Nico Witte elected entrepreneur of the year

Nico Witte was unexpectedly surprised with his election as Equestrian Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 at his farm in Schijndel recently during a training session by his wife Madeleine. Marlies Reibestein, board member of Stichting HIP (Equestrian Innovative Projects) surprised the winner at his home base. The live recording of this could be seen on the well-watched broadcasts on KWPN.tv during the fourth day of the KWPN Stallion Selection.

Stal Witte is owned by Nico Witte. It is a rearing, trading and training stable of international repute. Witte went ‘into horses’ in 1978, against his father's advice, with 800 guilders and a horse. He started out as a show jumper and over a period of 40 years has made Stal Witte what it is today, an extremely impressive business. Stal Witte excels in scouting young talent, breeding and training young horses from B to Grand Prix, it owns top studs and sells high-quality sporthorses. Located in Schijndel, Brabant, Stal Witte was originally no more than an old farmhouse. Over the years, Nico has rebuilt, reconstructed the sheds and it is now a high-quality horse business.

Jury report

Jury chairman Ton Corbeau, editor-in-chief of the trade magazine ‘de Hippische Ondernemer’: “Nico Witte has made a number of crucial decisions and steps in his 40 years as an entrepreneur, which have led to the fine company that Stal Witte is today. Thousands of hours at inspections, auctions and competitions developed his unerring ‘eye’ for movement, which provided a basis for training talented young horses, for which the sporting international successes with his wife Madeleine, are the calling card. Nico has an innovative and creative entrepreneurial spirit, as evidenced by founding the 1st syndicate of owners to keep the then breeding stallion Jazz for Dutch breeding, setting up highly professional auctions and a strong and loyal customer base. Nico also makes time to fulfil roles in several industry associations and boards. Stal Witte is a company of which the Dutch equestrian sector is very proud and Nico has rightly become the 2020 Equestrian Entrepreneur of the Year.”.

Finalists
Other finalists for the Equestrian Entrepreneur of the Year title were sports and boarding stable Stal ’t Kabel in Nieuw Vennep owned by Grand Prix rider Sanne Winters and her husband Ronald Boers and equestrian company with recreational and holiday facilities Les Chevaux in Buinen, Drenthe, run by Renee and her father Martin Bottelier. The jury was formed by Ton Corbeau (De Hippische Ondernemer), Andries van Daalen (KWPN), Cees Roozemond (KNHS), Ad de Bruyn (ABAB), Monique van Hal (Trendpanel Paard) and Marlies Reibestein (Stichting HIP).

Prices
For this title, Witte will receive a HIP award, an advice cheque from ABAB accountants & advisers and an electric feed truck from Equitrend.

Source: HIP Foundation press release