In smaller populations, the danger of inbreeding always lurks. An important point of attention for breeders. Sometimes breeders want to use line breeding to anchor the good qualities of their mare line. But is that a wise thing to do? And how does line breeding differ from inbreeding? Let’s start with the technical details: genes are pieces of DNA that code for a hereditary trait; each gene consists of two so-called ‘alleles’. A foal receives one allele for each trait from the mother and one from the father. Inbreeding occurs when two related animals are crossed. The offspring then receives exactly the same genetic information from both sides for some of its characteristics, i.e. the same alleles. This is called 'homozygous'. If a horse has two different alleles for a particular gene, it is 'heterozygous' for that trait. Kinship The inbreeding percentage says something about an individual animal. Kinship, on the other hand, indicates the relationship between a horse and the population. For a harness horse we show the relationship percentage compared to the other harness horses and for a dressage horse compared to the other dressage horses. The kinship percentage of a horse is calculated relative to the youngest generations in the population (foals up to and including two-year-olds). This is because the DNA of the young animals contains all their ancestors. In addition, these young generations are the breeding stock of the near future and represent the most used stallions and mares of the moment. All kinship percentages are recalculated every year, relative to the most current population. When a young stallion is approved and starts breeding a lot, his kinship percentage will increase in the following years. After all, the stallion has more and more relatives, namely his sons and daughters. Genetic diversity Using the kinship percentage, we can see which animals are important for the population in the context of blood distribution, or genetic diversity. When genetic diversity is high, there are many different alleles for each genetic trait. A genetically diverse population is more resilient to, for example, diseases or changing circumstances. If genetic diversity decreases, there is a risk that you will encounter problems in the future that can no longer be solved. For many plant species there are therefore 'gene banks' with seeds from old varieties. If a disease develops in an important food crop in the future, those ancient plant seeds, with all their genetic diversity, could hold the key to the solution. By crossing with these ancient plants you can make a modern food crop healthy again. Genetic diversity is also very important in animals. When you cross an inbred horse with an unrelated animal, the offspring will not be inbred. Inbreeding is not hereditary; during such a mating, completely different alleles from the unrelated animal are added to form the genes of the foal. This way you safeguard genetic diversity for future generations. Hereditary diseases Inbreeding reduces genetic diversity and increases the risk of an ‘inbreeding depression’ and hereditary diseases. How does that work? Geneticist Rob Bergsma: “Every individual mammal has genetic defects in its DNA, which are recessive (non-dominant). The animal itself is not affected by this: as long as only one allele with this defect is present, nothing happens. However, if both parents are carriers of such a defective allele, an offspring can get two bad alleles and therefore inherit a defective gene. Such a horse is sick. This happened, for example, with WFFS. The more closely related parent animals are, the greater the risk that they have the same defective alleles. More inbreeding leads to more homozygosity. This means that if you cross related animals, the risk of disease increases.” Inbreeding depression Inbreeding depression is also a risk. If inbreeding within a population increases rapidly, the animals become weaker in general. Not only are more hereditary diseases emerging, fertility and life expectancy are also declining. By the time these kinds of problems become visible in your population, you are usually too late. Before genetic abnormalities due to inbreeding come to light, there must already be a lot of those 'bad' alleles in the population. What is line breeding? With line breeding, the breeder crosses family members with each other. For example, a Vivaldi mare is crossed with Jazz, her grandfather on her mother's side. With line breeding this happens several times in succession. For example, by crossing the daughter of the Vivaldi mare with the Jazz grandson Boston. The idea is that you 'capture' Jazz's fantastic dressage qualities in your breeding line. Not a strange thought. Because you keep throwing the same alleles into the mix, there is a chance that an animal will become homozygous for those traits. A mare will then always pass on the good 'sport alleles' to her offspring. That sounds fantastic, but the problem with this is that at the same time – unconsciously – you also anchor the undesirable properties and diseases in such a line. In addition, new interesting genes do not get a chance, because you limit yourself to the genes that make Jazz interesting. Therefore, always think twice about line breeding. If you only want to breed a sport horse and not a breeding animal, then a slightly higher inbreeding does not have to be a problem. Although of course there is always the risk of an unhealthy foal or an animal that is less durable and fit. But if you want to breed an animal through line breeding, take that close relationship into account when choosing a stallion. Line breeding is just another word for inbreeding. Nothing more and nothing less. Avoid high kinship The KWPN strives not to increase the kinship within the population. When that does happen, it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid inbreeding in the future. The animals are then increasingly related to each other. The KWPN therefore wants the kinship percentage to stabilize, or preferably decrease. So, the risk of hereditary disorders and, for example, fertility problems will also decrease. Breeders in an open studbook such as the KWPN should be perfectly capable of curbing inbreeding. Sometimes this means they will have to make some compromises to keep the population healthy for the long term. Remember: breeding means thinking in generations. Genotype can contribute The inbreeding and kinship percentages are based on the pedigree, i.e. the data from the studbook. In this calculation method, full brothers and sisters are seen as identical, even though they may be very different from each other. In the future, we can determine relationships even more precisely, says Rob Bergsma: “When we have a genotype of most KWPN horses, we can look at the actual similarity in the DNA. Then you will sometimes see completely different things than you expected. The use of DNA also resolves any inaccuracies or gaps in older (foreign) studbook registrations. That will give direct results to work with.”] Wise breeding decisions You can calculate the inbreeding of a possible combination between a stallion and a mare with the inbreeding tool on the KWPN website. Together we must ensure that our horses remain healthy, and that the kinship of the population does not increase further. Rob Bergsma: “If inbreeding is too high, the tide eventually turns. At some point it becomes impossible to do something about it. Even if you don't get stuck now, you will in the next generation or the one after that. Breeders should anticipate on this. This sometimes means making a temporary concession. It also doesn't work if everyone uses the same closely related stallion, because then it becomes inbred again. Scientifically speaking, it is all quite manageable.” “For some animal species, a breeding leader can determine the entire breeding policy. You can then manage it in such a way that each male animal makes an optimal contribution based on its genetics. The number of matings or inseminations by male animals then depends on both their breeding values and their kinship. Of course, you use animals with high breeding values, but if they are highly related, they are only used to a very limited extent. And animals with a low relatedness are also used, even if they have somewhat lower breeding values. This way, you still make progress in the population, but the relationship remains under control. But of course, it doesn't work that way with horse studbooks, where you deal with many small private breeders who all make their own breeding decisions. Breeding premiums, such as the one we give out to breeders of low-related harness horse foals, do provide a push in the right direction.” Achievement versus kinship? In the discussion about the use of low related breeding animals, one argument often surfaces: “Stallions that are low in kinship aren’t low for no reason. Less has been bred with that blood because those horses are less good.” There is some truth in that, but there could also be other reasons why certain animals have been bred less. And a horse with a genetic defect is not a good horse either. There are plenty of low-related horses that also perform well in sport and in terms of conformation. These horses in particular can be of great value. A well-performing and well- breeding low-related stallion also suits many mares and will therefore be able to cover a lot. Rob Bergsma: “Future prospects are also a reason to keep the kinship low: characteristics that we select for can change. Jumping courses are becoming more technical and in dressage, harmony and suppleness are becoming increasingly important. To be able to respond to ever-changing future demands, we desperately need to maintain genetic variation.”   Translation: KWPN-NA Original author: Mirjam Hommes for KWPN – November 2022 Photo: Dirk Caremans

A review of this year reveals that so far 11,000 foals have been registered. You can still register your foal for documentation. The stallions with the most foals in the jumping, dressage, and carriage horse categories were announced last week, and we end with the smallest breeding direction. Which Gelder horse stallions were responsible for the most foals in 2023? Out of the 11,000 foals, the division between jumping and dressage foals is approximately equal, with roughly 5,000 foals registered for each breeding direction. In addition, 168 Gelder horse and 519 carriage horse foals have been registered. Top 5 sire animals: Edmundo (s.Upperville), 30 foals Alexandro P (s.Koss), 23 foals Henkie (s.Alexandro P), 20 foals Odin (s.Edmundo), 18 foals Imposant EM (s.Danser), 10 foals Haven't registered your foal yet? If you haven't registered your foal yet, the KWPN offers foal registration services, taking care of everything. By registering your foal, you also apply for its passport. The paternity check of the sire is included as an additional service. If you reside in the Netherlands or Belgium, a KWPN passport consultant will sketch and chip your foal, and your foal will be entered into the National Database. Throughout the first year of your foal's life, you will receive several mailings with relevant information. Read more about foal registration on the KWPN website Source: KWPN Photo Edmundo: Dirk Caremans

Earlier this week, the dressage and showjumping stallions with the most foals in 2023 were highlighted. As we reflect on this year, we see that so far, 11,000 foals have been registered with the KWPN, and you can still register your foal. Which harness horse stallions sired the most foals in 2023? Out of the 11,000 foals, the distribution between show jumping and dressage foals is approximately equal, with roughly 5,000 foals registered for each discipline. Additionally, 168 Gelderland foals and 519 carriage horse foals have been registered. Top 5 sires Macho (by Indiana) - 99 foals Icellie (by Bocellie) - 71 foals Magnifiek (by Idol) - 35 foals Cizandro (by Waldemar) - 25 foals Idol (by Manno) - 23 foals Have you not registered your foal yet? If you haven't registered your foal yet KWPN offers foal registration services, where everything is taken care of for you after registration. You can register your foal in one go, and in doing so, you also apply for the passport. The paternity test of the sire is added as an extra service. If you live in the Netherlands or Belgium, your foal will be sketched and chipped by a KWPN passport consultant, and your foal will be reported in the National Database. Throughout the first year of your foal's life, you will receive several mailings with relevant information. Learn more about foal registration Source: KWPN Photo Macho: Jacob Melissen

After earlier today, 26 jumping stallions took residence in Ermelo, nine dressage stallions joined them this afternoon. This marks the beginning of the performance test with a total of 35 stallions. Out of the ten three-year-old dressage stallions, nine received the green light to commence the 21-day performance test today. One stallion has been deferred to the spring, and that is the son of Le Formidable, Private Dancer. "The presented stallions have been deemed well trainable by the stallion judging committee after being ridden by their own riders and then re-evaluated on the runway. After the veterinary examination, nine stallions have entered a stable at the KWPN center. Tomorrow, they will be ridden for the first time by the riders in the performance test, and their initial assessment under these riders will take place on Friday afternoon," explained senior inspector Floor Dröge. JS for KWPN

The KWPN Stallion Show is ready to kick off again. The world's largest stallion inspection will take place from January 31 to February 3 this year. Ticket sales have already started for members, and to offer even more benefits, KWPN members naturally receive a discount on pre-sale tickets. The programming of the KWPN Stallion Show is largely similar to previous years, with notable changes on Saturday making that day particularly interesting. One thing is certain: Den Bosch will be the absolute highlight of the Dutch sports and breeding world for four days. Jumping horses Wednesday, January 31, is dedicated to the second inspection of jumping stallions. Thursday, February 1, begins with the stallion selection and continues with the finals of the Blom Stallion Competition Jumping. In addition to the award ceremony of the Jumping Horse of the Year, there are other exciting shows planned, and the new crop of jumping stallions will be presented. The jumping stallions in the KWPN Select Sale will also be auctioned in the main arena on this day. Dressage enthusiasts anticipate Friday, February 2, is traditionally dressage day. In addition to the stallion selection, there is room for the finals of the Anemone Stallion Competition Dressage, the awarding of the Dressage Horse of the Year, and many shows that will captivate dressage enthusiasts. Modified program Saturday, February 3, is a bit different from other years, promising to be an extremely interesting day. On this day, there is the stallion selection for dressage, harness horse, and Gelderland stallions, as well as the presentation of the new crops of these breeding directions. The dressage and Gelderland stallions will be awarded, and the KWPN Select Sale (for dressage stallions) will take place in the main arena. Harness horse evening Fans of a good harness horse can enjoy Saturday evening, entirely dedicated to the proud Dutch harness horse. The full program will be announced at a later stage, but it's certain that this harness horse evening should not be missed. Act quickly KWPN members enjoy the discount in the pre-sale until January 30, 2024. After that, the regular price applies to KWPN members as well. To get the discount, you must provide your membership number when ordering. Your membership number is valid only once, and you can order a maximum of ten tickets per person. Once purchased, tickets are non-refundable or exchangeable for another day or an alternative seat. Tickets for the KWPN Stallion Show are valid all day, and the seats are numbered. If you have questions or issues with ticket ordering, please contact Compo Ticketing at +31 (0)43 306 38 88 or info@compoticketing.eu. New members If you became a (Young) KWPN member after November 20, 2023, and want to use the member discount, please send an email to info@kwpn.nl. If you are not a KWPN member, ticket sales open on Monday, November 27. Cashless event The KWPN Stallion Show will be a 'cashless event,' where you can only pay with a smartphone, debit card, or credit card. At the entrance, there will be a central point where a so-called hospitality card can be loaded with cash. Order your tickets Information KWPN Stallion Show Photo: Dirk Caremans

The performance test in Ermelo started this morning for 26 jumper stallions. Chacoon-Blue is the most represented with five sons. Additionally, it's noteworthy that the majority of the stallions are genetically interesting. The entire stallion judging committee, consisting of chairman Cor Loeffen for the last time, Wout-Jan van der Schans, and Eric van der Vleuten who flew back from Prague last night, gathered this morning to assess the three-year-old and older stallions under saddle. The stallions were presented and evaluated by their own riders for trainability in dressage and over a low course. Hopeful start Of the 20 three-year-old stallions listed, two were timely withdrawn by their owners, sons of Hardrock Z and Chaclot, and one did not receive approval from the veterinarian for now. "In addition, the four-year-old Luigi d'Eclipse son Luigi vd Zeijerweg SB was presented, who had been referred from the spring. This stallion was not on the starting list but has now started the performance test," says senior inspector Henk Dirksen. "Through sport, eight four- to six-year-old stallions have been selected for the performance test and successfully presented. Overall, all stallions rode well and were presented in good condition. It is striking that a large number of stallions are genetically very interesting, and this gives the stallion judging committee a lot of confidence in the performance test. In the coming days, the stallions will be worked on in dressage, and on Friday, they will make their first jumps under riders in the performance test. Next Tuesday, the first official evaluation is scheduled," Dirksen said. View the starting list here Media guide performance test JS for KWPN

Many bidders in the KWPN Online Auctions are already enjoying their purchased foals, young horses, and pregnant mares, with more than half of the sold foals/horses currently working towards a future abroad. Transparency is central to our auctions. All auction foals and horses have been assessed by a KWPN inspector and undergone a veterinary check. In the latest collection of the KWPN Breeding Mare Auction, a series of interesting, pregnant mares are once again presenting themselves, enabling breeders to take a step forward. Expectations for this collection are also high. The auction closes on Monday evening, November 20, starting from 8:00 PM. Successful reviews From the Online Broodmare & Embryo Auction, many successes are already known. Several mare lines have been recurrently featured in our auctions. One such line is the highly regarded Landsvrouwe line, known for Edward Gal's Olympic dressage horse Glock’s Undercover N.O.P. (by Ferro). Genes from the broodmare auction last year reappeared in the latest collection of the KWPN Online 3&4-Year-Olds Auction. One of the auction toppers in that breeding mare auction was Montanavrouwe (by Daily Diamond). Her daughter, Parfaitvrouwe BS (by Jameson RS2), successfully completed her EPTM in Ermelo last week. Showjumping mares Showjumping breeders are also expected to be at their computers on the evening of Monday, November 20. Bidding is open for the 1.40m-jumping mare Magic Dream TN (by Verdi), who is pregnant with Eldorado van de Zeshoek. She comes from a strong sport lineage and is closely related to several 1.40/1.45m horses, including half-brother Arriba (by Ephebe for Ever) and Carita-Gratia (by Verdi). The State Premium mare Adria H (by Casiro I) comes directly from the line of international sport stallions Castelan 3 (by Casiro I), Komme Casall TN (by Comme Il Faut), and Chello III VDL (by Contender). Her eldest offspring is already performing at the 1.30m level, and she is now expecting a foal by Arezzo VDL. Want to bid? Discover how! To place a bid on your favorite foal(s) and/or horse(s), you must first register (for free) on our auction website. Once your account is activated, you can log in to the auction website with your username and password and place bids on a foal. If you are outbid in the meantime, you will receive a notification. Bidding by phone is also possible. If you have questions about your account, registration, logging in, or (phone) bidding, please contact us or watch our video ! More information The collection can be viewed at www.kwpn.auction. Bidding closes on Monday, November 20, starting from 8:00 PM. For questions, you can contact Mairin van der Tol via sales@kwpn.nl, 0341-255511. View the collection and place your bid