Career
Carmen rode her first world championship in 2003 in the Young Riders division, starting at the world championships for senior riders one year later. She won four Dutch national titles in the senior division.
As a 15-year-old, Carmen competed in her first Endurance competition, sparked by her father Lei who competed for the Dutch team himself at the 1994 World Equestrian Games in The Hague.
Carmen worked for the Dutch ministry of defence after her graduation, has a Master’s degree in Accounting & Control and is now a Register Account. She made it to the rank of Officer in the Dutch Navy, trains 20 hours a week and credits her positive traits as: determination, positive thinking and the ability to focus on those small things that make a difference in a competition.
After the highs there was a low point at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, in 2006. She had qualified two horses, but in the end was unable to start either. Carmen’s dream is to see the Endurance sport gain Olympic status and to win a medal at the Olympic Games. Becoming a world champion is also in her dreams. Carmen did become European junior champion that year, riding Fadilah R.
In 2015 she was part of the bronze medal winning team, riding Siglavy Bagdady Zeusz at the European championships in Samorin, Slovakia, stepping in as the alternate for Dutch national champion Joyce van den Berg. Individually she recorded a 16th place and the second-highest Dutch result.
