By Sabine Timman
Photography: Sabine Timman

Jur Vrieling (52) is not only a great rider but is now also claiming a personal space in the spotlight with his breeding when his own Nyrocco (Zirocco Blue VDL - Ghodorette-W x Cardento) became an approved stallion at the KWPN licensing.

The breeding component of the stables of Jur Vrieling and his girlfriend Suzanne Tepper – located in Holwierde in the north of the Netherlands – started with some mares they already had for sport, or those they used to ride that they bought back. They also added some purchased mares from good dam lines: “Not one dam line in particular, but it’s important there is enough sport behind it with horses who are competing at higher levels.” Jur Vrieling was and still is riding a lot of horses, mostly stallions for VDL Stud. “I learned a lot about breeding from Wiepke van de Lageweg. If you sit with someone like that in the car going to watch foals you hear and learn a lot. We also talk about breeding, and with his son Wiebe-Yde I discuss a lot. This makes it great fun for me.

More knowledge and information

“I know all the ins and outs about the stallions I ride now and rode myself in the past, so that’s a big plus when it comes to choosing stallions for the breeding mares. This gives me so much more information about which stallion will suit which mare the best. I also use other stallions who are competing at higher levels but I, nevertheless, still prefer to use the quality stallions of VDL, like Zirocco Blue VDL; a horse who performed in sport and possesses everything a modern jumping horse needs. He was really careful, had the right attitude and enough power. Those are characteristics you need in our sport. He was an amazing horse and maybe the best I’ve ever ridden, but he might breed even better than himself and that makes him really interesting as a stallion for me. He has so much quality I can’t imagine he wouldn’t be a good sire as well. So, I used him quite a lot on our breeding mares.”.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber

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