Last year, an extra edition of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag was organized for the first time during CSI3* Jumping de Driehoek in Stegeren-Ommen. An exclusive group of nine very interesting foals came under the hammer here. On August 3, this auction will be organized for the second time on the grounds of Familie Schuttert.

The professional auctioneer Koen Olaerts has been brought in to put ten jumping foals under the hammer on the Saturday evening of Jumping De Driehoek. This tenth edition of CSI3* Ommen will take place from July 30 to August 4. On Saturday evening, the public can first enjoy the Medium Tour final at this freely accessible event, and then capture the carefully selected future talents in the Prinsjesdag auction from 9 p.m.

Sport and breeding

By bringing the auction to an international competition, the riders and sports enthusiasts can effortlessly assure themselves of young talent. “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. In short, foals with great potential for show jumping," says Fred van Straaten, who is responsible for the selection of the show jumping foals together with Willem van Hoof. Registration for both this auction and the one in Ermelo is open and the foals can be registered at www.prinsjesdag.eu.

Immediately after the first viewing, the LA Zonik, which was auctioned at Foal Auction Prinsjesdag in 2016, came into the hands of the Danish rider, trader and stallion owner Andreas Helgstrand. He successfully presented the Glock's Zonik son, who has been designated by the KWPN for the performance test, at the Danish stallion selection in Herning this weekend.

The promising LA Zonik (Glock's Zonik x Goodtimes, breeder AJ Lievaart) came into the hands of Demy Kurstjens as a foal and is now scoring on Danish soil. At the stallion selection in Herning, he was selected for the ten-day test, which is scheduled for this month. If he succeeds, LA Zonik can be used for Danish breeding immediately this breeding season. In the autumn he is expected in the 35-day test, and then he can be definitively approved as a four-year-old next year. On the website of Helgstrand Dressage LA Zonik is already offered for breeding.

The foal season has started again and registration for Foal Auction Prinsjesdag 2019 has also opened. The auctions will take place in Ommen on August 3 (jumper foals) and in Ermelo on September 17 (jumper foals) and 18 September (dressage foals). The first selection days are organized in May. On these days, the registered foals are assessed by the selection committees. Among the jumping foals, we are looking for high-quality foals with strong bloodlines, who come from stocks with many international performance genes. In the dressage foals, the form of movement is decisive, with good suppleness, in addition to an appealing exterior and pedigree. The foals can now be registered on our website and there is also an overview of the selection days. The first three selection dates are:

• Friday 24 May at Stal de Molendreef in Evergem (B.) jumping foals
• Friday 31 May at KI Station Equus in Biervliet jumping and dressage foals
• Tuesday 4 June at stallion farm Lauw van Vliet in IJsselstein (jumping and dressage) and Manege Buitenhorst in Oosteind (jumping and dressage)

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 are auctioned every year in Ermelo, 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!”

The Casall son Cresswell LVP Z, who is just seven years old, is doing well. This gelding, sold at the Foal Auction Prinsjesdag in 2012, has been paired with the Belgian Kelly Vandousselaere since the beginning of this year and has already won two victories this month.

Kelly and Cresswell LVP Z won both the 1.30m and 1.35m for young horses at CSI2* Oliva – Valencia. In the 1.40m class, the breeding product of Luc van Puymbroek of the LVP Stables jumped double clear and finished fifth. As a foal, this interestingly bred Casall son already stood out positively. He is bred out of a half-sister of the Holsteiner stallion Claudio's Son (s.Claudio) and represents the leading tribe 275.

Cresswell LVP Z is owned by Linico Horses and has previously performed with Lieven Devos, with whom he participated in the World Championships for young show jumpers in 2017, and Vincent Lambrecht. We will continue to follow him!