By Bettine van Harselaar / KWPN
Photography: Leanjo de Koster

For over 30 years, Bernoski Dressage has been located in Bleiswijk, where a very complete range of activities is carried out: sport at the highest level, breeding, trade, and training. Recently, Hans, Natascha, and their son Robin Bernoski had two stallions from their own breeding selected for the performance test.

With their breeding, they mainly focus on sport, preferring generously built horses that suit Robin well. Bernoski Dressage was named Breeder of the Year in South Holland and is having a strong inspection season.
The breeding at Bernoski Dressage is relatively small, but progressive: they breed with mares that also compete in sport, and stallion choices are carefully considered and evaluated. The Bernoskis also like to continue with a younger generation of mares. This vision has already produced several successful sport horses.
At the last KWPN Stallion Show, the two stallions they presented, bred from half-sisters Jamaica and Havanna, were selected: Stromae (Las Vegas - Havanna elite sport-dressage PROK x Sir Donnerhall I), and Spectre (Hermès - Jamaica elite sport-dressage IBOP-dressage PROK x Vivaldi). Stromae was sold via the KWPN Select Sale, and a share in Spectre was sold to Gertjan van Olst, where the stallion is now also based.

Foundation mare So What

At the base is the mare So What (elite pref prest sport-dressage PROK by Ferro), the full sister of Natascha’s Grand Prix horse Mythilus. “Mythilus had an exceptional talent for piaffe and passage”, says Hans. “That was a great horse, but after a few Grand Prix performances, the phone was ringing off the hook.” Eventually, Mythilus was sold to the American Courtney King, who competed with him at the Olympic Games in Hong Kong (2008).
The Bernoski family had the opportunity to purchase So What from her breeder P.H. Sinke in Yerseke. The purchase of this mare, which the Bernoski family co-owned with Richard van Heuvelen, turned out to be a golden move. She produced the successful Grand Prix horse Electra (Jazz), which Bernoski sold as a foal to Lynne Maas. Jamaica, Robin Bernoski’s current Grand Prix horse, also comes from So What, who has already produced several successful offspring. The Light Tour mare Havanna (Sir Donnerhall I) has since been sold. From this mare, the Bernoski family still has a three-year-old Vitalis mare who will go to the mare inspection this year.
According to Hans, the line of Mythilus passes on the qualities for Grand Prix. “That’s what we want to breed for. That’s why we also chose stallions like Hermès. We want to preserve those special qualities for passage and piaffe.”

Generously built horses with a strong front

The large mare Jamaica is now Robin Bernoski’s first Grand Prix horse, who was previously successful with the KWPN stallion Velazquez (Krack C) in the Young Riders. Walking through the stables, a preference for large, generously developed horses with a strong front becomes apparent. “We mainly select the horses we keep based on Robin”, laughs Hans, referring to his tall son. “We find a strong front important, as well as a hind leg that moves under the body. A horse must naturally have a nice posture, because that usually means you have to do less to improve it. We like upward movement with sufficient hind leg. In recent years, we sometimes see horses in riding that naturally have less of that, where the front has to be ‘lifted’ by the rider, making it look impressive. But the hindquarters never benefit from that. A horse must naturally have that posture”, says Hans.
Robin also points out rideability: “A good neck often gives easier contact. The character must also be good. And the walk, that’s really a point of attention nowadays...

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