Jeroen Dubbeldam & SFN Zenith competed in February, 2017 at the Palm Beach Masters, their first appearance on American soil. Ph. ©Erin Gilmore for NF
When Jeroen Dubbeldam exited the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic arena after finishing in individual 7th place, it was with tears in his eyes as he believed he’d just competed his superstar partner SFN Zenith NOP for the final time.
But 15 months and many ups and downs later, it turns out that the 2014 World Champions are destined to stay together. As owned by the Dutch investment ground Springpaarden Fonds Nederland, SFN Zenith was always meant to be sold on when the fund dissolved. When the sale of its horses was announced in 2016, it came as a surprise to the public, and even more of a surprise when Zenith failed to sell.
Since then Dubbeldam has been allowed to keep the quirky, sensitive 13-year-old KWPN gelding (Rash x Fuego du Prelet) with which he won the 2014 FEI World Championship and 2015 FEI European Championship. This year, he and Zenith won two, CSI3* competitions together, at Saint Lo, France, and Samorin, Slovakia, but their future together was never 100% confirmed.
But now, Dubbeldam can rest easy with his friend in his stable. It was announced on Friday, December 1, 2017, that SFN’s predecessor, called SFN II, has bought SFN Zenith with the purpose of keeping horse and rider together for many years to come.
Read more about the Springpaarden Fonds Nederland at this link.