Marlies grew up with horses, horses and more horses. This was due to the passion her parents had for horses and the sport of horse riding. Marlies took over this love and passion and it has never gone away. Meanwhile, Marlies lives with her family in the grounds of her own dressage stable (formerly the cowshed of her grandfather) and horse sport is literally her passion and her life.
Marlies represented the Netherlands at the Olympic Games in 2004 and 2020. She rides national and international competitions and coaches several riders. ‘Working with people and animals gives me a lot of satisfaction! Getting the maximum out of every horse and myself is a challenge every day and while coaching I pass this on to my students.’
Marlies likes to share her daily activities via her own Instagram channel and that of the dressage stable. Of course horses are involved from early in the morning until late at night but also the lifestyle of a top athlete is shown. Marlies loves healthy, good food, training and sports. Her daughter Feline also appears regularly in the social content, with whom she enjoys going out on a horse.
Marlies’ quote says a lot about how she likes to live: ‘Enjoy your journey, your work and not just the final destination!’