By Milou van Engeland / KWPN
Photography: © Dirk Caremans

‘Sport leads to sport’ applies to the offspring of Balzflug daughter Jildonja. Under the saddle of Marieke Pijnenburg, this mare, known for her exceptional drive and willingness, competed in the Small Tour. She passes on her talent and character to her offspring: three of them are Small Tour classified, and two have competed at Grand Prix level.

The Pijnenburg family from Heukelom, Brabant, has been breeding with various dam lines for many years, including the sport- and predicate-rich Bottie line that produced Jildonja. Jildonja traces back to the preferent Wodan daughter Donja, who also produced the KWPN stallion Udonis (Duc de Normandie).
In the 1970s, Jos Pijnenburg purchased the mare Rodonja, a full sister to Udonis. “My father was eager to acquire a quality mare from this bloodline,” Marieke recalls. “Rodonja was a very skittish, quick mare as a young horse. Horses from this line were expensive, but Rodonja was affordable because she wasn’t easy at the time. In the end, that worked out perfectly. Back then, we had a riding school, and Rodonja even participated in lessons. She was well-behaved and, thanks to her forward character and work ethic, was actually enjoyable for the riding school students to ride.”
Cooperative character

Jos and Corrie Pijnenburg managed De Gulle Ruif riding school while also breeding horses on a small scale. Rodonja earned her ster status and, based on the success of her offspring, was also awarded the preferent and prestatie predicates. Among her offspring was Drieke, a Voltaire son who later competed in international Grand Prix.
The Pijnenburg family also bred a Grand Prix horse from Rodonja’s daughter, Freedonja (Zevenster); and L.A. son Nelson reached the highest level under Canadian rider Whitney Harris. “The quality of these horses lies in their drive and cooperative character,” Marieke explains. “They tend to be hot-blooded horses, but they all have a strong desire to work for you and do their best. As young horses, they may not be suitable for everyone, but their enthusiasm to work is wonderful if you can handle it. In the end, many people find them enjoyable to ride because they’re willing to perform even for less experienced riders. Freedonja was eventually sold to one of our riding school clients because of her good rideability. As a young horse, she was already a bit easier than Rodonja and had an excellent temperament. Freedonja was a good mare but never competed due to her sale. We made our living from horses, so at some point, you have to sell.”.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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