Mariëtte was given her first horse riding lesson as an 11th birthday present. It would not be her last! After two years of riding lessons at a local school, she was given her own pony. Since then she has cared for a great many other horses and ponies.
Once she finished high school, she studied equine breeding and management at Barneveld, followed by a course in equine behaviour and management at the agricultural college in Dronten. In her final year she met Christopher who shared her passion for horses. They began running C.M. Equifrance together since November 2011.
During her studies, Mariëtte also obtained the Dutch ORUN qualification as an instructor and dressage judge. Her Level 2 instructor’s qualification authorises her to judge up to L2 (dressage). A professional dressage rider, in recent years she has ridden numerous horses up to Level Z.
For almost 10 years, Mariëtte and Christopher ran a stable in Lelystad with room for up to 60 horses. They enjoyed their work there immensely. In 2019, an opportunity came up to take over the Epe Equestrian Centre and they decided to move their business there.