By Jo de Roo
Photography: Jo de Roo
On August 25, the Belgian Warmblood Studbook organised the national championship for BWP ‘elite’ foals and BRp (ponies) foals, that had all been pre-selected during local championships. In showjumping, the organisers welcomed 85 colts and 89 fillies, plus 23 and 21, respectively, in dressage (plus 47 ponies).
More and more breeders are presenting their foals at championships in Belgium, where associated auctions are also booming. Such events have become marketplaces that gather buyers and sellers in one place. It’s a good economic initiative, although one has to wonder how long such auctions will continue at the current rate of success. Naturally, the day when the number of sellers exceeds the buyers will mark the time when prices will drop, an indication to breeders to produce fewer foals, which will mean fewer studbook registrations and less administrative income... and so on!
Of course, I visited the event not as a seller or buyer, but to assess the qualities of the foals and to see which stallions are leaving their mark. By analyzing the sires of presented foals in the option showjumping, we see that Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve (Narcos II - Olympia van de Krekebeke x Laudanum xx, bred by René Vets) is leading the way with a total of 13 out of the 174 presented foals. Tangelo is followed by two sires with eight descendants apiece: the 17-year-old Untouchable (Hors La Loi II - Promesse x Heartbreaker), and the six-year-old Matisse de Mariposa (Diamant de Semilly - Inabelle de Mariposa x Stakkato) – the latter bred by Herman de Brabander...
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