At an age when most seniors would be content with a glass of wine by the fire, Pieter Besselink doesn’t think the day is complete unless he’s done a bunch of work. He still keeps 150 head of cattle and farms a thousand acres of land in the Okotoks area. He’s first on hand to help a neighbor who needs assistance. And he still has time to keep an eye on the handful of broodmares he has out back, and to stay in touch with his trainer, Quentin Schneider, to see how the racing stock is doing.
“My late son in law, George Lindsay, first introduced me to the sport,” Besselink told me, during a break from his morning chores. “He had some racehorses and no place to put them, and I had some land he could use. That’s how it all started 30 or 40 years ago. He told me I could have my choice of horses and that’s how I was introduced to the sport.”
Perhaps the introduction came along at the right time. Besselink emigrated from Holland in 1951 and spent many years growing his farm and his family. By his early 60’s, he was in the mood to find a hobby. He had some early success with one of his own, Fiddle and Speed , and the hook was well and deeply set. Over the years, he has had some other useful campaigners: Clean Gene, Willma the Great, and, more recently, Glamorgal, come to mind. And for every single one of them, racing and breeding life begins with a good diet.
“That’s one thing I’m big on,” says Besselink. ”My horses are always well fed because you can’t expect anything good from them unless you feed them. I’ve got 7 brood mares out back and a couple of yearlings. And I’ve got four 2 year olds just now getting into training in California. Kimberley (Schneider) calls me every couple of days to give me a progress report and tell me how they’re doing.”
“They’re doing just fine,” reports driver-trainer, Quentin Schneider, from the Cal Expo racetrack outside Sacramento. “We’re taking our time with them and they’ll be ready to start when the 2 year old season gets underway at Century Downs. We’ve also got Glamorgal back in training. She’s had 4 months off after battling sickness much of last season. But she’s been aggressive in training since we put her back on the bike and I think she’ll be ready for a big year. We’re hoping to get her a couple of starts in California before we head back to Alberta.”
Schneider started working for Besselink 24 years ago, and the relationship is more friends than owner and trainer.
“I am so pleased Pieter is getting this award from ASHA,” says Schneider. He’s hung in there with us through the best and the worst times in Alberta racing. He’s been to every track in the province where we’ve raced his horses. And he’s been there for others when they’ve needed a hand. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of a lifetime achievement award.”
“I just love the sport,” says Besselink. My wife and I love to go to the races. We love working the farm and taking care of the horses, And we love hearing from Quentin and from Kimberley about how the racing stock is doing. We’re looking forward to the new season.
He’ll have 13 stalls at Century Downs. “I want to win some races,” he says. “It would be nice to have some winners circle pictures so we can do a little decorating!”
He’ll have something else to put on the wall when he gets the ASHA Lifetime Breeders Award at ceremonies in Calgary on April 8th.
“My late son in law, George Lindsay, first introduced me to the sport,” Besselink told me, during a break from his morning chores. “He had some racehorses and no place to put them, and I had some land he could use. That’s how it all started 30 or 40 years ago. He told me I could have my choice of horses and that’s how I was introduced to the sport.”
Perhaps the introduction came along at the right time. Besselink emigrated from Holland in 1951 and spent many years growing his farm and his family. By his early 60’s, he was in the mood to find a hobby. He had some early success with one of his own, Fiddle and Speed , and the hook was well and deeply set. Over the years, he has had some other useful campaigners: Clean Gene, Willma the Great, and, more recently, Glamorgal, come to mind. And for every single one of them, racing and breeding life begins with a good diet.
“That’s one thing I’m big on,” says Besselink. ”My horses are always well fed because you can’t expect anything good from them unless you feed them. I’ve got 7 brood mares out back and a couple of yearlings. And I’ve got four 2 year olds just now getting into training in California. Kimberley (Schneider) calls me every couple of days to give me a progress report and tell me how they’re doing.”
“They’re doing just fine,” reports driver-trainer, Quentin Schneider, from the Cal Expo racetrack outside Sacramento. “We’re taking our time with them and they’ll be ready to start when the 2 year old season gets underway at Century Downs. We’ve also got Glamorgal back in training. She’s had 4 months off after battling sickness much of last season. But she’s been aggressive in training since we put her back on the bike and I think she’ll be ready for a big year. We’re hoping to get her a couple of starts in California before we head back to Alberta.”
Schneider started working for Besselink 24 years ago, and the relationship is more friends than owner and trainer.
“I am so pleased Pieter is getting this award from ASHA,” says Schneider. He’s hung in there with us through the best and the worst times in Alberta racing. He’s been to every track in the province where we’ve raced his horses. And he’s been there for others when they’ve needed a hand. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of a lifetime achievement award.”
“I just love the sport,” says Besselink. My wife and I love to go to the races. We love working the farm and taking care of the horses, And we love hearing from Quentin and from Kimberley about how the racing stock is doing. We’re looking forward to the new season.
He’ll have 13 stalls at Century Downs. “I want to win some races,” he says. “It would be nice to have some winners circle pictures so we can do a little decorating!”
He’ll have something else to put on the wall when he gets the ASHA Lifetime Breeders Award at ceremonies in Calgary on April 8th.
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