By Steef Roest / KWPN
Photography: Jessica Pijlman

According to Willeke Bos, KWPN Breeder of the Year Dressage, “I notice I’m becoming increasingly strict in my selection.” Coincidentally, 2022 was undoubtedly her year after her domination first surfaced during the KWPN Stallion Show, having bred three out of the four premium stallions.

Then, in the summer she was declared Breeder of the Year, and during the autumn performance test three of her stallions were approved. Obsession Taonga, imbued with the Stal 104 blood, being the highlight as the top scorer.

In terms of breeding sector age, Willeke Bos is a young breeder, as the woman behind Stal 104 commenced her breeding programme merely fifteen years ago. The story is well known: through spot-on breeding choices, by surrounding herself with the right people, and her cooperation with various riders, Willeke became a successful dressage breeder in a short space of time. Her most remarkable achievements as a breeder: four Big Tour horses, including one Olympic stallion, eight Small Tour horses and six KWPN-approved stallions. Willeke furthermore bred both the champion of the stallion show and the Nationale Mare Championships champion of the same year out of the Small Tour mare Atilinda M (Negro). Vitalis, whom she bought as a foal, is leaving his mark on global dressage breeding, his offspring excel as foals up to international top sport, and by now her own breeding is infused with the blood of her own stallions.

Yessin Rahmouni

We have been invited to Stal Visser in Vijfhuizen, the location at which Yessin Rahmouni has stabled his training horses. Yessin is one of the riders with whom Willeke has partnered. Aboard the Willeke-bred KWPN-approved stallion All at Once (Ampère), Yessin participated in his second Olympic Games in Tokyo. But their partnership goes beyond that. Besides the Stal 104 horses that are under his wing for training, Yessin is the instructor of Willeke’s daughter Lara van Nek and, fresh off the heels of their performance test, the stallions Obsession Taonga (Vitalis) and One Two Three (Vivaldi) are also stabled here. The first will be produced by Lara under Yessin’s guidance... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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