In conversation with Bert Poppelaars
In conversation with Bert Poppelaars, who has been a member of the selection committee of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag since 2008.
Bert, how do you select the foals for Prinsjesdag?
“When selecting our foals, we pay attention to correctness, quality, elongation and flexibility. Furthermore, the foal must have sport in terms of pedigree and must be commercially attractive. We reach a large part of the entrants through our own network. But what is also striking about our auction is that we have such a large number of loyal selling breeders. We also managed to reach many breeders through our stand during the KWPN Stallion Inspection in Den Bosch.”
What is the distinctive character of this auction?
“We make absolutely no concessions in terms of quality. Both the mare and the foal must have super quality. It is sometimes difficult to tell breeders that we cannot select their foal this year, but honesty is the best policy. As a result, every time I have selected a foal, I leave the yard with a good feeling. It strikes me more and more that breeders are already doing the pre-selection themselves. We've been coming to see some people for years. They know what kind of mares we are looking for and that we pay very close attention to leg positions, for example.”
What do you expect from this year?
“I expect even more satisfied buyers, because they are making an investment with us this year. An auction often has about three or four outliers in the selection. This year we have a very broad, high-quality top layer!”
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