Marcel Timmermans brings a holistic approach to the selection, training and sale of Dutch Warmbloods that reflects a life involved in every aspect of horsemanship.  Owner of Timmermans Horse Sales (“THS”) and partnered with AHD since 2003, Marcel began as a young teenager breaking, training and showing 3 and 4 year olds owned by Het Wolverveen te Zelhem of Wekeron, Netherlands, in a program that created some of the best jumper horses in the world.  Marcel worked side-by-side with top international riders, including Hugo Simon and Thomas Frühman.

 

Marcel graduated from the International Horse Trainer School at Deurne Netherlands (Nederlandse Hippische Beroepsopleidingen) and for the next eight years worked for IJzerenman in Weert as a trainer and international rider, alongside top riders Gondelien Gordijn, Sven Rottenberger, and Rob Ehrens.  Rob Ehrens (Olympics, WEG, Volve World Cups) laid the foundation for the system Marcel still uses.

 

Marcel’s international background has allowed him to connect horses, riders and programs across continental boundaries.  In '93 Marcel opened Stal T.W. to focus on teaching, boarding and selling horses on the international market, and  eventually opened THS.  The purchase of the old Wolversveen facility allows him to breed and train his own off-spring, while developing new horses in Weert and Zelhem.

 

The majority of Marcel’s sales now occur in the USA (through Amy Howard Dressage) and Japan, where Marcel has worked to help develop Japan’s national team, training several Japanese National Champions, coaching them to a 4th place finish at the 2010 Asian Games and becoming the primary supplier to the Japanese Race Association.  Marcel has also become involved in the Japanese Para Equestrians, paring horses to riders with special needs to participate in the London 2012 Paralympics

 

Marcel’s business is built upon long-term, intimate international relationships with people and organizations that share his philosophy that matching horse and rider is about more than just the quality of the horse, it is a mix of mentality, suitability of level and the horse’s and rider’s joint capacity for growth over their many years together.