Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Culture: Lois op het Veld and Dalia Lehmann
December 20, 2021 | Cowgirl Equestrian
STILLWATER – Many people do not understand the sacrifice and hard work needed to be a Division I athlete. For two Oklahoma State Equestrian athletes, there have been many obstacles they have had to overcome to be successful. Lois op het Veld and Dalia Lehmann are the team's two international athletes.
op het Veld is a sophomore from Amstelveen, Netherlands. She said she is the only one in her family that had a passion for horses.
From a very young age, she would ride on the back of her father's bicycle and the two of them would ride by a nearby pasture with horses.
"I wanted to pet them," op het Veld said.
In the Netherlands, the law requires citizens to be 7 years old in order to get horse riding lessons. For op het Veld, she didn't wait a single day to start riding. On her seventh birthday, she took her first lesson and immediately fell in love. That experience sparked her passion for horses and the sport.
op Het Veld was first introduced to the United States when she took a trip to New York at the age of 13. In 2019, she competed at the Equestrian Youth World Show in Oklahoma City and ultimately landed a spot on the OSU equestrian roster bringing her to Stillwater in 2020.
A native of Ponznan, Poland, Lehmann, was also first introduced to horses at a young age.
"It was when I was 7 years old, and I was trying to explore what I liked to do," Lehmann said.
Her parents first introduced her to tennis and golf but neither brought out the same kind of passion that horses did.
Lehmann's love for horses got her family to follow. Together, they learned about horses and Equestrian, which ultimately led to Dalia being a show jumper and her parents to become breeders.
Within a year of riding, Lehmann started competing, starting with ponies. Her family first owned one pony, which quickly turned into seven.
"That was the moment when I actually got involved, and it started to be serious," Lehmann said.
Lehmann first came to the United States in 2017, where she was an exchange student in Wisconsin.
"I just wanted to explore the country," Lehmann said. "I'd heard a lot from my friends that the U.S is the country with many cultures and actually I was curious what it was like."
OSU's strong equestrian program is what brought her to school here, where she is now in her freshman year.
"After the Zoom talk with coaches, I decided that I wanted to join the team because of the family atmosphere – that is really important for me as an exchange student, as a foreign student," Lehmann said.
The two athletes both notice many differences between the United States and their hometowns.
"Something that is very different for sure is how big this country is," said op het Veld, also noting that all of the athletics in the United States is something that the Netherlands doesn't have.
"I like the diversity and how people are different," Lehmann said. "People are more open and people are more friendly in the beginning."
Despite all the things the two athletes like about the United States, it certainly comes at a cost.
Both riders said they only get to go home twice a year. They said they go home for winter break along with summer break. Being away from their families was the thing op het Veld and Lehmann both noted as the most difficult challenge of being a foreign student.
"Larry (Sanchez), for example, has really been almost like a dad to me, he's helped me with so much since my family isn't here, he is always there to help me in any way that he can," op het Veld said.
op het Veld said that they are constantly asked funny questions like if they had pizza in Europe.
"We're not from Mars!" Lehmann said.
Even though the two are from different parts of the world, they are just like every other Division I athlete who wants to compete and be successful.
But being international students is a very unique experience, with cultural differences, being treated differently and being away from their families making this part of their lives more difficult.
Being part of the OSU equestrian team has made the transition much easier for these athletes. The family atmosphere and the desire to always help each other out is something both riders love about the team.
"I think our team is really close, which is what I really liked and that really stood out to me from the very first moment coming here on a visit," op het Veld said. "Since I was moving all the way across the world, I wanted to go somewhere where I would feel welcome and where I would know that I would be OK and where people just take care of each other. I think that really is the case for our team."
op het Veld is a sophomore from Amstelveen, Netherlands. She said she is the only one in her family that had a passion for horses.
From a very young age, she would ride on the back of her father's bicycle and the two of them would ride by a nearby pasture with horses.
"I wanted to pet them," op het Veld said.
In the Netherlands, the law requires citizens to be 7 years old in order to get horse riding lessons. For op het Veld, she didn't wait a single day to start riding. On her seventh birthday, she took her first lesson and immediately fell in love. That experience sparked her passion for horses and the sport.
op Het Veld was first introduced to the United States when she took a trip to New York at the age of 13. In 2019, she competed at the Equestrian Youth World Show in Oklahoma City and ultimately landed a spot on the OSU equestrian roster bringing her to Stillwater in 2020.
A native of Ponznan, Poland, Lehmann, was also first introduced to horses at a young age.
"It was when I was 7 years old, and I was trying to explore what I liked to do," Lehmann said.
Her parents first introduced her to tennis and golf but neither brought out the same kind of passion that horses did.
Lehmann's love for horses got her family to follow. Together, they learned about horses and Equestrian, which ultimately led to Dalia being a show jumper and her parents to become breeders.
Within a year of riding, Lehmann started competing, starting with ponies. Her family first owned one pony, which quickly turned into seven.
"That was the moment when I actually got involved, and it started to be serious," Lehmann said.
Lehmann first came to the United States in 2017, where she was an exchange student in Wisconsin.
"I just wanted to explore the country," Lehmann said. "I'd heard a lot from my friends that the U.S is the country with many cultures and actually I was curious what it was like."
OSU's strong equestrian program is what brought her to school here, where she is now in her freshman year.
"After the Zoom talk with coaches, I decided that I wanted to join the team because of the family atmosphere – that is really important for me as an exchange student, as a foreign student," Lehmann said.
The two athletes both notice many differences between the United States and their hometowns.
"Something that is very different for sure is how big this country is," said op het Veld, also noting that all of the athletics in the United States is something that the Netherlands doesn't have.
"I like the diversity and how people are different," Lehmann said. "People are more open and people are more friendly in the beginning."
Despite all the things the two athletes like about the United States, it certainly comes at a cost.
Both riders said they only get to go home twice a year. They said they go home for winter break along with summer break. Being away from their families was the thing op het Veld and Lehmann both noted as the most difficult challenge of being a foreign student.
"Larry (Sanchez), for example, has really been almost like a dad to me, he's helped me with so much since my family isn't here, he is always there to help me in any way that he can," op het Veld said.
op het Veld said that they are constantly asked funny questions like if they had pizza in Europe.
"We're not from Mars!" Lehmann said.
Even though the two are from different parts of the world, they are just like every other Division I athlete who wants to compete and be successful.
But being international students is a very unique experience, with cultural differences, being treated differently and being away from their families making this part of their lives more difficult.
Being part of the OSU equestrian team has made the transition much easier for these athletes. The family atmosphere and the desire to always help each other out is something both riders love about the team.
"I think our team is really close, which is what I really liked and that really stood out to me from the very first moment coming here on a visit," op het Veld said. "Since I was moving all the way across the world, I wanted to go somewhere where I would feel welcome and where I would know that I would be OK and where people just take care of each other. I think that really is the case for our team."
Players Mentioned
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