By Adriana van Tilburg
Photography: © Private collection; FEI/Hanna M Heinonen; Peter Llewellyn
Born in Raamsdonksveer, in the Brabant region of the Netherlands in 1961, Niels de Bruijn is the breeder of Canto Bruno (Cantoblanco - Queen Quality 4 x Quality), an Oldenburg-bred gelding who has achieved success at the 1m60 level under Finland’s Aura Vasama.
But de Bruijn is also a vault of information, so this interview felt like a journey through the history of Oldenburg showjumping horse breeding, shedding light on Niels’s connections with the Oldenburg Verband and his passion for preserving and improving bloodlines.
Q What is your vision for breeding top sport horses, and how has your journey shaped the principles you follow today?
I have been living in Rijsbergen for 28 years, where my partner and I run our breeding operation, Stal van het Hellegat, and six years ago we began adding the suffix ’van het Hellegat’ to the names of our horses. One of our proudest achievements is Bliss van het Hellegat (Esmeraldo x Chacoon Blue), who was named reserve national champion of BWP filly foals.
My interest in horses stems from my father, a farmer’s son who kept horses as a hobby and began breeding on a small scale. My brother and I grew up riding and later competing in showjumping, taking lessons with Henk Nooren among others. My father, as a traveling sales representative, often came across promising young horses during his journeys throughout the Netherlands, particularly in the northern regions. These horses often hailed from strong mare lines, frequently carrying the well-known Sinaeda blood. We trained and competed with these horses, developing a fondness for Marco Polo offspring. One of our standout horses was Orpheus (Marco Polo), out of a mare by Senator. (His grandmother, Friedhilde was also the grandmother of Nimmerdor). This horse took me to the national level from the age of four and later, under the name Opstalans Orpheus, continued his career with my mentor, Henk Nooren.
From a young age, I was fascinated by breeding and bloodlines. I attended inspections and showjumping competitions across the Netherlands and abroad to deepen my knowledge. In the early 1990s, alongside my role as a manager in a candle production company, I began breeding horses on a small scale. Today, we breed three to four foals annually, which we typically raise and begin training from the age of three. Our breeding program has produced several horses competing at five-star 1m60m level, including Canto Bruno, Quality Star Z (ridden by Bliss Heers), and Can Fly Z (ridden by Sheik Ali Jmal Nasr Al Nuami). Our journey continues with a deep passion for breeding, a commitment to developing talented horses, and a belief in the power of strong bloodlines to shape future champions... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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