The “final” 70 day stallion test – in the USA!
For a KFPS-registered Friesian stallion to be approved for breeding purposes, he must go through a barrage of tests. Some are conformation and movement exams by Dutch inspectors. Some tests are xrays, DNA testing, semen testing. And those who make it through all this get to the finals of testing – a 70 day test where the young stallion is trained to ride and drive and is judged for performance.
I have said before that last year about 1500 young stallions began the journey to be approved as breeding stallions. Only 5 made it through the gauntlet and are now allowed to breed.
The 70 day test has always been held in Friesland. During the 70 days of training, inspectors come twice to judge the horses as they progress in their training. A horse can be eliminated at either of these times. These judging events are attended by the locals who are anxious to see how these young stallions are coming along.
2008 is a banner year for Friesians in America. For the first time, we also have a 70 day test in America, and we had 4 stallions who were good enough to attend. On January 25, the mid-term exam was held and the Dutch inspectors flew to America (the testing center is in California) to see how these four were coming along, and to eliminate any that were not good enough. As in the Netherlands, the public was invited to watch as the horses were judged under saddle and in harness.
All four of the stallions have made it through to the final exam, to be held in late February!
I may be overly optimistic, but I see this as a watershed even for Friesians in America. With the ability to have our own stalli0ns judged in America by international inspectors, we will be able raise awareness in these wonderful horses. For breeders there will be a glimmer of hope that you could actually raise a colt to be an approved breeding stallion. Yes, sending a horse to California is expensive, but nothing like shipping him to the Netherlands where you never see him again. And besides, perhaps one day there will be a facility in the east as well.
Marc DiLeo has taken a number of photographs and posted these in photo albums. Check out our “made in America” young stallions:
Marc DiLeo’s Public Photo Albums
Sake from the Stallion Show – January 10-12, 2008
For a Friesian lover – and especially a breeder – the “hengstenkeuring” (stallion show) is the highlight of the year. Held in an arena in Leeuwarden Friesland in January each year, the newest young stallions are judged to determine which, if any, will go to the “finals” of stallion selections. The “finals” is actually a 70 day intensive test. In 2007, about 1500 young stallions tried for breeding privileges and only about 100 made it to the hengstenkeuring. Of those, about 30 made it to the test. Five of the 1500 were eventually approved.
Making it as far as the hengstenkeuring is an immense achievement in and of itself. This year 71 young stallions came. Of these, 26 made it through and will be going to the 70 day test. As a breeder, having a stallion get this far is a big deal. And if the young stallion can actually pass the test and be approved for breeding, you have yourself one of the top 100 Friesian stallions in the entire world.
Another huge part of the show is the judging of the already approved stallions. Up until the age of 13, these stallions come and compete against each other to see who will be named “World Champion” that particular year. Stallions who do well will likely be booked in large numbers during the breeding season – something that is obviously very profitable for their owners. So, the competition is a serious one.
For the spectators, both the young stallion selection, and the approved stallion competition, is just incredible. This year my friend Sara, who bought Cori’s foal Wikke, came along. I just read her comments from her flickr photo gallery. I think she describes it well:
“This was my first time to attend the hengstenkeuring…it was VERY exciting.
The people really take their horses seriously; the arena was packed on the last day. Add to that a haze of smoke, thunderous cheering and clapping to very loud music, and the whole thing had the air of a rock concert.
The horses really got in to it too: they were kittens in their box stalls and lions in the arena. You could really tell that they enjoy showing off as much as the people loved watching them. “
Over the next week or two I will add more info about the stallions and the show. Today I want to salute my friends Walter and Gryt Bruinsma. A few years ago their mare Teuntsje, who (at the time) lived in the farmhouse where we stay when we visit, was bred to the stallion Doaitsen. I remember telling Walter that I thought this would be a fine cross. After the foal was born, I asked him what he thought of it. “Very nice foal”, he said. “First premie. But”, he sighed, “it is a boy, so he will go to the stallion man.” Walter, the ultimate breeder, only keeps his females. I could tell he was a little disappointed that such a nice foal was a boy and not a girl. Alas.
Since that time, Teuntsje came to America and now lives in Texas. Teuntsje’s colt, named Sake (“SOCK-uh”) grew to be a wonderful young horse. We read the preliminary testing reports with glee as he made it to the first round of evaluation, then on to Leeuwarden and the stallion show! Last week I got to see Sake in the arena in Leeuwarden. He was magnificent and was one of the 26 who made it through to the “finals” – the 70 day test. That means that of about 1500 three year old stallions in 2008, he is in the top 26. Fantastic.
So, as my first video, here is Sake at the hengstenkeuring in his final pass by the inspectors. Congratulations to Sake’s owners, to the Bruinsmas, and to the Dumfords, who now own the fantastic Teuntsje. I am very happy for them all.
Wierd 409′s Daughter – Oeke’s Story
A couple of months ago, the stallion Wierd 409 won a major Dutch harness championship. Son of the wonderful world champion Folkert 353, Weird has finally started to get some recognition. As a 3 year old his stallion scores summed up to 83.1 with the highest being in the trot (8.3) and Show Driving (9.0). The judges said “He is an honest, spontaneous stallion, who loves to work. He often starts with lots of spirit, and is dedicated to his work….He is a striking show horse”. When Wierd recently won the driving championship, it seems the Dutch noticed him for the first time.
Wierd is now about seven years old and her will soon go for offspring testing. Perhaps he will be approved, perhaps not. But his chances are a little better now.
A few years ago my sister and her husband pulled together every nickel they could muster and bought a Wierd x Tsjerk filly. That filly is now 3 and goes to the keuring in a few weeks. She is very pretty and smart, and is still developing her strength and balance. Two weeks ago she went to the trainer to be broke under saddle and in harness, and will hopefully be in peak condition for the keuring. My sister adores this horse and is working 3 jobs so she can afford to pay the trainer.
Yesterday we visited this filly. After only two weeks, her balance has improved immensely. She needs more hindquarter work, but should start pulling a sled next week. This is the best training I can think of to improve the hindquarters. And Wiebe Dragstra, the trainer, is the best Friesian harness trainer I know. Oeke’s progress has been impressive – I am very excited for her. My sister could not go to see her filly – she had to work.
The filly’s name is Oeke. It is Friesian for “sweetheart”.
I have posted a video from yesterday. Oeke looks so much like her father Wierd, it is, well, wierd:
Our annual visit to Friesland
The 2007 Stallion Show in Friesland
 Lexie and Mark |
The annual stallion show was held in Leeuwarden, Friesland on January 12-13, 2007. Visiting the show and our dear Friesian friends is a highlight of our year. This year Dee and Carlton’s granddaughter (Jeannine and Carole’s niece), Lexie, was able to attend. This photo is Lexie with Mark, the famous Friesland driving champion.
We have added a new page of videos and breeding information for the FPS stallions. Just look for the stallions/breeding link in the left navigation column. You will be able to see many clips from the show on this page. Our intention is to continue building this page over time. Enjoy!
And Speaking of Stallions….
Breeding season is just around the corner and we’re selecting the stallions we will use for next year. This is always a very exciting time for us as we try to continue to improve our breeding program. We should have an update soon ….
And Speaking of foals …
Cori is now into the second half of her pregnancy. She is doing great and is big as a house. We are happy to note that the baby’s father, Heinse 354, just had a half-brother win the 2007 World Championship. This means that Heinse has had two half-brothers win the championship in the last three years. Heinse also has the highest lifetime percentage of star mare offspring (51.8%) of all US stallions and for active stallions with 50 or more judged offspring, he is 5th in the world. He also has another son going to the stallion finals in Drachten this year. Not too shabby. Cori also just had another half-brother make it to the stallion selection finals in Drachten.
Yes, we are looking forward to this baby.
