Marcus Fyffe Dressage stable manager Miranda Van Kohl with Dean Martin.
Wellington A Place To Thrive And Call Home For Stable Manager Miranda Van Kol Story by Stephanie Radloff • Photos by Emma Miller
When Miranda Van Kol arrived in Wellington in 1999, little did she know that she would call the village home. Almost 20 years later, she is the current stable manager at Marcus Fyffe Dressage and is based year-round in the winter equestrian capital. After garnering an impressive grooming and stable management resume that took her all around the world, Van Kol is thrilled to have found her permanent home in Wellington. Van Kol’s career in equine management began when she was just 17 years old at an eventing barn in the Netherlands. She began working for Eric van der Vleuten, a Dutch Olympic show jumper, for six years before moving to Germany. The life-long equestrian also worked for Lynn Little, the Leading
Lady Rider in Donaueschingen, Germany, before starting with renowned show jumper Tani Zeidler and Olympic show jumper Joe Fargis. “My love of riding and the equestrian industry blossomed because of the people at that first eventing barn,” Van Kol explained. “After I worked with them for a while, I thought, ‘Why would I go to school when I have this?’ So I stayed. I love it, otherwise I wouldn’t do this job. It’s not just a job — it becomes your life. Your whole life revolves around horses.”
Throughout her career, Van Kol has been a top groom at nearly every large international competition, including the Paralympic Games, the World Cup Finals, the Dutch Championships, the European Championships, the Pan American Games, CHIO Aachen and multiple Olympic Games. Van Kol continued to work at the eventing barn and rose in status among the other workers there until she was considered the highest-level groom. Within that promotion, she was able to travel to all of the large shows with the competitors. As she traveled more, and later moved on to a jumper barn, she realized her passion for horse shows and the travel they involved. wellington the magazine | march 2018
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