Janneke
Boonzaaijer

Janneke was born the second daughter in the family of former military rider Gert and his wife Ria Boonzaaijer. Outdoor child Janneke could soon be characterised as “handy and brave”. “I would just cruise around with my pony and then come chasing by again, I loved it,” laughs Janneke, “I got hooked from a young age and got into it.”

At 14, Janneke switched to horses.

Riding continued to be great and so the first European Championships eventing at junior level already beckoned. In 2011, she finished fourth at the Dutch Championship juniors on home ground in Renswoude and was then delegated with the junior team as the youngest participant to the European Championships in Vale Sabroso, Portugal. That experience only encouraged more. Of what followed, as a junior we mention bronze at the DC eventing in 2012, gold in 2013, all with Torontra. Then in 2016 came ACSI Campbelle WS with gold at the DC eventing YR, participation in the European Championships and winning CCI2* Bad Harzburg. In 2017, Janneke and ACSI Campbelle were part of the silver European Championship YR team in Millstreet. In 2019, she participated for the first time in the CCI4* in Boekelo with ACSI Champ de Tailleur. In 2021, a year into the four-year Olympic cycle due to the corona epidemic, she was one of two Dutch competitors in eventing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In 2022, Janneke and Bouncer became Dutch eventing champions in Boekelo.

Janneke completed her degree in Sports Marketing in 2016. She continued full-time  to work with horses in her parents’ own business De Schalm and with her own equestrian career in eventing, In addition in 2023, Janneke also started her own business: jans.life. A website went live where anyone can book lessons online.

Janneke concludes, “Always at the right time the right people came on my path who shared their knowledge with me. They regularly held up a mirror to me with only one goal: my personal development to help me grow. I am happy and grateful that I got those opportunities! I learned from them that the basis of top-class sport is always to ride a horse with feeling. You can always fall back on that system. Now is the time when I want to be that right person at that right time for others too.”

Janneke Boonzaaijer
About Janneke Boonzaaijer
Surname

Boonzaaijer

First name

Janneke

Known as

Janneke

Date of birth

06-09-1996

Marital status

Living together

Place of residence

Renswoude

Discipline

Eventing Senioren

Sponsor

ACSI

Co sponsor

BR

Sub sponsors

Bemer, Daaleman Saddles, Duo Protection, Favola Bella, Oxersocks, Equinergy magnesium & JvL Horse Equipmen

Personal training facility

De Schalm Equestrian Centre Renswoude

KNHS Talententeam

2017, 2018, 2019

Trainers

Gert en Ria Boonzaaijer

Groom

Mother Ria Boonzaaijer-Westeneng or sister Henrieke

Veterinary practice

Bert van Bokhorst en Leendert Jan Hofland

Chiropractic

Steffi van der Laarse

Farrier

Henk van de Vendel

Coach

Andrew Heffernan

Training schedules

Carolien Munsters van Moxie Sport

ACSI Champ de Tailleur

(Quidam de Revel x Oberon du Moulin x Corofino I, KWPN grey, gelding 2007, owner Lieke van der Werf and Hetty Roozendaal)

Bouncer

(Killineck Bouncer x Gothland xx, grey, gelding, owner Sandhoeve Stables)

I’m Special N N.O.P.

(I’m Special de Muze x Orame, bay mare, 2013, owner Sandhoeve Stables and Janneke Boonzaaijer)

Intermezzo

(I’m Special de Muze x Amethist, KWPN, bay gelding 2013, owner Gert Boonzaaijer and Janneke Boonzaaijer

ACSI Moreno Grove

(Herald III x Coconut grove xx, 2018, bay stallion, 2017, owner Jans Equestrian, ggk with AES)

Krek-Mora

(Ferdinand x San Remo, dark bay mare, 2015, breeder C. Bubbert, owner Jans Equestrian)

ACSI Campbelle WS

(Van Gogh x Indoctro x Dutchboy, KWPN mare 2007) breeder Comb. Van Wetering/Schuiling, owner Gert Boonzaaijer and Jans Equestrian)

At the European Championships in Luhmühlen, two Dutch combinations captured a starting ticket for the OG in Tokyo 2021. History repeats itself: at the European Championships in Haras le Pen in August 2023, the entire Dutch eventing team captured a starting ticket for the OG 2024 in Paris. The sporting focus on that and getting better, that is obviously the longer-term sporting goal, along with building her own company Jans Equestrian.

Stand KNHS
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Internationale stand FEI
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News
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Watch Janneke at the KNHS here
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Check out Janneke Boonzaaijer's stand at the FEI international equestrian federation here
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Overview page European Championships Eventing 2023
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About benefits participation in Tokyo (August 2023)
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On retirement from ACSI Campbelle (July 18, 2023)
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Over win in Poland with ACSI Champ May 21, 2023
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About own company jans.life (17 January 2023)
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Janneke Boonzaaijer wins national battle Boekelo (8 October 2022)
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About winning NK eventing Boekelo 2022 (9 October 2022)
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Winners young eventing horses 2009-2021
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KWPN championship young eventing horses to Renswoude (30-03-19)
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European Championship YR Millstreet 2017
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Win CCI ** Barocca d'Alva 2018
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About her horses

There are special stories attached to her current top horses.
My uncle is a horse dealer. We happened to be with him when we saw Campbelle,” says Janneke. “We took Campbelle with us because she caught our eye and we did want to try at home what kind of horse she was and how her behaviour was under saddle. Indeed, she was not immediately the sweetest, but certainly not impossible in my eyes either!”.
Janneke took her to a competition in Portugal after only two weeks. The first competition she went into refusal mode, but the second she won. “I had a great bond with her very quickly! She is a mare-mare, she just asks to be confronted every now and then. I am very direct in my riding, so that suits me well.”
The bigger successes came quickly. They won the CIC2* in Bad Harzburg in 2016. At the European Championships in Millstreet in 2017, it was silver with the YR team and seventh individually. In 2023, Janneke decided to withdraw ACSI Campbelle WS from competitive sport after a job well-done and use her as a broodmare with her own stallion Moreno.

Champ de Tailleur’s story is very different again. Champ came Janneke’s way when his owner Lieke van der Werf wanted to study and gave Champ up for her study period. That got longer! Janneke says: “Champ will always do anything for you. Sometimes it’s just adorable how hard he wants to do his best. I can never be very direct with him, it makes him nervous. He asks for reassurance and confirmation. I am very grateful to Lieke and her family for letting me ride Champ. For my riding skills It is very good, all totally different types of horses! The trick remains to manage and ride with feeling.”.