2012 season

The Joys of Breeding

By International Dressage Rider
CHRISTA LAARAKKERS

Last month I wrote about our selection for the World Championship in Verden, which takes place in August of this year.

We already had our fourth round last week on the 8th June. We were very satisfied with our own horses and their performance. Due to their great performance, they have all been selected to the fifth round now, which takes place on the 29th June. Here we have to do the same job we did last week. We have to ride the final test of Verden again.

I will let you know what the results are after our 5th selection. Then after this we have one more selection to go on the 13th of July.

This time I want to write about the most remarkable thing that has happened to us in the last month. It is the KWPN Approval of our own offspring!!

Christa Laarakkers

Breeding is a kind of hobby for us. We have two mares that were supposed to become great sporthorses. However like a farrier that has no time to do his own horses, we had no time to ride our own mares. That’s why we looked for two stallions that would make a great match with them both. Nedorette, a “Keur Sport Dressur” mare is by Contango out of a mare by Belfalas xx, and Rose is a “Ster” mare by Vincent out of a Zebulon mare.

The first foals out of these mares were not very special. However the second foals were beautiful and great movers. The first, Carlton Hill, is a young Uphill stallion out of Rose by Vincent. The second foal is Charming Mood a young stallion by Winningmood out of Nedorette by Contango.

CARLTON HILL by UPHILL

For two years we did not see much of them because we did not raise them up at our stables. However, every time we saw them, they were very special to us………I think the way a mother looks at her children.

In August last year when both colts became 2½, we brought them home to our stables. We had to know if they were good enough to bring them to the first selection of the stallion inspection 2010.

We lunged them a little and learned to know their characters. It was a difficult decision because of the fact that Jack was a member of the KWPN Stallion Selection Committee. Due to this he could not permit himself to show a horse that wasn’t very special.

So we took the chance…………………

Both stallions passed the strict first selections, and were allowed to compete at the second round at the prestigious KWPN Stallion Show in Den Bosch. Here both then qualified for the third round, which is the round before they are accepted to the performance test. From here both were “Accepted” for the performance testing!

Every time the stallions came into the arena, Jack had to do a step backwards and let some one else judge his breeding products.

CARLTON HILL & CHARMING MOOD

As part of the final stallion selections the judges select a handful of stallions in each section to compete in the Championship. Carlton Hill by Uphill was one of the stallions that was selected for the dressage stallions, and here he was awarded 4th Place in the Championship Ring!! We had already sold him to the VDL stud in Beers back in December.

Charming Mood by Winningmood also had a lot of fans in Den Bosch, after showing himself very well in the second and third round selections. He was sold at the KWPN Select Sale afterwards to the Stud Sollenburg, from the family Zekveld in Almere.

So………….now two of our own offspring were to compete at the KWPN Spring Performance Test for 70 days! Due to his connections with the stallions, Jack had to go out of the stallion committee during this period, and again his stand-in was Dirk Reine.

It was an exciting period, and we crossed our fingers and hoped that they would stay healthy and would improve under the saddle.

Thursday the 29th May was the final examination day, and both stallions did not disappoint, as both Carlton Hill and Charming Mood were awarded “Approved” status by the KWPN!

CHARMING MOOD by WINNINGMOOD

Other stallions that were given “Approved status were:

Chippendale (Lord Leatherdale x Negro)
Charmeur (Florencio x Jazz) – The Performance Test Winner
Cadans (Sir Donnerhall x Pion)

One breeder that was congratulating us told us that he has bred 140 foals so far and of these one got as far as the second round, and another was Accepted to the Performance Test, but unfortunately did not pass the exam.

So I think we were extremely lucky with the result we have had with our breeding, and it probably only happens once in a lifetime with only two breeding mares!

The success of these two stallion is wonderful…………however, Jack then had to quit his job as a member of the KWPN Stallion Committee because of the different interests he has now with the stallions and our breeding.

You can see that all good things always will have a bad thing inside!

Christa