The committee consisting of Anky van Grunsven, Ed van den Bent, Andries van den Berg, and Henk Rottinghuis elected endurance rider Marijke Visser as Rider of the Year 2025. She is therefore the first rider in this equestrian discipline to receive this honor. The decisive factor was Marijke’s victory at the European Endurance Championships with her horse Chaitana des Chaises, as well as her nomination as one of the four candidates for the “Best Athlete Award 2025” title of the international equestrian federation FEI.
Marijke, originally from Soest but now living in Belgium, was pleasantly surprised: “It was a special surprise for me. With this title I finally feel truly seen.”
The endurance rider Marijke Visser (33) has devoted herself to the sport from a young age. At her World‑Championship debut in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in 2011 she was the best‑performing Dutch combination. A year later, at the European Championships in Belgium, she just missed the podium. She really made her name at the World Championships in Caen (France) in 2014, where she received a silver medal and her horse Laiza de Jalima earned the coveted, veterinarian‑awarded “Best Condition” prize. A year later Marijke was named “Best Endurance rider in the World” at an awards gala in the United States. That same year she placed second at the European Championships held in Slovakia. The later World Championships (2018 and 2024) resulted in top‑eight finishes. Since 2019 she has been partnered with the now 14‑year‑old mare Chaitana des Chaises. In the 2025 world rankings the rider/horse combination takes second place, while the mare herself ranks fourth in the 2025 horse ranking. These high placings are largely thanks to the gold medal won at the end of June at the European Endurance Championships in Castiglione del Lago (Italy). In 2025 Marijke Visser also gained extra prominence through her nomination for the “FEI Best Athlete Award” (the other nominees were Laura Collett (eventing, UK); Justin Verboomen (dressage, Belgium); and Richard Vogel (show jumping, Germany)).
The other nominees for the title “Rider of the Year 2025” put forward by the Committee were four‑in-hand driver Bram Chardon, para‑dressage rider Rixt van der Horst, para‑driver Jacques Poppen, and professional jockey Adrie de Vries.
Full list of winners of the Rider of the Year title.
Complete report (Dutch) of the Committee.
Photo: Oreste Testa
