By Laura Boelens / KFPS
Photography: Michelle Franke-Everette; Karin Sevink
The number of performance mares in 2023 maintains the upward trend of previous years. This continuation of the upward trend certainly highlights the growing recognition of the value of the Friesian horse in the sporting world.
It also confirms a crucial aspect of the breeding policy aimed at breeding Friesian horses with a natural aptitude for sport.
The Performance mare predicate is awarded to mares that have produced three direct offspring that have either obtained the Sport predicate or completed a talent test with at least 75 points. There is a continued increase in the number of mares earning this distinction. This goes hand in hand with the increasing presence of Friesian horses in the sporting world, where they are increasingly emerging as strong competitors. At regional championships, Friesian horses perform excellently, often winning championship ribbons and qualifying for the Hippiade.
There is also a clear increase of Friesian horses in dressage, including at (sub-top) level. In addition, many owners participate in the specific aptitude tests for Friesian horses. Besides the inspections, these tests are an essential selection tool. For stallions, the performance test (Central Examination) is a crucial part of approval. For mares, the results in the ABFP and IBOP tests are partly decisive for awarding the predicates Crown and Model, or for converting a provisional Star predicate to a definitive status. Moreover, the results of the ability tests are presented in the form of a performance predicate; A, AA or AAA, which adds an extra dimension to a horse’s rating.
Performance pedigree
The pedigrees of last year’s Performance mares shows a wide range of sires, with one clear leader though: Beart 411 is listed seven times as the sire of new Performance mares. His sire, Jasper 366, is responsible for paternity in three cases. Tsjalke 397, Wierd 409, and Gjalt 426 each have two offspring among new Prestatie mares. There is a greater diversity of dam sires, with Anton 343 topping the list with four entries... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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