Meet Mel, the Newest Up-and-Coming Young Rider

Mel Van Der Kamp has only been riding for a few years but clearly has a promising future ahead of him. 

Do you remember the days when you were a young rider? The world of horses was full of excitement, and your dreams were to ride in the Olympics and to have a horse of your own. Sure, you were still working on mastering your two-point, but you were dreaming of conquering oxers and Grand Prix fences.

Mel Van Der Kamp is only 11 years old, and though he's only been riding for three years, his skills are already impressive. In the video below, you'll get to know a bit about Mel and the horses that he's riding at Stal Wilten, a stable based in the Netherlands.

Meet Mel!

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In just a few short years, Mel has already demonstrated excellent riding skills - did you see that photo in the video of him jumping!

Mel's not only an excellent rider, but he's also learning a valuable lesson that any rider can benefit from: How to ride different horses.

When you have your own horse or always ride the same school horse, riding becomes a bit easier because you know the horse and you know how to deal with challenges on that horse. But riding different horses is much more challenging and helps develop your skills in working with multiple horses. Because horses have different personalities and quirks, this is an important skill to have if you want to become a well-rounded rider.

 

From the looks of it, Mel will eventually be able to ride a wide variety of horses. We can't wait to see what the future holds for him!

How do you feel about riding different horses? Tell us in the comments!

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