeders: “Dutch breeders are incredibly innovative and do a great job. Breeding continues to progress, especially when you compare horses from fifteen to twenty years ago with those of today. Years ago, you often saw a large head and a long back, but now we work with modern horses. This shows that Dutch breeders understand market demands well.” This is evident as the majority of horses competing in international driving events have harness horse blood. Weber is a great admirer of harness horses, with almost his entire stable consisting of KWPN-bred horses. During two show blocks, he will demonstrate and explain why the Dutch harness horse is so suitable for international driving sport.

Source: KWPN
hoto: Dirk Caremans