KWPN Horse Days Roundup
Transcription
KWPN Horse Days Roundup
KWPN Horse Days • text : JENNEKE SMIT / NICOLE RIETMAN-REIJN / GEMMA JANSEN • photo’s: DIRK CAREMANS / JACOB MELISSEN / GEA VEENSTRA KWPN Horse Days Roundup Popular Event Delivers the Best of Finely Bred Horses and Sport The 2011 KWPN Horse Days have come and gone. Droves of enthusiastic spectators flocked to the event to watch the best foals, mares, jumpers, dressage horses, and eventers showcase their talent in the ring. Below is a complete overview of the Champions and notable horses of the six-day event. Jacob Melissen In the dressage mares division, the San Remo daughter D.Obertje emerged the convincing Champion. She boasts powerful conformation and movement, and radiates incredible presence. 12 IDSi-5 IDSi05_P012 12 31-08-11 14:43 Van Helvoirt As a filly, Duzella (s.Indoctro) placed third in the National Foal Inspection. During the KWPN Horse Days, she convincingly captured the first combined Championship for three-year-old jumper mares. Dirk Caremans In the dressage mares division, D.Obertje was the most convincing of the group in all her classes. She received spontaneous applause. The well-developed chestnut mare, registered to A. van den Broek of Haaren, boasts incredibly attractive and long-lined conformation. Her expressive and well-conformed forehand takes a very long stride, and she has a strong top-line. Like a true champion, she radiates exceptional unparalleled presence, both standing and in motion. In addition, she is blessed with a long stride, power, clear rhythm, and lovely carriage. D.Obertje is following in the footsteps of her half-sister Zhara-Obertje (s.Jazz), who won the Championship in Ermelo four years ago. The Reserve Champion Dolly (Ziësto out of Tiffany’s Monday stb by Osmium) also received spontaneous applause. Bred by Tim Coomans of Oud-Beijerland, she is another well-developed mare with longlined dressage conformation and obvious power in her conformation and movement. Dolly has a very strong trot and can already collect well, even in hand. Even in her self-initiated canter transitions, she showed exceptional talent. Third place was for the Jazz daughter Djuice Geuzenhof (out of Mystiek keur pref by Fruhling, b/rp: Sandra Maakenschijn of Chaam). The bay mare garnered attention for her outstanding body use in the walk as well as in the trot. She, too, has good conformation. Other mares in the top Dirk Caremans D.Obertje is the third horse bred by Huub Van Helvoirt in the past five years to win the national championship; Zhara-Obertje (s.Jazz) and Andy (s.Jazz) were the first two - a noteworthy achievement by this former Breeder of the Year! Van Helvoirt and his wife Tiny, who stood at the “cradles” of these beautiful horses, certainly deserve to be complimented. However, the couple’s influence in KWPN breeding is even greater because they used Jazz. Only four of the twelve mares in the top group do not have the blood of the world’s number one dressage sire flowing through their veins. The other eight do boast Jazz blood, either directly from the sire himself or through one of his offspring or grandoffspring, such as Tango, Olivi, Johnson, UB40, Vivaldi, or Wynton. Duzella (s.Indoctro), the Champion Jumper Mare, used her body exceptionally well over the oxer. group included daughters of Don Schufro, Tango, Johnson, UB 40, Jazz, Vivaldi, Wynton, and Dreamcatcher. Jumper Mares In the Championship for jumper mares, the preferent stallion Indoctro proved very influential again, for he sired both the Champion and Reserve Champion of this special “class for queens.” His daughters Duzella and Denolia were impressive in the morning free-jumping sessions. Duzella demonstrated a lovely, light- footed canter and jumped with good reflexes and an elevated wither. As she entered the ring and lined up, she radiated abundant nobility. She was even more charming in motion. Her half-sister Denolia (out of Fenolia keur by Zuidhorn, b/rp: Jelle Dikkema of Scharmer) was also among the most notable mares in freejumping. She boasts a good, well-balanced canter. Likewise, she showed very good reflexes: every jump was quick off the ground, with a nicely raised wither. Although her front leg use is still somewIDSi-5 IDSi05_P013 13 13 31-08-11 14:43 Jacob Melissen The Dressage Foal Champion Gregwaard (s.Florencio) radiates nobility and boasts light-footed movement. He bested a large group of high quality foals to win the Championship. hat inconsistent, she compensates for it well with her good body use and lovely hindquarter technique. She also showed abundant scope over jumps. Although Denolia and Duzella differ little in terms of jumping talent, Duzella has better conformation and legs than her half-sister. However, Denolia has good sport conformation, with a nice wither and shoulder and a well-muscled topline. In the morning free-jumping sessions, the judges were very impressed with the mare Di Zigeunerin VDL (Zavall VDL out of Zigeunerin II stb-ext by Hold Up Premier, b/rp: VDL Stud of Bears), whose granddam Zigeunerin produced the KWPN-approved stallion Goodtimes. Di Zigeunerin canters with abundant push and good balance. She also jumps quick off the ground and stays very focused. With respect to conformation, she does not quite live up to the two Indoctro daughters. Although Di Zigeunerin has good rectangular-shaped conformation, she is a bit short-legged. The rest of the top group included mares by Tolan R, Van Gogh, Quasimodo van de Molendreef, Vigaro, Vainqueur, and Ultimo. attracted attention with his noble presence, light-footed and uphill movement, and canter with good jump. Gregwaard, now registered to Nol Gerritsen and Nico Witte, is a worthy champion. The Jazz daughter Giulilanta (out of Wilanta ster PROK s.Flemmingh, breeder: A. Vogelaar and J. Knol of Surhuisterveen) earned the Reserve Champion title with her long-lined, long-legged conformation and beautiful front end. Bred by Emmy de Jeu, the filly showed a good hind leg and big trot. The first of five Apache offspring in the lead group finished in the top three: G-Star (out of Anique ster s.Jetset-D, b/rp: M. Tijssen of Lienden), a foal with harmonious conformation, a lovely front end, a good hind leg, and uphill movement. G-Star’s half-sister, Gala, followed in fourth place. Fifth and sixth place in the final were for two Uphill daughters. Other foals in the top group were by Andretti, Charmeur, Negro, Florencio, and Bordeaux. Demonstrating great elasticity and ease, Girisco (Vleut x Nirisja keur pref s.Lux) cantered to the national title in the jumper foal division and captured the Equimax Foal Cup for his breeder, Wim Swinkels of Aarle Rixtel. Thanks to his superior conformation, the colt also bested his competition at the Central Inspection in Veghel; and in Ermelo, he beat his peers again, which Dirk Caremans Foals In the dressage foals division, Gregwaard won the Championship. The Florencio son out of Wintana Waard elite (s.Jazz), bred by Luuk van Rijn of Nieuwland, 14 The new Jumper Foal Champion: Girisco (s.Vleut). His elasticity and easy movement convinced the judges to proclaim him the Jumper Foal Champion of his birth year. In addition to his good movement, he is blessed with beautiful conformation and an attractive forehand. IDSi-5 IDSi05_P014 14 31-08-11 14:43 Emmelie Scholtens After barely a day back from Verden where she won the World Breeding Championship for six-year-old dressage horses, Emmelie Scholtens claimed Pavo Cup again - and how! She was the clear winner with both the gelding Borencio and the approved stallion Charmeur, another successful product from breeder Huub van Helvoirt. In the four-year-old division, she placed second and third on Chinook and Connaisseur, respectively. Charmeur, a Florencio son out of Trendy elite (s.Jazz), was the leader from the start. Guest rider Sander Marijnissen: “Charmeur is outstanding - a fantastic, strong horse that has an excellent connection for a four-year-old. He has a good walk, good trot, and a good canter; actually, I should say very good. I give Charmeur a 10.” Claudia Rüscher of Germany, who won the silver and bronze medals at the World Breeding Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden last year, was also Jacob Melissen included foals from all parts of the Netherlands. “A well-developed foal with attractive conformation, an exceptional forehand, and a very elastic, easy canter,” explained judging chairman, Cor Loeffen. Another colt secured second place: G. Macoemba. The well-developed youngster boasts clear rectangular-shaped conformation and an attractive forehand. He has remarkable push in the canter. Credit goes to Verdi for siring the new Reserve Champion, bred by B. Veeneman of Beemte Broekland. G.Macoemba is out of Umacoemba ster (s.Corland). The youngest and first filly in the final took third place. “The youngest but certainly not the least,” said Cor Loeffen. Gufrieda (Zirocco Blue x U-Frieda O elite sportjump s.Goodtimes) was bred by F.B. Oldenburger of Grootegast and is registered to H. Schut of Grootegast. “She also has an attractive forehand. Gufrieda is elegant and has a great canter with lots of elasticity,” explained Loeffen. Gufrieda finished just ahead of her half-brother, Gerando, who is also by Zirocco Blue VDL. An Arezzo filly placed fifth. Baltic VDL sired the sixth and tenth place finishers, and Nimmerdor the eighth and twelfth place finishers. Numbers nine and twelve are Indoctro offspring, and number eleven is by Mr. Blue. Pavo Cup Champion Charmeur shows fantastic movement and carriage for a four-year-old. impressed by Charmeur: “He’s a horse with a lot of movement. He’s very rideable, although not quite as loose as I had wanted, and he was a bit distracted.” Claudia gave Charmeur a 9.5. Chinook ended second. The Vivaldi son, bred by the Andeweg family of Randwijk, out of the keur preferent mare Sarita (s. Havidoff), received an invitation to the performance test via the Pavo Cup. Sander Marijnissen: “Chinook is a fantastic horse with a very nice front end. He has lots of presence, great rideability, and three good gaits - a 9.” Claudia Rüscher, lyrical about the stallion, gave him a 10: “He gives his rider a very nice feel and does his work really well. His movement is super, he’s light in the hand, and he’s very elastic. Actually, Chinook has everything a rider wants.” The KWPN-approved stallion Connaisseur (Con Amore out of Donna Clara by Donnerhall, breeder: F. Schulte-Landewehr of Suddendorf) took third place. Claudia Rüscher gave Connaisseur a 9.5. Sander Marijnissen gave him an 8.5. Other horses which competed in the final were the KWPN stallions Chippendale (s.Lord Leatherdale) and Carlton Hill (s.Uphill), as well as the mares President’s Cabola and DTS Codette (s.Painted Black), who scored very high in last year’s mare tests. Borencio Again The battle for the Pavo Cup, the competition for five-year-old dressage horses, was marked by some very tense moments. After the semi-final, I.P.S. Bon Bravour enjoyed a 1.5 point advantage over the gelding Borencio. But after the first final round, that advantage turned into a half-point disadvantage for the approved stallion. Guest riders Sander Marijnissen and Claudia Rüscher unanimously decided in Borencio’s favor. Sander Marijnissen: “Borencio is a really nice horse. He collected more and more during the ride and became more elevated. He has a good walk, a good trot, and a good canter. He’s my choice to win today, and that’s why he gets a 10.” Claudia Rüscher: “Borencio is a really nice horse to ride - good off the leg, very forward, a very loose walk: I also give him a 10.” Borencio is a Florencio son. Bred by A.P.M. Pittens in Nistelrode, Borencio is out of Miss Sinclair elite (s.Lord Sinclair) and is registered to T. and L. Collins of Riethoven. IDSi-5 IDSi05_P015 15 15 31-08-11 14:43 Belgian rider Tom Franckx showed the approved stallion I.P.S. Bon Bravour. The pair had just returned from Verden, where they competed for Belgium. I.P.S. Bon Bravour is a Painted Black son out of Odette keur pref (s.Chronos). He was bred by W.J.M. van Beek of Schaijk. Sander Marijnissen thoroughly enjoyed riding I.P.S. Bon Bravour: “The more I put him to work, the more I felt he improved. His collection improved, and he took more weight on his hind leg. To get a 10, however, he needs a bit more power. Right now, I’m giving him a 9.5.” Claudia Rüscher: “He’s a really nice horse to ride with good basic gaits, and he’s nice and loose. He didn’t collect quite as much as Borencio; that’s why I’m also giving him a 9.5.” Third place was for another horse that excelled in Verden: Boston STH. Hans Peter Minderhoud showed the stallion. Sander Marijnissen: “This horse has a wonderful walk, a very good canter, and a very good trot.” The guest rider gave Bosten STH a 9. Claudia Rüscher: “This stallion is really nice to ride. He’s good on the aids. He gets a 9.5 from me.” Boston STH is a Johnson son, bred by J.W. Temmink in Vorden, out of Volmie ster (s.Quattro). Fourth place was for yet another Verden competitor: So You Know (s.Scandic), followed by the approved stallion Broere Bristol (s.Jazz) in fifth place. The best mare, BeauSéjour (s.Flemmingh), ended sixth. The VION Cup: Sport Lines Lead In the VION Cup for four-year-old jumpers, the powerful Unaniem son Cupido proved himself the deserving winner under Mischa Everse. Bred by Hans de Roover of Strijbeek, Cupido scored the most points in both the first and second rounds. International jumper riders Gabriël Coumans and Piet Raijmakers evaluated the horses in the final. These included the 30 best horses which Pieter Kersten and Eric Naberink had placed in the semi-final according to talent. Remarkably enough, there were few differences between the placings in the semi-final compared to the final. Cupido’s (Unaniem out of Winphonie PROK IBOP-jump s.Rash R) victory under Mischa Everse was very convincing. In the semi-final, he earned 8.5s for jumping and rideability; and in the final, those scores 16 Jacob Melissen I.P.S. Bon Bravour and Boston STH Borencio became the undisputed Pavo Cup Champion in the five-year-old division, after his guest riders awarded him two 10’s. rose to a 9.2 and a 9.0! The judges were full of praise. “There was no discussion for us about the winner. Cupido is a very complete jumper. He uses his body very well and jumps in good form. He also has good concentration and a lot of scope. As he showed here today, there’s nothing standing in his way of a very nice sport career,” explained Raijmakers. The KWPN-approved stallion Carrera (Larino out of Ehrentender ster pref s. Contender, breeder: A. Florijn of Geesteren), ridden by Richard Kapteijn, also impressed the judges. The stallion is registered to Lauw van Vliet and the Van Manen brothers. In the semi-final, he scored two 8’s; in the final, he earned two 8.7s. “Carrera is also a very complete jumper, and I really can’t give him any negative marks. He’s very rideable, and he shows a lot of scope over jumps and good form. He’s still a little inconsistent in his front leg form, but we don’t count that so much with such a young horse. He appears very careful,” explained Raijmakers. Kapteijn has had the stallion under saddle for about three months. “I’ve been riding him since the Stallion Show, and from the start, he’s given me a really good feel. Lauw’s daugh- ter rides him during the week and comes to my place once or twice a week so I can ride him and jump him now and then. It works really well; we also did that with Unaniem. Carrera is very uncomplicated, and he uses his body extremely well. I showed him twice in the B and three times in the L. Most stallions aren’t ready to compete with the four-year-olds, but I wasn’t afraid of that with Carrera. He learns easily, and these kinds of results are good advertising! The courses were nice, and I could follow the judging well on both days,” said Kapteijn. Third place was for the athletic Vincenzo son Collin W (out of Valanita elite s.Placido, breeder: J.W. van Wessel of Zwartebroek) under Hester Klompmaker, in whose name he is registered. This year, Collin W’s full brother, Durano W, was selected for the performance test. In the semi-final, Collin W scored an 8.2 for jumping and an 8.5 rideability; in the final, he received an 8.5 for jumping and a 7.5 for rideability. “He has a lot of talent over jumps, but we had to penalize him for rideability because he got a little too strong between the jumps. Collin W’s keenness will serve him well later in the IDSi-5 IDSi05_P016 16 31-08-11 14:43 Dedemsvaart) captured the Championship under Pieter Keunen. With 26 total place points, she boasted two-points fewer than S.L.I. Byron PROK (Concorde out of Ufallon H. ster s.Indoctro, breeder: A. Hoorn of Ruinerwold) under Arnold Boerekamps. Bestinov is no stranger to success: she place second in the three-year-old division at the Central Inspection, scored 81 points in the IBOP as a four-year-old, and won the Stal Hendrix young horse competition this year. She is a grand-daughter of the Grand Prix jumper Nadia (s.Indoctro), who Georgina Bloomberg showed for years. “With her win today, the picture is truly complete for us. In September, she’ll go under the hammer at the Dutch Sport Horse Sales auction, and we have high expectations for her there. Bestinov has everything a good jumper needs: scope, a good canter, a great attitude, and she’s very careful - truly a horse for the future!” explained rider Pieter Keunen. With her outstanding final result, Bestinov relegated the Concorde son S.L.I. Byron to second place under Arnolds Boerekamps. The jumper drew attention for his presence, strong canter, scope, and good finish to his jump. Unfortunately, four faults in the jump-off cost him the victory. The eyecatcher was purchased as a foal at the Elite Auction in Borculo. S.L.I. Byron is a Dirk Caremans more challenging work, but we have to evaluate what we see today,” explained Gabriël Coumans. The five-year-olds started with a course in which all the clear horses tied for first place. With just one place-point, these advanced to the second round of the semi-final on Wednesday. The best 89 of these competed in the semi-final, with the Verdi daughter Bibi Sijgje HS (out of Rachel s.Heartbreaker, breeder: G.M. Spronk of IJsselmuiden), ridden by Kristian Houwen, achieving the best results over both courses. On Thursday, the top 28 horses competed in the final, among them the KWPN-approved stallion Bacardi VDL (Corland out of Supardi elite s.Kannan, breeder: F. van de Linden of Haaren), Bugatti VDL (Silverstone out of Uzamieka VDL ster s.Indoctro, b/rp: VDL Stud of Bears), Bustique (Indoctro out of Jutha pref prest s.Grannus, breeder: H. van de Wijngaart of Prinsenbeek and J.A. Schipper of Breda), BMC Breitling LS (Quintero out of Armonia La Silla s.Acord II, breeder: La Silla, Nueva Leon), and Bernini (Vigo d’Arsouilles out of Marvelous s.Quick Star, breeder: A. Waldman of Putten). Place points from the final counted double in the final standing. Thanks to her win in final, Bestinov (Ustinov out of Sarah Jane s.Indorado, breeder: B. van Leur of In the VION Cup for four-year-old jumpers, the powerful Unaniem son Cupido was sensational under Mischa Everse. In both rounds, he convinced all with his outstanding jumping talent, which ultimately won him the Championship. grandson of the renowned mare Fallon pref prest (s.Wisconsin), a full sister to the Grand Prix jumper Hascal, whom Angelique Hoorn rode to victory in the 2001 Dutch Championship. Fallon produced the international jumper Jarville (s.Renville) and several national jumpers. Two riders successfully competed their home-bred horses and subsequently qualified for the World Championships in Lanaken. The two are Geert Moerings with Bardesther (Cardento out of Vesther keur sport-jump s.Guidam), who finished ninth; and Wout-Jan van der Schans with Barrichello (Carolus II out of Jadine keur pref prest sport-jump s.Voltaire, co-breeder/registered party: E. Dobbinga of Nijkerk). Both talented jumpers come from a good sport line. The selected stallion Barrichello commendably ended third, thanks to two good clear rounds in the final. Under Carolein Lankester, the small but determined Ustinov daughter Blue Berry (out of Bonita s.Bal Pare, b/rp: Stal Hendrix of Baarlo) jumped to fourth place. Her dam was a Grand Prix showjumper with Jessica Kürten. Six-Year-Old Jumpers: Few Differences Between the Best Abundant talent was evident among the six-year-old jumpers. Their championship started on Monday, with 35 horses staying clear over the first course. Two days later, the best 75 competed in the second part of the semi-final. After two days, the elite mare Ambelina JB (Eurocommerce Berlin out of Ruberlina H elite s.Corland), b/rp: Joop Breukink of Brummen, emerged the leader under Robert Puck. The eventual winner, Arc de Triomphe HS (Triomphe de Muze out of Una Bella S elite sport-jump s.Calvados, breeder: the Van Straaten family of Den Ham), ridden by Frank Schuttert, excelled immediately and placed second in the interim standing. In the final, four combinations qualified for the jump-off. For Frank Schuttert and Arc de Triomphe HS, the task was to stay clear in order to secure the win. The three combinations that preceded the pair in the jumpoff - Anatevka (Ustinov out of Uptown Girl ster s.Pierrot, b/rp: Stal Hendrix of Baarlo) under Pieter Keunen; Amarilles (Mermus R out of Stardust s.Lester, breeder: H. van Wijlick of Tegelen) under Robert Puck; and Hidalgo (Harley VDL out of Phliegette s. IDSi-5 IDSi05_P017 17 17 31-08-11 14:43 Corland, breeder: H.C.B.M. Janssen of Grashoek) under Maikel van Mierlo - all acquired four jumping faults. Although Schuttert’s task was to avoid faults, he did not play it safe but immediately picked up a fast pace. Showing abundant push, Arc de Triomphe cantered toward the jumps and negotiated them very carefully and with lots of scope. Schuttert: “If I had ridden conservatively and still accumulated faults, it would have cost me the win. I had figured out ahead of time exactly who I had to stay ahead of in order to win, and I couldn’t allow myself to get the worst result in the jump-off. That’s why I immediately rode forward; besides, my horse jumps better at a faster pace. He also stayed clean in the jump-off, so it went really well!” With a total of just eight place points, Arc de Triomphe HS triumphed. “I started riding him when he was four. My parents have bought interesting foals at the auctions for years, and that system has brought us good horses. 18 Seven-Year-Olds: The Battle of the Mares Two keen and talented mares battled for the title in the VION Cup for seven-yearolds. The very careful Querlybet Hero daughter Zerly grabbed the win under Andrew Ramsey, followed closely by the equally talented jumper Zara (s.Lupicor) under Kevin Olsmeijer. Other top horses of this Championship included the KWPN-approved stallions Eldorado van de Zeshoek (s.Clinton, 5th) and Carambole (s.Cassini I, 7th). After competing in part one on Tuesday and part two on Wednesday, the Lupicor daughter Zara ster sport-jump (stb. name: Zarita C, out of Marita keur s.Ircolando, b/ rp: C.J. Eijbergen and W.H. van der Putten of Amersfoort) held the lead by just two place points. The horses were separated by few place points: Zerly (Querlybet Hero out of Carthagena Z s.Carthago, breeder: M.M.A. Everse of Waddinxveen) was second with four place points, followed closely by BMC Zenith SFN (Rash R out of Sascha keur s.Fuego de Prelet, breeder: H. Voort of Den Ham) under Jeroen Dubbeldam with six place points. The best 23 combinations competed in the final round. Of these, nine advanced to the jump-off. First in the ring was the Dirk Caremans Dirk Caremans Five-year-old Bestinov (s.Ustinov) proved again that she is the best. Under Pieter Keunen, she captured the VION Cup for five-year-olds. We bought Arc de Triomphe at the Prinsjesdag Auction. I expect this horse will go far. He’s sharp and has lots of scope, which is a combination you don’t often see. What’s more, he’s not afraid of a mistake; he just keeps going. I’ve already shown him a few times internationally in the young horse classes, and we were third in Geesteren this year,” explained 17-year-old Schuttert. The elite mare Ambelina JB placed second under Robert Puck - an outstanding performance, especially considering the mare’s modest preparation and experience. “Of the three horses I rode in the final here, Ambelina is definitely the horse with the least experience. Last year, she was the Gelder Champion in the B-class under Yvonne Breukink, the breeder’s daughter. At the beginning of this year, she was in my barn for less than two months before I showed her three times in the Z; after that, she went back to the breeder to have embryos flushed. She’s been back in my barn since July 1st. She’s a very uncomplicated mare with a lot of scope, and she’s very careful. However, she’s still not quite fit and needs more muscling, but that’s understandable all things considered!” explained rider Puck. “My hope was that she’d jump well the first two days, but I thought she’d run out of gas in the final. But she just kept going strong !” The fastest horse in the jump-off of the final ultimately finished in third place. A jumper with abundant scope, Hidalgo (s.Harley VDL) is noted for his eagerness and the nice way he finishes his jumps. He boasts the same granddam as the international 1.50m show jumper Soliegette (s. Carlino), ridden by Vicky Tulloch. A horse with a strong canter, Amarilles (s.Mermus R) finished a close fourth. He, too, is noted for his scope and for finishing his jumps well. With his fifth place finish, the KWPNapproved stallion Arthos R (s.Namelus R), under Tom Brinkman, was his own best advertising. The imposing stallion jumped with excellent push, form, and scope. He cleared the jumps easily in the final. Rider Frank Schuttert praised his horse Arc de Triomphe HS for his sharp reflexes and abundant scope. He won the VION Cup in the six-year-old division. IDSi-5 IDSi05_P018 18 31-08-11 14:44 Championship, negotiating the jumps carefully and with good form every time. Jeroen Dubbeldam was fifth with the KWPN-approved stallion BMC Eldorado van de Zeshoek TN (s.Clinton). A powerful jumper, the stallion placed second in the first round of the semi-final, where he showed his power and even jumped over the standards. Dirk Caremans VSN Cup After an excellent jump-off, the keen Zerly (s.Querlybet Hero), ridden by Andrew Ramsey, claimed the VION Cup for seven-year-olds. talented jumper Zacharov TN (s.Clinton) under Van der Vleuten, who got off to a very strong start. However, when the stallion turned too short to the last oxer, he missed it entirely. After cantering a small circle, he approached the oxer again but downed a pole as he jumped it. Next, BMC Eldorado van de Zeshoek with Jeroen Dubbeldam put pressure on the competition by riding an excellent clear round. The stallion jumped with lots of power and scope, which he had also shown in the previous rounds. In addition, Zilverbea N elite sport-jump (Odermus R out of Tobea N ster PROK s.Corland, b/rp: F.C. Nienhuis of Beetsterzwaag) under Hester Klompmaker, the selected stallion Zerlin (Eurocommerce Berlin out of Tatjana Bo ster s.Concorde, b/rp: A. de Jong of Wouwse Plantage) under Sander Naber, Zerly (s.Querlybet Hero) under Andrew Ramsey, and Zara (s.Lupicor) with Kevin Olsmeijer were among the selected group which stayed double-clear in the final. Clocking a slightly faster time than her peers, Zerly claimed victory in the final and subsequently in the final standing. Under Andrew Ramsey, the keen mare jumped with quick reflexes and ample scope. “She’s a real winner! In the jump-off, I didn’t quite have the right distance, but she took over for me right away. She does everything to stay clear. She’s an incredibly good horse; with her, I really ride to win,” said rider Ramsey enthusiastically. He purchased Zerly several months ago from Mario Everse, whose wife Mischa used to ride the mare. Ramsey: “I had bought my Grand Prix horse Chocola Z from them. We got connected through Alan Waldman, whom I used to work for and whose place I still train at. At the time, I was looking for a good young horse in addition to Chocola Z, and Zerly was exactly what I was looking for. She’s super careful, has lots of scope, is really fast, and has a great attitude. I’m very happy with her, and it’s great to win here!” Zerly was one of three horses bred by Mario Everse to compete in the final. Another horse that made a very good impression was Zara (s.Lupicor) under Kevin Olsmeijer. The ster sport mare showed ample scoped and consistently finished her jumps well. She was just 2/10th second slower than Zerly in the jump-off, which cost her the win. Both mares were very impressive. Third place was for the selected stallion Zerlin (s.Berlin) under Sander Naber. A descendent of the Bertha-line, Zerlin was both keen and careful. His rider played it safe by turning wide to the last oxer in the jump-off and finished clear. BMC Zenith SFN (s.Rash R) finished fourth under Jeroen Dubbeldam, as an unfortunate fault in the basic course prevented the pair from placing higher in the final. The gelding performed very well in the For the third consecutive year, the KWPN Horse Days included the VSN Cup competition for five-year-old eventers. The thrilling competition drew many spectators especially for the cross-country phase who mainly gathered on the bridge in the middle of the cross-county course, a vantage point from they could view the competitors at all times. The winner of the VSN Cup was Coral Estate Bring It On with Nienke van Roekel in the saddle. Joining the spectators on the bridge were the patriarch of Dutch show jumping, Roeli Bril, and the famous Belgian international eventer, Karin Donckers. The pair provided public commentary immediately after each cross-country round, with particularly positive comments for Nienke van Roekel with Bring it On: “We noticed how lightfooted and confidently this horse and his rider went around the course. It seemed like a training round, so simple and with no bad jumps.” Coral Estate Bring it On had performed a nice dressage test earlier, laying a good foundation for his final score of 81 points. In the second phase - the stadium course - the dark bay gelding jumped clear and within the allotted time. Bred by B.A. Eertink in Diepenheim, Bring it On is by Travolta out of the ster mare Lara (s.Amulet). Marcella de Kam earned the highest scores in the dressage phase with Belly (Manhattan out of Velly s.Roeland, breeder: Stal Veldhuis VOF of Haaksbergen). For his walk, canter, and general impression, he scored 9s. In the stadium course, he left all the jumps intact but acquired two time faults. In the cross-country, the dark bay gelding appeared somewhat unsure at times but showed abundant talent. The duo ended second in the general standing. Next was Gerald Arts with his home-bred Bon Jovi (Rolling Stone out of Helena keur sport-comb. training s.Rex Magna xx). The dressage phase proved the most difficult IDSi-5 IDSi05_P019 19 19 31-08-11 14:44 for both gentlemen, with the bay not always steady in the contact. The duo ended 20th in the phase. After a fault-free stadium course, they excelled in the cross-country: Bon Jovi maintained one excellent tempo throughout the course and radiated a keen attitude. Gelder Horse Championships Jacob Melissen Championships were also held for the Gelder horses. Gracieus, a foal with excellent conformation and movement, received the Champion’s sash. He was tough for the competition to beat, easily winning the second Championship of the inspection season. Gracieus is another offspring of the top sire Alexandro P, out of the harness horse keur mare, Rona (s.Factor). Gracieus was bred by and is registered to Jan Vonk. Imposing in his type and nobility, the foal demonstrated excellent movement, performing in the ring with abundant expression, balance, and self-carriage. Second place was awarded to the filly Godiva-Amanda (Alexandro P out of Amanda II ster s.Farrington, b/rp: Gait Hekkert), another very good foal with a beautiful forehand, wonderful carriage, and excellent rhythm. Another filly, a close relative of the Champion, took third place: that was Gerona (Alexandro P out of Beginning ster s.Victory, b/rp: Jan Vonk). Her granddam Rona is Gracieus’ dam. Seven mares were invited to compete in the division for ster-, keur-, and elite mares ages four through. The keur mare Baringa (Vitens out of Naomi ster pref s.Bazuin, b: A. Cauwenbergh, rp: Gert Hofs) was draped with the Champion’s sash. She has very good Gelder horse traits. In addition, she boasts outstanding rectangular-shaped conformation and a beautifully shaped neck with a good crest. She moved with easy, big strides in the walk and trot. The Reserve Champion title went to the ster mare Chalotte (Sirius out of Nonja ster s.Elegant, b/rp: P. Rutten). Chalotte is a well-developed mare with good Gelder horse type and carriage. Six mares were chosen to compete in the three-year-old division. Two of them, Davina and Dodessa, battled to win the “queens class.” In the end, Dodessa emerged the winner. At the studbook inspection Didam, she earned the monster score of 90 points for her beautiful conformation and 85 points for movement. Here at the KWPN Harness Horse Days event, Dodessa (Upperville out of Odessa keur sportdres s.Ahoy, b: Ien Verhagen, rp: J. Korte) showed her best again. She has excellent Gelder horse type, a well-muscled topline, correct legs, and distinct presence. From Coral Estate Bring it On (s.Travolta) and Nienke van Roekel rode a very nice cross-country test to win the VSN Cup for five-year-old eventers. 20 her very first step, she uses her hind leg, raises her forehand, and takes big, easy strides with her front legs. Both her walk and trot show exceptional quality. On the other hand, Davina (Elegant out of Jorina s.Zep, b/rp: M. Sneller-Wolf) did not score well in the walk; however, her impressive uphill trot was tough for Dodessa to beat. Davina boasts beautiful conformation and abundant nobility. Harness Horses The harness horse foals selected for the National Foal Inspection drew a large crowd in Ermelo. The judges were most charmed by the lovely Atleet daughter Gesiena (d.Wrisiena ster by Fabricius, rp: J. van de Velde of Siegerswoude), who won the Equimax Foal Cup and captured the national title. Although her neck is set slightly low, she uses it perfectly. Rootveld: “We thought Gesiena had the most beautiful type. She is beautifully proportioned with nice uphill movement, and she comes back well with her front end. With her very active hind leg, she’s complete. Klaas Ruinemans is the breeder of the Reserve Champion Goliat (Atleet x Unicoletta keur by Jonker). The high-quality bay has good conformation and a strong topline. In addition, he bends his joints perfectly and moves with lots of elasticity. Goliat’s line also produced the stallion Torino. National Harness Horse Day also included competitions for mares. The in-hand presentation of the top group, featuring beautiful broodmares, was impressive. Four of the top nine mares were sired by Unieko. The judges deemed Dirose (Unieko x Urose ster by Ganges, b: Th. Postma, Kollumerpomp), registered to L.PostmaDe Haan, the best of the group. Incidentally, Dirose won the Championship at the Central Inspection in Norg. This offspring from the Danderosa-line is a strong horse with long front legs, which she uses with abundant expression as her hind legs step powerfully under her body. In every performance, she radiated power. Second place was for Dareda (Unieko x Nareda ster pref by Hilbert, b/rp: S. Daniëls, Wageningen). Last year as a two-yearold, she won the National Championship; and this year, she easily captured the Oost championship. A very complete filly, Dareda radiates ample nobility and presence. In the first performance, she showed an IDSi-5 IDSi05_P020 20 31-08-11 14:44 Jacob Melissen Dodessa (s.Upperville) boasts beautiful conformation and movement. She was deemed the Gelder Champion. demonstrated good movement (81/87 points) with big strides and lovely carriage. In the two-year-old stallion division, only the leader scored more than 80 points. Although the two-year-olds were offspring of several different sires, it was Unieko again who produced the winner, Erdball (Unieko x Sastrona ster by Jonker, b. G.W. Zuidema-Van Dam, Liederholthuis; rp: S. Ardesch, Lemele). He is a well-developed, very complete stallion with a good neck. He uses his front legs beautifully in the trot. The program also included in-harness clas- fotoveenstra.nl outstanding trot but did not perform quite as well in the Championship. Doesburga (Stuurboord x Udalburga keur sport, b: C.H. van Dijk, Bunnink, rp: M.C. de Groot, Giessenburg) was third. Two-year-olds harness horses also competed in the ring. The stallion Unieko produced the convincing top mare of the group: Edaperty (Unieko x Vrijdaperty ster by Perfection, b/rp: G.J. Frasa, Hagestein). With 82 points for conformation and 80 for movement, she was the clear leader. Dancing energetically from the start, her beautiful movement and lovely conformation earned her first place. Among the keur- and elite mares, Biantha V (Manno x Niantha keur pref by Renovo, b: P.A.M. van der Velden, Vorstenbosch, rp: G. Hermanussen, Beers) was the best. The well-developed mare distinguished herself with her strong movement. Because of her slightly heavy neck, she scored better for her movement than for her conformation (90/84 points). Also scoring 90 points for movement and 84 for conformation, Cerona (Victory x Terona ster by Larix, b: H. Kamminga & S. Hordijk, Gees, r/p: W.M. Veneklaas Slots of Zeyerveld) finished in second place. She is a solid mare, with slightly less body than the leader; however, she showed a strong trot. Third place was for Carlijn (Patijn x Tillroodnoot keur by Manno, b: H. Middendorp, Foxwolde, rp: H.J. Veenstra, Boyl and L.N.M. Tel, Doezum). The well-built mare ses, the most important of which were the National Final and the Manno Trophy Competition. In the National Final, which the two highest placing singles from each mare class were invited to, the battle was for the Greet Bergstra Cup. Trudalya (elite by Milano x Helya keur van Wouter, b/rp: J.G. Lokhorst) with Lambertus Huckriede and Wendelrose (elite by Manno x Korose keur pref by Renovo, b: C. Mooiweer, Doornspijk; rp: Black Horse B.V. Papendrecht) kept going the longest, but Trudalya’s incredible power was unbeatable. She dominated the field, looked as though the venue was hers, and showed outstandingly. Another highpoint was the battle for the Manno Trophy, which was again delivered in person by “keizer” Manno with Kees and Mieke van der Maat. Manno knows exactly what being a harness horse is about: showing how beautiful you are. Aron HBC (Ganges x Lady Sunrise by Plains Superstition, b: M.C.M. Houtepen, Bavel) was the title defender, and he defended it with verve. Henk Hammers ended second with the 2011 Oregon Trophy winner, Atleet (Patijn x Sinita ster by Waterman, b: R. Aalders, Nieuw Roden; rp: the Van Manen bros. and W.G. Cazemier. Stuurboord (Jonker x Kendini keur by Factor, b: H. Poppen, Zwartsluis; rp: Landzicht Stud Farm) also performed very strongly in the lead group in the hands of Mark de Groot. Olivier was declared the 2011 Harness Horse of the Year award. Harness horse stallion Aron HBC captured the Manno Trophy in the hands of Lambertus Huckriede. IDSi-5 IDSi05_P021 21 21 31-08-11 14:44