“It all started in 2004,” says Bert. “As a young veterinarian, I was involved in part of the organization of Jumping Amsterdam with the closing Dressage Gala on Sunday evening. Together with Chris van Dam, then director of Jumping Amsterdam, the idea arose to create something new: a congress day specifically for equine veterinarians from the Netherlands and Belgium linked to a strong event like Jumping Amsterdam. At that time, Proveto was already organizing the Equine Reproduction Days during Zwolle International, especially for veterinarians who do a lot of reproduction work. A congress day exclusively about sport horses didn’t exist anywhere.”

A false start

“That first edition was a complete false start,” says Bert with a smile. “One hundred veterinarians had registered, two top speakers from America were coming… and then? One canceled two weeks beforehand but promised to send a replacement. The second speaker, Virginia Reef, unfortunately had to cancel for personal reasons and also sent a substitute. It was a whirlwind of arrangements, last-minute solutions, improvisation—how was this new initiative going to succeed?”

That turned out not to be easy. The second year: stubbornly continued, against all logic. In 2006, Jumping Amsterdam moved enthusiastically to April because of the Dressage World Cup Final, decided late, and unfortunately exactly at the same time as ‘Voorjaarsdagen,’ then the largest multi-day international veterinary congress in the Netherlands.

“All the halls in the RAI were booked by Voorjaarsdagen; there was no space for our start-up congress. Any other company would have said: we’ll skip this year. But we were stubborn and organized our congress in the nearby Novotel Amsterdam City Hotel.” Our one-day program was made even stronger, with speakers such as Anky van Grunsven, Sue Dyson, and American sport horse veterinarian Tim Ober. Still, only 44 participants came because they had to choose between two programs. “We were on the verge of quitting, but something told us: give it one more chance.”

Third time’s the charm

And that turned out to be the right choice, now eighteen editions later. From the third edition onward, things started to take off. Today, the Veterinary Sport Horse Congress has grown into one of the most prestigious congresses in the world, with about 450 equine veterinarians from over thirty countries, and organized twenty times (even with two corona years in between).

“The beauty is,” says Bert, “that everyone who matters in the sport horse world knows: it happens during Jumping Amsterdam.” Twenty years of this congress also means twenty years of bringing together and connecting international sport horse veterinarians. Bert: “The veterinary sector has changed enormously. There is more and more knowledge, techniques are improving, and the need for specialization is growing. Proveto’s goal at all the meetings we organize is to support veterinarians by making international top knowledge accessible.”

Connection with top sport

An important selling point of the congress during Jumping Amsterdam? Accessibility, literally and figuratively. “Our congress hall is right in the RAI. You walk straight from the arena with top sport into the lecture hall. That’s truly unique; it creates an atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else.” The collaboration with Jumping Amsterdam is so strong because it started with people who knew each other, trusted each other, and wanted to build together. “I already knew the organization well, and that personal connection has always played a role. It’s a smaller world than you think. And that’s what makes this so special.”

World-class riders can only perform if management is optimal. The attending veterinarian plays a crucial role in that. The absolute world top in both dressage and jumping will come to Jumping Amsterdam in January to compete for World Cup points. That also means their veterinarians want to be there to support these top athletes. For sport horse veterinarians, this means combining stable work with gaining and exchanging knowledge with colleagues during the congress. In addition, the trade fair of the Veterinary Sport Horse Congress attracts all leading pharmaceutical companies and suppliers introducing the latest medicines and techniques.

A message for the next generation of equine veterinarians? Bert doesn’t have to think long. “Stay curious. The horse sport changes, the profession of veterinarian changes. The only thing you must never lose is the drive to keep learning. That’s how we move forward together in a dynamic world.”

Two parties that, each in their own way, have grown by sticking to quality, dedication, and a touch of stubbornness. “It feels good to celebrate these milestones together,” says Bert. “We started side by side and we’re still here, together.”