Mayor Stemerdink Presents the Royal Medal of Honor to the Voorschoten Equestrian Sports Foundation

Voorschoten Equestrian Foundation: 100 Years

This year, the Voorschoten Equestrian Foundation is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Over the course of the past 100 years, the name of the current foundation has changed from the Equestrian Committee at its founding in 1924, through the Trotting Commission and the Trotting Equestrian Committee, to the Voorschoten Equestrian Foundation in 2004. However, its activities have remained the same throughout these 100 years: organizing a short-track trotting race in Voorschoten. The history of the short-track trotting race, much like that of the horse market, goes back a very long way. Short-track trotting races have been organized here since as early as the mid-16th century. Since 2019, this tradition has been included in the Dutch Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory.    

Royal Medal of Honor

The Royal Medal of Honor is an award presented by His Majesty the King to associations and institutions that have been in existence for at least 50 years (or a subsequent multiple of 25 years). The activities of the association or institution must be of a philanthropic, scientific, cultural, or social nature, or must be in the field of sports. The association or institution must be held in high regard in terms of its nature, scope, and stability, and must occupy a generally recognized position among similar municipal, regional, or national associations. Furthermore, the association or institution must have distinguished itself in its field. Both the association or institution and its board members must be of good repute.