The Spanish equestrian federation has not extended its contract with team trainer Francis Verbeek beyond the 2024 Olympic Games. Verbeek declared she is no longer available for the position after negotiations about an extension fell silent and no answer was provided by the federation by the deadline of December 31, 2024. Verbeek joined the technical staff of the Spanish Equestrian Federation at the start of 2022, succeeding Spanish team trainer Rudolf Zeilinger.
During her three years in the role, Spanish dressage teams were sent to the 2022 World Championships, 2023 European Championships, and 2024 Olympic Games. At the 2022 World Championships, the Spanish team finished seventh with three PRE horses, while at the 2023 European Championships, Spain dropped to ninth place. At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Spain did not make it into the team final or individual final, with the best scoring pair being Borja Carrascosa on Frizzantino with 70.823%.
The future of the team captain position remains uncertain as Verbeek’s contract ends at the end of the year, and the Spanish federation is involved in an electoral process that delays decisions on new contracts until approximately March. RFHE secretary-general Venancio Garcia Ovies explained that they cannot take measures on new contracts until the electoral process is over, and they understand Verbeek’s decision to search for new challenges.
