Review Malene Nootenboom

Horsemanship: Wonderful to see how much confidence the horse has in the rider here! With small help from balance, the horse knows what is expected and you can clearly see the mutual trust!

Showmanship: The video was deliberately recorded to clearly show what Siem stands for with his horse and also a completely different branch of sport than what can always be seen! In step I already admired it. Then it became trot and even canter! Very nice to see!

Difficulty level:  The aids are very small and light and mainly from balance. The horse waits so well and does exactly what is intended. Stand slightly lit, then sit again, touch the reins! And that while driving without hands and arrows are shot! Very pretty!

Evaluation Liesbeth Jorna

Horsemanship: Very nice to see how you really have a connection with all the horses in the video and are super relaxed. You understand them, read them flawlessly and give them the opportunity to be themselves, while still learning quickly. Compliments also for your extremely stable sitting, where you do not get in the way of your horse at all. Strong combination of horsemanship and being able to ride really well.

Showmanship: Of course, archery is special in itself, but you win it for me on your message: teach your horse to do as much as possible himself, make the communication crystal clear and do not get bogged down in micromanagement. That is the heart of horsemanship! You explain things clearly, very professionally. A tip: talk a little more calmly, then you are even more intelligible.

Difficulty level: Your message about the independence and self-carriage of your horse is inspiring for riders from the discipline. Very high level of horsemanship, of riding, of being with horses and people and of course of archery. You are a talent when it comes to conveying to other people, children and horses

Evaluation Romy Huisman

Horsemanship: I find Siem's mindset inspiring; Self regulation! You see that Siem often rides with loose reins and has to focus on 'the rose', as a rider he must also be able to let go a bit and trust that his horse will continue to go on the route, in the same posture and at the same pace. It reminds me of the relationship with a workhorse, I think towards my own passion Working Equitation, which is based on herding cattle in Southern Europe, your horse is then your colleague, you go for efficient and in the meantime you have to be able to focus on 'your work' instead of wanting to manage every step of your horse to the millimeter. I take from the video that Siem respects the horse very much in his natural attitude in carrying the rider. He does not want to make a robot of his horse, but to vary and continue to stimulate stimulation.

Showmanship:  Siem talks clearly in the voice-over, his clear explanation is easy to understand. The images are clear (silent image and Siem is easy to see). The video lasted 5+ minutes, but my attention stayed with it until the end. I would have liked it if Siem had personally introduced himself next to his horse in the first shot, to make it even more personal. Archery on horseback is not a great discipline, very unique!

Difficulty level: If we look at the history of horse riding we can distinguish 2 different styles of training. The martial art, in which fighting with a sword, is based on the fact that the horse always follows the center of gravity of the rider. Another style comes from archery and rifle shooting, the horse had to stay on the route and the rider had to be able to move/turn his upper body to aim at the opponent. I have trained my own horse dressage-wise where he stays below my center of gravity, BUT in the Working Equitation, a discipline that we also ride, there are several exercises where I have to be able to move my upper body, without this causing the horse to deviate from its place or route. I personally had to puzzle through this, especially because I have a reactive horse that wants to react very quickly to my body / weight changes. That is why Siem's video appeals to me personally and I understand the training that is required for this.

I also think it is a strong point that Siem tells that he initially wants to change the speed of the horse with his energy and uses a leg aid as a 2nd step (where necessary), in short; He is aware of the primary and secondary assistance. His starting point is to ride with as little leg and rein aids as possible and he shows this well in the video. At the end he says that the current level of the sport is currently too low for the flying switch, but that this is the perspective for the future. I find that interesting; 1 because it is a great goal to grow towards as a sport and this challenges riders to develop further. 2 because it is also 'okay' that it is not that far yet and the horses cannot be ridden over them for the 'competitive sport'.

Review Bianca Schoenmakers

Horsemanship: The video does give a nice and pleasant picture of a collaboration between rider and horse.

Showmanship: Siem clearly shows here what archery on horseback is all about. He talks about it very enthusiastically, although you have to listen carefully because of the fast telling. As a viewer you become very curious about this branch of equestrian sports. It is more of an information film about archery on horseback, but it shows in lesser sizes how Siem trains his horse or how he manages to let his horse gallop around so nicely stable. 

Difficulty level:  The image looks very nice. To be able to hit a target with a bow and arrow at a gallop, you need a very balanced independent seat. The degree of difficulty is therefore mainly in it and to a lesser extent in the training of the horse.