By Agata Grosicka
Photography: Oliwia Chmielewska

During the weekend of July 23/24, the historic Racot State Stud, located just outside Poznan in the western part of Poland, hosted the first edition of the Wechta Equestrian Foal Show. It was organized by the well-known family of breeders and riders, Dariusz Wechta and his sons, Aleksander and Maksymilian (members of the Polish showjumping team for Herning 2022).

The Wechta family initiated the concept of organizing this championship for showjumping foals representing all the studbooks registered with PZHK.
Racot State Horse Stud and the Council of Greater Poland Voivodeship were the co-organizers of this first edition of the championship, which was then followed by the selection to Wechta Horse Auction 2022, to be held on August 20 in Racot. The Wechta Equestrian Foal Show included three categories; foals with a high percentage of Thoroughbred blood (a Thorougbred sire or dam), showjumping fillies, and showjumping colts.
The judging committee included acclaimed Polish breeders and judges: Malgorzata Siergiej, Dobrochna Olesinska-Zablocka, Henryk Sobon, Jaroslaw Sekula, and Jaroslaw Szymoniak.
The eight highest ranked foals in the second and third category qualified to the end ring where the rankings were reset and the judges decided on the final order through discussion.
The first category foals with a Thoroughbred sire or dam were ranked as follows:
1 Khassilio (Cassilio - Khala xx x Rhodesian Winner xx), a colt bred and owned by Moszna Horse Stud, with the score of 36.7%
2 Impuls M (Cassilio - Impecable M xx x Roulette xx), a colt bred and owned by Moszna Horse Stud, scored 34.1%
3 De Facto (C-Quattro PS - Dallina xx x Ruten xx) a colt bred and owned by Iwno Horse Stud, 32.7%
In the second category for showjumping fillies:
1 Heronika MT (Aganix du Seigneur - Hermina x Contendro II), bred and owned by Monika Tadych
2 Cayenne R (Nevados S - Chochla x Vulkan L), bred and owned by Racot Horse Stud
3 Grivana R (Nevados S - Geira x Bolshoi), bred and owned by Racot Horse Stud
Showjumping colts:
1 Gatsby MT (Comilfo Plus Z - Greace x Larron), bred and owned by Monika Tadych. A colt who scored a remarkable 10.0 for general impression.
2 Pasquale (Aguero - Penelope IX G x Acorado I), bred and owned by Rafal Putz
3 Terytorial (Blitz Al Z - Tamiza x Landjonker S), bred and owned by Sylwester Kosinski
Aleksander Wechta, the co-organizer of the event commented on its success: “We were surprised with the response of the breeders and the number of foals submitted. The first idea was to organize a one-day championship, then we extended the event to two days and added the stallion show in the afternoon, which we organized with the help of Krajewski Jumping Team. The formula turned out to be optimal because evaluating 90 foals in one day would have been too much for everybody involved. A breeder who brought two horses could present a filly on one day and a colt the next. And organizing the breeders’ party on the first day was a great opportunity for many people to get together and exchange their opinions and so on. Next year we will simply work out more details.

“The judging formula which was introduced here for the first time still needs to be explained to the breeders, the majority of whom are used to having scores announced after the presentation of every horse. Here we followed the pattern of some western studbooks and selected the eight best foals for the end ring where they were judged again with the final ranks given at the end when the champions were announced. Thus we wanted to avoid the situation where a foal would end in last place. The judges were also pleased with that formula because they had a chance to compare the final eight for a second time... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber

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