Jesse Drent: a 24/7 horseman
This full-time horseman is looking for a hobby outside of horses – and his favorite food is fries.
He works seven days a week, although he doesn’t see it as work, but as his passion. Right now, he’s also juggling two language studies.
And… just like last year, he’s coming to the CHIO youth morning with two of his horses.
We spoke with Jesse Drent!
Jesse is 29 years old, born in Borculo and currently living in Hummelo.In between, he spent seven years living in North Holland. He has an older sister, a half-brother, and a half-sister. Together with his boyfriend, he has two dogs, whom they consider their children. At the age of eight, he started tagging along to the riding school where his sister took lessons. Back then his mother arranged a trial lesson for him and herself. Jesse never looked back.
Work and hobbies
Jesse: “The horses are my job, but I don’t really see it that way—it’s my passion. I do feel that I need something to do alongside it, so recently I started a vegetable garden. I also enjoy cooking and I’m studying French and Italian.
As for cooking, I especially like doing it for others, because I don’t eat that much myself. I’m vegetarian, and my favorite food is fries. (laughing) Maybe I should start growing my own potatoes too.”
Nervous
“I think Rotterdam is one of the most beautiful events. Before I had the chance to perform there last year, I’d already visited once before. The woods, the atmosphere, the type of audience, the nature—it’s amazing. It’s well organized, and the people I interact with are always so kind.
A lot of visitors aren’t even horse people, and I love trying to get them excited about the sport. I was even a bit nervous about my show last year, because I really wanted it to be perfect. I often feel that way at major sporting events, where much of the audience consists of true experts.”
Macho en Gaio
"I never really know exactly what I’m going to do during a show, but I already expect to bring Macho and Gaio with me. Macho is a Shetland pony I got when he was just one year old—he’s now fifteen and still a stallion. It was tough with him for a while; he was very cheeky. But now he really enjoys the work and tries his best. What’s fun about him is that he’s afraid of nothing and has a very strong opinion of his own. Ponies are often trickier than horses in general.
Gaio is a Lusitano who used to be trained for bullfighting in Portugal. I was actually looking for a horse for a friend and came across him at a dressage stable. He turned out to be a poor match for my friend—but perfect for me, so I now work with him for five years. He, too, had quite a bold personality and strong character, but now he gives me 300 percent. If anything, it’s a bit too much—he still needs to learn how to pace his energy. At Rotterdam, I’ll be performing not just bitless riding, but also completely without a bridle. I’ll showcase some freedom dressage.”
A happy and motivated horse
"The most important thing in working with horses is realizing how special it is. We may have goals, but we need to work together to reach them. Horses should grow, stay true to themselves, and feel motivated. I want them to be happy and think along with me — that's what I’ll show in Rotterdam, with one or even two horses at once."
Seven days a week
Jesse told us he works seven days a week. So we asked him what his days typically look like. Jesse: "Very busy and very different. I spend a lot of time with my horses — they’re all mine; I don’t stable horses for others. I don’t have time for the stable work anymore, so I have people helping with that. I train the horses and give clinics. Every week I have at least one show, sometimes even three. I also spend time on social media, and together with my boyfriend Matt I run HorseWorldTV. I also have the webshop Nalanta.nl, where we sell my own brand. For HorseWorldTV, we’re sometimes away for a week, sometimes for two months."Alizée Froment
"Because of my busy schedule, I never attend events just as a spectator. But when I’m performing somewhere, I make time to watch certain riders. I’m a fan of Alizée Froment, and I sometimes even get lessons from her. She lets me ride her horses — and when I do, I honestly feel like a beginner, like I can’t ride at all!" "I feel incredibly lucky to do what I do. I even still have my very first pony, the one it all started with. I hope I get to perform at more and more big shows, and that bitless riding becomes more common. Of course, I also hope our sport continues to thrive for a long time. Speaking of big shows — I love working with lights and sound, and I want to use that more to make my performances extra special."
Passion and Positive Energy
"Finally, I want to say that everyone should keep doing what feels right to them and follow their passion — just like I did. It’s wonderful when that all comes together at an incredible event like CHIO Rotterdam. From experience, I know that when you put positive energy into something, it grows and becomes stronger. I also want to ask people to be a bit kinder and more positive to each other on social media."
That’s Jesse Drent — a true horseman, 24/7. You can see Jesse, Macho, and Gaio in action during the youth morning of the 76th CHIO Rotterdam on Sunday, June 22. Thank you for this lovely and open conversation, Jesse — we look forward to seeing you again in the Kralingse Bos!
