Rob Hoekstra is new BS performance manager

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now what did I say first time...

He wouldn't have been my choice, but I truly hope he can drag Team GBR out of the doldrums and onto the podium
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When GB was elected to have the olympics in grenwich it was the best thing that happened to the sport in a long time, and now a great performance manager who was english has been traded in for a foreigner. Does not make us look good. Derek Ricketts should of been given his job back. It may not of been a good year but with out horse power no one can perform and be the best. Without better horses Rob shall be able to do no better.
 
Admin. Why have you put this up as a question and then removed the first and most predictable answer? If you are concerned that the response may be unsuitable/illegal etc for this forum would it not be better to have never asked the question in the first place?
 
Please, if you are going to write on these Forums, do your research. Rob is British having changed Nationality in the '80s. He has ridden in 5* Nations Cup teams for Great Britain. Why do so may people seek out the negative instead of taking the more difficult step of being positive
 
The comment was removed because its content was inaccurate and defamatory, and therefore in breach of the forum terms and conditions. We posted a link to the thread as we felt that it would be of interest to many people and that it would give rise to an interesting discussion, but that discussion does have remain within the forum rules.

To clarify, Mr Hoekstra does NOT have a criminal record or a criminal past. The matter that people have been refering to was a civil matter regarding the sale of a horse. Anyone suggesting that Mr Hoekstra is a criminal could find themselves involved in legal action, which I am sure they would rather avoid.

HHO Admin
 
I really don't think his nationality is an issue. I doubt that the Italians complained too much when an Austrian took over, as they immediately improved out of sight!
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As far as I am concerned, as long as he get results he can be Martian! Also, as he has been a British citizen for 20+ years and jumped on Nations Cup teams for us, he hardly counts as a "foreigner"!

The only potential problem I can see is that, being of Dutch origin, he probably speaks better English than most of the potential team members!
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Ok ok I'm sorry! I'm no expert but I thought if you went to court and were found guilty you'd have a criminal record.

Anyway VGB has got it right . Give Derek his job back!
 
I trained with Rob for many years back in the 70's and 80's and can honestly say he is up there with the very best when it comes to coaching, training and motivating....he is also an extremely knowledgeable horseman who is bang up to date with the latest courses and styles and still produces horses to the very highest level (Cian O'Connor's Rancorrado being one of his most recent). He is highly regarded amongst his peers and commands the respect of most if not all of the top riders.

As i said before when i mentioned his name as a potential replacement i think i am right in saying he has coached olympic sjing teams in the past for other nations so has the experience already.

He is a product of Henk Nooren and they don't come much better than that.

Good luck Rob...and good luck Team GBR. Perhaps we can now focus on getting the results we need.
 
Not a choice I had thought of but he is British, has jumped at top level, is a well respected trainer and has a fantastic eye for a horse. Is he his own man? Only time will tell.
 
This has really confused me Quote in H&H report:

BEF performance director Will Connell told H&H: "He was the best man for the job and is not part of the British system so will be able give it a new purpose.
How can Rob have competed on GB Nations Cups but not be part of the british system?
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Well lets see the results this summer, they will speak for themselves and if they are not good enough lets hope they can get rid of him. Yes he may be a leader but is he strong enough to lead and gain respect from our riders, at the top level, the general concensus is not very posative.
 
Agree with Young Rider you only have to look up the details online! Raised eyebrows all round. British Showjumping eh nothing suprises me any more and I think it will cause more than a few ripples.
 
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This has really confused me Quote in H&H report:

BEF performance director Will Connell told H&H: "He was the best man for the job and is not part of the British system so will be able give it a new purpose.
How can Rob have competed on GB Nations Cups but not be part of the british system?
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Because he hasn't been a part of the British 'system' for the past 8 years or so. He produces mainly in Spain these days...
 
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'Because he hasn't been a part of the British 'system' for the past 8 years or so. He produces mainly in Spain these days... '

Court case September 2001 UK.

Interesting timing.
 
Court Case September 2001 - the opinion of a judge given the evidence infront of them - even they don't get it right all of the time! I know of quite a few cases where 'horse related incidents' have gone to court where something that seems straightforward with no grey areas has gone completely the wrong way and unless you have THE FULL facts from both sides I don't feel you can stand in judgement. The media will only print a good story - instigated by who? And remember 'Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story'. I have known Rob Hoekstra a long time - this doesn't mean I am his biggest fan - I have had god dealings with him and bad but I do feel he is the right person for the job. He has no vested interest, he has no family member (immediate or distant) and I think that he will have an unbiased opinion as to who will and won't fit the criteria given to turn this country back into a medal winning nation. Without horsepower we will struggle but at least if we show that we can hold our own it may encourage owners to keep their horses. Finally, he can train both horse and rider. If people want to learn, they will listen, if it is everyones aim to look to 2012 they will stand by him and give him a chance. I wonder what his reaction would be to someone if they refused to jump a Nations Cup due to the fact they felt that one member of that team should not have been selected - the one member I might add who jumped our only double clear!!! I do know that he would not have curtailed to their whims and wishes when it came to the next selection!
 
OMG!! if it's not Rob it will be someone else and some of the people on this forum will find something wrong with that person too!! whatever happened to seeing the good in people and giving them a chance to show what they can do, all I can see is that some sour faced people need to get a new interest!!
 
I think this is a bad choice for the position. In my opinion I feel that there are a number of other people who know the team, the riders, and the horses a lot better than Mr Hoekstra. One of those is Malcom Pyrah, he has all the experience in the world, and has been around for a long time, and knows the riders better than anybody. He has experienced winning medals with the british team, and was ever present through Ronnie Massarella's tenure. I think Malcom would have been a popular decison among the riders, and would have had support from the showjumping community. Also I believe that we need to get owners involved in the sport once again, I have read numerous articles in the horse and hound by Graham Fletcher and others comenting on the need to get owners interested in the sport, thats one thing that Mr Massarella triumphed at, and one thing Mr Ricketts didnt do vey well. Malcom Pyrah is one man that would be able to do this. I hope that I can be proved wrong and that Mr Hoekstra can lead the team to great things once again.
 
With respect I am sure Rob will be well versed with the who's who of showjumping. It's not all about knowing the riders well, horse and rider come as a combination! Ben Maher would be the first to admit that until things turned the corner with Roulette, the bottom had fallen out of his world, look at him now - fabulous horses and great and loyal owners. I think there is alot of weeding to be done but cream rises and I am sure our best will prove themselves. This may mean disappointment for some but if that is what it takes to put us back on the podiium then sobeit. I think things have been manipultated for far too long by some of the riders but hopefully they will now have to conform to a more regimentated regime and it may just put things on a slightly more level playing field.
 
I would say the difference between Malcolm and Rob is that Rob actually goes to shows on the continent and sees our 'lesser' riders and horses performing there. I do not think we are short of horse power just a system to produce and identify them and then keep them here. I dont suppose any of the we are short of horse power brigade noted that a British bred irish produced horse won the five star Gothenburg GP yesterday. Another good horse sold from underneath us. Rob is as close as we will get to a completely impartial foreignor or independent British person the sport needed so if this is the compromise the BEF came up with I think it is a good choice. Derek Ricketts has had his chance, and for some time, and not produced so time to move on.
And Markus Fuchs is Swiss whoever refered to him as Austrian!!
 
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And Markus Fuchs is Swiss whoever refered to him as Austrian!!

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Oops, that was me! Bit of a senior moment.
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Not sure why I said Austrian, as I do know he's Swiss. Anyway, he's still non-Italian, which was the point I was trying to make.
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'Because he hasn't been a part of the British 'system' for the past 8 years or so. He produces mainly in Spain these days... '

Court case September 2001 UK.

Interesting timing.

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Not really.....it's a simple case of going where the money is. I think it was Graham Fletcher who said in his H&H column a few years ago now...that a horse can win £100k in Spain and never have left the country. Not too many other places where horses can win that freely.

The bottom line is, he's as independent as anyone, he knows what needs to be done as well as anyone, and he's the person BS have chosen....so at least give the bloke a chance.
 
Absolutely agree with Rambo - my daughter used to have Rob a few years ago, when she had her perfect little pony. Rob loved the pony, and was a fantastic instructor for my daughter at the time. Love his accent too - he used to shout "keep the kenter keep the kenter"

He's been a British citizen for some years now. I think the team will like him, and he wont stand for any of the bickering that seems to go on most of the time. Good Luck Rob and Team GBR
 
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