On the same weekend selections were announced by the USEF two veteran US Para Team Drivers were already getting their feet wet in a National show in the Netherlands, HorseDriving Wenum Wiesel 2023. It proved to be the perfect outing for working out the kinks in training and performance for both Tracy Bowman and Diane Kastama.

Tracy Bowman-World Championship Warm up at Wenum Weisel (NED) 2023

Tracy Bowman has been flying back and forth from her commitments as a full time eventing trainer based in Martinez, California ( near the San Francisco Bay area ) to Chardon Paardensport, Den Hoorn, Netherlands . There she trains with Bram Chardon where she is keeping her horse Albrecht’s Hoeve’s Lars (Welsh  v. Orchard Red Prince) for the season, leading up to the FEI Para World Driving Championships in Exloo the Netherlands, July 27-30, 2023. Under the tutelage of Bram Chardon, Tracy won the Individual Gold medal for the USA at the FEI Para World Driving Championships in 2021.

Time For a Tune Up

Bowman, Lars and her long time business partner in California, Jolie Wentworth got a tune up in HorseDriving Wenum Wiesel. A decent dressage score at 47.73 was not her best, admitted Bowman, but was still one of the top dressage results of the day. She did the cones with plenty of time to spare and 2 balls, again up there in the overall results.

On the marathon, just as she was starting out, her seat failed. A special design to adapt to her body, Bowman who is paralyzed from the waist down, dealt with the issue throughout the entire marathon.  Lars was the pro that he is, carried her through, by Bowman admitted “by the last obstacle my brain was fried dealing with it,” and she had a correction of course adding 20 penalty points, giving her future team mate the lead in that division. Still an overall result of 169.50 in the first event she has done with Lars in months was enough to make her trainer Bram Chardon happy. On Tuesday she returns to the US to coach her clients in preparation for Rebecca Farms Event before returning in August to prepare for Exloo.

Diane Kastama Takes One Of DeRonde’s Indoor Team Horses

Diane Kastama, World Championship warm up with British Four-In-Hand stepping in to navigate at Horsedriving Wenum Wiesel, 2023

Diane Kastama, an eight time US Para Driving Veteran arrived last week for the duration of the summer, and is based at Koos DeRonde‘s farm in the Netherlands. Kastama, also a Californian from Arroya Grande, is no stranger to the ins and out of competing in Europe having leased horses and ponies in the past. Kastama won individual gold 2006, individual bronze and team silver in 2008 team silver  in 2002 team silver with her own horse Rupert. In 2012, 2018 and this year 2023 she leased horses from  DeRonde.

This year with her own pony recovering from a bone chip removal, she messaged DeRonde asking if he had something she could borrow for the 2023 World Championships. “No Problem” was the two word answer from Koos. So Kastama who runs her own training barn on her own, from her wheelchair,  packed her bags and traveled with her friend Lori Weiss for their great Euro adventure of 2023. Her horse Tjibbe, a Friesian cross,  is one of DeRonde’s Indoor team. Having only driven him three times before they set out to Wenum, British Four-In-Hand Driver Mark Carruthers stepped up to navigate for Kastama. Carruthers  who is stationed at DeRonde’s just completed his first Aachen, and is now preparing for Beekbergen. Having only walked the course 2 times commuting to Wenum from DeRondes keeping his own horses in training, Carruthers who admits he’s not really in his comfort zone navigating helped guide the new combo through a technical but fun course.

Kastama was happy with her virgin trip at Wenum, and now is set to prepare for Beekbergen CAI where she will be a guest entry July 27-30.