Every year the bar a little higher

Thanks to its loyal breeders and buyers, Foal Auction Prinsjesdag has become a household name internationally. Under the motto 'The power of performance', an exclusive group of high-quality foals with excellent sport genes come under the hammer in Ermelo every year, and since last year also in Ommen. The selection committees are eager to put together top collections for the coming editions.

The pedigree plays a crucial role in the jumping foals in particular. “It has been proven time and again that a jumping horse comes from a jumping horse”, Fred van Straaten begins as a member of the selection committee for the jumping foals. “That is why we are looking for foals with an interesting blood structure. We like to see three or four jumping stallions in a row that have proven themselves in sport or breeding, and we also like to see their own sporting achievements or a clear contribution to breeding from the dam, grandmother and great-grandmother. Seen in the context of age, of course, because little can be expected from a young mare. Our experience shows that buyers like to invest in genetically valuable foals, because a strong lineage provides more certainty for the future.”

Jumping The Triangle
Just like last year, an extra auction will be organized at the beautiful CSI3* Jumping De Driehoek in Stegeren-Ommen. On Saturday evening, August 3, about ten exclusive show jumping foals will be auctioned at the Schuttert family grounds. “In this way sport and breeding come together in a wonderful way. We are looking for very complete foals for this auction that may have been born a little earlier in the season. It is once again the intention to auction foals here that can convince in terms of pedigree, model and canter all around”, says Van Straaten, who selects jumping foals together with Willem van Hoof.

Movement talents
Selection committee member Bert Poppelaars has developed a nose for high-quality dressage foals over the years and is hopeful again for the coming season, together with fellow selector Lauw van Vliet. “Every year we try to raise the bar a little higher for Foal Auction Prinsjesdag. The pedigree is also becoming increasingly important for dressage foals. We have seen that interestingly bred fillies from good stocks yield good prices and for good reason. However, the form of movement is paramount in dressage foals. We are looking for appealing, large-framed dressage foals with three good basic gaits and a lot of suppleness. Foal Auction Prinsjesdag offers such foals an excellent showcase!”