In January 2027, the largest KWPN event of the year will return to Den Bosch. From January 20 to 23, the Brabanthallen will host four days dedicated to the KWPN Stallion Show. The KWPN Stallion Show traditionally forms the highlight of the breeding year, where breeders, riders, and enthusiasts come together to assess the newest generation of stallions. Over the course of four days, the presentation and selection of dressage, jumping, harness, and Gelder stallions take center stage. Due to the dates of carnival in 2027 and Jumping Amsterdam, the Stallion Show will not take place during its traditional weekend, but instead from January 20 to 23. Sport and show In addition to the inspections, the Stallion Show traditionally offers an extensive program featuring sport, shows, and presentations, showcasing top stallions, successful sport horses, and interesting breeding products. There is also plenty of opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing. Further details about the program will be announced in the lead-up to the event via the official KWPN channels. Source: KWPN Photo: Dirk Caremans

At the beginning of April, the KWPN will take a major step forward in the further digitalization of the organization with the launch of a new online platform. This platform consists of a completely redesigned website, a new database, and an updated “My KWPN” environment. In addition, KWPN will introduce an app, allowing members to have important information readily available on their smartphones at all times. With this renewal, KWPN aims to provide members, breeders, and riders with faster and improved access to information and services. The new website will feature a modern design and a clear structure, making important information easy to find. It will also be better suited for use on mobile devices. Behind the scenes, an entirely new database will be implemented, enabling efficient management and processing of data related to horses, breeders, and members. This will form the foundation for further digital developments within KWPN. Temporary unavailability of My KWPN for changes “My KWPN” will also be updated. In this personal environment, members will soon be able to easily manage their details, register foals, sign up for inspections, and view all information related to their horses. Due to the migration process, “My KWPN” will temporarily be unavailable in the near future. We will strive to keep this downtime to a minimum. Access to horse data via the database will remain available. Future-proof With this new platform, KWPN is taking an important step towards a future-proof digital environment for all members. Keep an eye on our communications for the latest updates regarding the launch of the new platform. Source: KWPN Photo:  KWPN

Gertjan van Olst has been part of the top level of the sport for many years and has scouted numerous Grand Prix and Olympic horses at a young age. Together with eight colleagues, he recently launched a new initiative, Dutch Dressage Traders. We spoke to him about his eye for talent and how he identified horses like Valegro, Everdale and Glamourdale early on. Gertjan has been at the foundation of many successful Grand Prix horses that have performed at the highest level, or continue to do so today. Currently, stable rider Charlotte Fry is achieving great success on the world stage with the KWPN stallions Glamourdale (Lord Leatherdale x Negro) and Everdale (Lord Leatherdale x Negro). “Both Everdale and Glamourdale came to our yard as foals. Even at such a young age, their posture, presence and movement impressed me to such an extent that I bought them when they were barely ten days old,” Gertjan explains. Scouted as a foal “At the age of three, they returned to us for rearing, after which my wife Anne, together with her riders, continued their development.” Gertjan explains that many of the young talents he identifies are bred from stallions of the Van Olst stud. “Most of the horses that have grown to the highest level under our guidance arrived here as foals. The same goes for these two top stallions, who are now performing so well with Charlotte.” Horses such as Illegro, Kjento and Pjethro followed the same path. “It really comes full circle: many of the foals we buy from our clients are by our own stallions, which we once discovered ourselves as foals. That makes it very special,” Gertjan says, when asked about the process behind finding a Grand Prix horse. Supplier to the British team One of the most famous horses that found its way to Grand Prix through Gertjan is the legendary Valegro (Negro x Maifleur). “Over the past 16 years, many Dutch horses have competed in the UK and for the British team, including quite a few from our stud. Valegro also came to us as a foal. As a young stallion he was not approved. When he was three, Carl Hester visited our yard looking for a young horse. Valegro went with him to England, but was later sent back because his stables were full. Carl asked us to train him and sell him on his behalf. As time went on, we noticed he kept improving, and when he was almost sold, I decided to call Carl. I advised him to keep the horse and continue with him, because I saw so much potential. Fortunately, he took that advice, which resulted in four Olympic gold medals and the number one ranking in the world for that horse,” Gertjan says. “We complement each other perfectly” The selectors behind Dutch Dressage Traders are all experts in their field: Rom Vermunt, Jeroen Witte, Marcel van Manen, Diederik van Silfhout, Jorg van Os, Peter Wetzelaer, Sjoerd van Leeuwen, Sjaak van der Lei and Gertjan van Olst. “The idea for Dutch Dressage Traders came up last year during the stallion inspection, at the first viewing in Ermelo, if I remember correctly. The plan is to organise this auction four times a year. Sometimes one colleague will contribute more horses than another. That variation is exactly what makes it strong: we complement each other, and the collection, very well. In my opinion, that makes this auction quite unique.” Always with Grand Prix in mind The market for dressage horses is at a high level, and Dutch Dressage Traders aims to play a prominent role within it. “We focus on a broad audience, from young horses to fully trained dressage horses. Our goal is to offer different levels in every collection.” Quality is key within the DDT collection: “We look at correctness, health, character and rideability. Those are the most important criteria for us. We are searching for complete horses, real eye-catchers. The full picture has to be right, from mindset and health to movement. And when I select a horse, I always have the highest level, Grand Prix, in the back of my mind,” says the stallion owner from Den Hout. Auction closes Thursday evening Bidding on the very first collection is in full swing. The auction will close on Thursday evening, April 2, from 20:00 via www.ddt.auction. For questions about the auction, please contact Sjaak van der Lei via +31 6 12 38 87 06. Collection Photo: Hippo Foto Media

Living in the city center, without having a private stable, yet successfully building a breeding program while also running a thriving dressage horse sales agency: British-born Rebecca Dudley does it all. During the most recent KWPN Stallion Show, she had two stallions selected for the performance test, one of which, Thanks a Million (by Desperado), was also awarded a premium. “Breeding is actually a hobby”, Rebecca Dudley says with a smile. It is, however, a hobby she takes very seriously—and one that has already brought considerable success. This year, at the KWPN Stallion Show, the stallion she bred, Thanks a Million (Desperado out of Santana van Hof Olympia elite sport-dres pref prest PROK D-OC by Sandro Hit), co-registered with Yvon Kaptein and MT-Stables, was awarded a premium. She also had her homebred Toronto (Bonds out of Gita A elite pref IBOP-dres PROK by Jazz), co-owned with Paardencentrum De Dalhoeve, selected for the performance test. Two years ago, Dudley also bred the premium stallion Rockstar Millionaire (by D’Avie). This half-brother to Thanks a Million is now co-owned with Yvon Kaptein and Stal Witte Scholtens, and is ridden by Emmelie Scholtens. No own facilities Dudley lives in the center of Leiden and runs her equestrian business through various collaborations. “What I do may be a bit unusual, but it works”, she laughs. She works closely with Yvon Kaptein of De Vrijhoeve, as well as with Marcel and Tamara van Manen, Nol Gerritsen, and others. Not having her own facilities is something she actually sees as an advantage: “Because I’m not tied to one location, I get to see a lot out in the field. I travel a lot with clients and see many horses. I see offspring from all stallions, let my clients ride them, and observe how they respond. I attend veterinary inspections weekly, so I also gain insight into the health of different bloodlines. That gives me an advantage over people who have their own facilities and everything at home, but rarely leave their yard. You learn a lot by observing.” It was never Dudley’s intention to end up working professionally with horses. She was born in Great Britain, with a Dutch mother and a British father, a naval officer who passed away at a young age. She was raised speaking English and, due to her father’s work, lived across Europe as a child. Dudley was always passionate about horses and learned to ride Welsh ponies in Cornwall. She continued riding until she went to university in London to study fashion. After graduating, Dudley moved to the Netherlands, her mother was living there again, and life in London had become too expensive as a recent graduate. She initially planned to stay temporarily, but during a winter sports holiday in the French Alps she met a Dutch man. She ended up staying in the Netherlands and never left. They have now been together for 25 years and have two children, neither of whom are involved with horses. De Vrijhoeve Once in the Netherlands, her passion for riding returned, eventually leading her fully into the horse world. She worked at a fashion company, and on her daily commute she would pass riding school Xenophon in Hazerswoude-Rijndijk. “After a while, I just went in and asked if I could ride. Within three months I had my own horse, with which I competed in eventing and showjumping”, Dudley says with a laugh. At the time, she occasionally competed at nearby De Vrijhoeve, where she met Yvon Kaptein, the owner of the stable. Soon after, she moved her horse there, and gradually her work in horse trading began. “A friend of mine from England, Hannah Biggs, called to ask if I knew a suitable Junior dressage horse. I started asking around. And once you start asking in the Netherlands, things move quickly, everyone seems to know something. Normally I was working in an office, so when I spent two days traveling with them to look at horses, I thought: this is actually really fun.” Starting in horse trading Dudley sought advice from various people on how the horse trade works. “I quickly learned that I should charge ten percent commission, and I still stick to that. Hannah bought that horse, and once she got home, she told others about it. Word spread quickly that I could find horses in the Netherlands. They also appreciated that I spoke good Dutch, which allowed me to communicate well with Dutch owners and check everything properly.” Gradually, Dudley learned more and more about horse trading. “I started from scratch and hardly knew anyone here. I had to learn everything myself, which also meant making mistakes. Over time, I became better at filtering and learned more about dressage horses.” She also sought advice from experienced professionals. “For example, Ad Valk. I often encountered him in the trade, and I admired how he built his business from the ground up. I listened carefully to him, as I did with others of his caliber. I asked them how they did things. Horse people love talking about horses, so if I ask, ‘How did you find Apache?’, all I have to do is listen.” Changing market Now that she has been in the business for about eighteen years, Dudley has seen the market change. At the moment, she finds trading quite difficult, particularly when it comes to the veterinary aspect. “Veterinarians and inspections have become a challenge, sometimes almost impossible. Vets are sometimes even hesitant to make certain statements. When I first started, people bought horses based on just a clinical exam or a set of fourteen X-rays. That no longer happens today.” According to Dudley, the overall expectations of clients have increased. “The horses have improved significantly over the years, but I think the level of riding has declined. People are less daring and are trained differently than in the past. I hardly ever see a client ride away better on a horse than the horse’s own rider.” Thanks to the internet and social media, clients find Dudley much more easily. However, if she does not see a suitable match, she is not afraid to say no. “Sometimes expectations exceed riding ability. I want to be honest when I don’t believe in a sale. If I’m out with a client and I see that riding is proving difficult, I’ll often schedule other horses to try that same day. It really has to be the right match.” Selling from video Dudley does occasionally sell from video, but only when she has a very good feeling about both the horse and the client. As a rule, she wants to have seen every horse she sells in person, including those located abroad. She sometimes finds it challenging that everyone nowadays wants to see a video beforehand. “Videos are often completely different from how a horse is in real life. It happens frequently that clients decide not to view a horse based on the video. If I believe it could be a match, I will often still include that horse in the schedule. And very often, that ends up being the horse they buy. That’s why trying a horse yourself is so important.” She also notices that many clients are drawn to horses with the most impressive trot. “Even though clients say that a good walk and canter are important, they usually focus on the trot.” In the end, however, that trot is rarely the reason a horse is purchased: “The horses I sell most easily are the ones that are the nicest to ride. People buy the horse that gives them the best feeling. It’s not about spectacular movement, but about a good feeling. I’ve developed an eye for that over time, and it can also depend on a horse’s bloodlines or its riders.” According to Dudley, honesty is the most important thing. “Don’t hide anything. There’s no point. If there is something with a horse, people will find out anyway. Every horse has something.” Spectacular movement Dudley is convinced that young horses do not need to be extravagant movers. “Those big movers do not always turn into top horses later on. I prefer them to be correct and sound, with a good type and, above all, rideable. As a breeder, aim to produce a rideable and healthy horse. Foals that trot in an extremely spectacular way don’t mean much to me. Our best horses were not outstanding trotters as foals at all.” Because of rideability, Dudley is particularly fond of Desperado bloodlines in her horses. “They produce very rideable horses, and especially very kind ones. That is so important for the sport, and I also believe a horse should be rideable enough that you can always sell it.” Dudley also sees the rising costs in breeding and sympathizes with the average breeder: “It’s becoming increasingly difficult. But if you want to sell a homebred horse well later on, they are best properly backed and placed with a good rider. Of course, that costs money, but the better you position a horse, the better it is trained, the easier it will sell.” From buying foals to breeding herself That is also what Dudley aims to achieve with her own breeding program: producing pleasant, rideable horses. Around eighty percent of the horses are bred together with Yvon Kaptein of De Vrijhoeve. Because Dudley sees so many horses while traveling, she initially felt the urge to buy a foal herself. “It started without any commercial intention. I came across many nice yearlings and foals on the road, and I often said to Yvon: ‘Shall we?’ Eventually, we moved from buying foals to breeding ourselves. And that is mainly a hobby. I enjoy trading, but it can be tough. That’s why the horses you have in your own stable need to be enjoyable.” Dudley usually breeds between three and seven foals per year. Producing that number of foals also brings another challenge: once they are raised, they need to be backed. Dudley and Kaptein handle the early stages themselves, such as halter training and lunging. “I do the first bridle and saddle myself, and also lean over them for the first time. Only when they are truly ready to be backed do we move on to the next step. I really enjoy ‘playing’ with the horses like this, you get to know them even better after having known them from day one. Yvon keeps an eye on things when I’m away, but ideally we would also have a rider. Now we have to outsource everything, and that is a major expense”, Dudley explains. She is very pleased with the collaborations she has within her breeding program. “I have to work together with others because I don’t have my own facilities. I also don’t have the time to teach all the horses everything myself. I really enjoy working with others, we can all focus on what we’re good at and benefit from each other.” Investing in good mares Dudley considers good mares essential for breeding. “If I come across something I like, I will always buy it. I don’t mind taking a risk. If you want to breed good horses, it all starts with very good mares.” For Dudley, ‘good mares’ are not necessarily mares with many predicates. “We also have younger mares without predicates, but they all come from strong dam lines, true sport lines. All our broodmares have been ridden; they also need to be pleasant, rideable horses under saddle. We don’t always present them for inspections or IBOP tests, as long as we know for ourselves that they are good sport horses. I mainly look at sport, type, and soundness.” Health in breeding is something Dudley finds challenging, especially with new or young mares. “You only really know what you have after a few years. If the first foal of a mare later turns out not to be correct on X-rays, you may already have bred foals from her in the following two years. If a mare produces foals that are not healthy enough for several years in a row, we stop breeding with her. If they’re not healthy, they’re not marketable. For example, we have an older broodmare that is a very nice, well-bred horse, but we were not convinced by her foals. She is now a recipient mare, and she does that fantastically.” Two successful mares Dudley has had great success with two mares: the exceptionally tested Gita A (by Jazz), who scored 91.5 points in the IBOP, and Santana van Hof Olympia (by Sandro Hit). Dudley initially owned Gita A together with Nol Gerritsen of De Dalhoeve. When Gerritsen decided to scale down his breeding activities, Dudley took over the mare together with Marcel and Tamara van Manen from Kootwijkerbroek, where Gita A is now also based. “Gita is a special mare with a lot of blood. She had a short but good career under saddle”, Dudley explains. Gita A is also the dam of the KWPN stallion New Orleans (by Farrell) and Toronto, the Bonds son who was selected this year for the performance test. “Toronto has just been started under saddle, and we are preparing him for the performance test. He’s a stallion that will be very exciting under saddle. I also think his pedigree will be very interesting for Dutch breeding.” Together with Marcel and Tamara van Manen, Dudley also has a Vitalis son out of Gita and a foal by her own stallion Rockstar Millionaire out of Gita. A few years ago, Dudley was able to purchase the stallion-producing mare Santana van Hof Olympia (Sandro Hit, bred by H.J.C. & I.J.W. Poettgens-Deckers). Santana sadly passed away two years ago due to PPID. Dudley had come to know Berend Minnen of Resim Dressage through trading. “I visited there regularly and knew this line well, as well as the horses it produced. When Berend became ill, he eventually had to sell his horses. That’s how it started.” Together with Marcel and Tamara van Manen and Yvon Kaptein, Dudley acquired the mare. “Santana gave us many foals and truly had a wonderful life.” A notable detail is that all foals bred by Dudley have ‘Million’ in their name. “When we bought this mare, we jokingly said: ‘This mare will make us millionaires.’ So we gave all the foals names that included ‘Million’.” From Santana, they bred, among others, the second-round approved stallion New Millionaire (by Desperado), who was sold after the first selection. The premium stallion Rockstar Millionaire (by D’Avie) also comes from Santana and is still co-owned by Dudley, Emmelie Scholtens, and Yvon Kaptein. When Santana’s health declined, she still produced three more offspring through ET and ICSI: two by Desperado and one by Indian Rock. Dudley hopes to continue breeding with the Indian Rock mare to preserve this line; she will be prepared for mare inspection in the coming season. From hobby breeder to the Brabanthallen Dudley mainly determines the stallion choices for her own mares together with the co-owners of those mares. Her experiences in the field play a major role in these decisions. “I see a lot, and along the way I notice which stallions pass on which traits, whether it’s rideability, correctness, or soundness. I base my stallion choices on that.” Whether a stallion has already proven himself at the highest level or is still relatively young does not matter much to her. She focuses on the characteristics of both the stallion and the mare, as well as the traits their bloodlines tend to pass on. “I enjoy breeding with something different from the stallions that are commonly used in the Netherlands. For example, when Nol Gerritsen was selecting for the Borculo auction, he came across many good foals by Bonds, which led us to breed Gita with Bonds. That resulted in our selected stallion. In Denmark, I recently saw several very good Quaterhit offspring, I thought they were fantastic. That’s why I bred with Quaterhit last year, and we now have a very beautiful foal from that.” What started as a hobby has grown into a fairly serious business. Dudley smiles: “But in a fun way. I think all of our homebred stallions will become incredibly good sport horses. I really enjoy being part of this process. With the truly good horses, I’m in no rush, if the costs allow it, I prefer to keep them.” Watching the foals grow into sport horses is what Dudley enjoys most: “I can’t wait for this year’s foals to be born. I know them from day one, and it’s amazing and very special to see those same horses a few years later standing in the Brabanthallen.” Source: Bettine van Harselaar Photo: Leanjo de Koster*                  

Rom Vermunt, Gert Jan van Olst, Jeroen Witte, Marcel van Manen, Diederik van Silfhout, Jorg van Os, Peter Wetzelaer, Sjoerd van Leeuwen and Sjaak van der Lei have joined forces in a new initiative within the dressage sport. The promising collection is available to view as of today and has been selected by this group of professionals, all of whom have built an impressive reputation in both sport and breeding. With the launch of the Dutch Dressage Traders Auction, these experienced professionals combine their expertise in a joint auction, focused on selecting and offering quality dressage horses for the national and international market. “With this group, we believe we are always able to find and make the better dressage horses available to the sport,” says Sjaak van der Lei. The Dutch Dressage Traders Auction aims to organise several auctions per year. From Small Tour horses to approved stallions The collection consists of thirteen carefully selected horses, chosen for their talent, rideability and potential for higher-level sport. Among them is the eight-year-old Prix St. Georges gelding Next Romance (by For Romance), as well as the recently approved NRPS stallion Troubleshooter (by Indian Rock). This stallion is currently being prepared for the NRPS performance test, meaning he could soon be a fully approved stallion in your stable. Thunder Groll, a son of Nalegro, has as his granddam the dam of the Grand Prix stallion Inclusive. Grand Prix bloodlines The brother of the dam of Desperado-son Tucky is successfully competing at Grand Prix level in the United States, while the dam line of Vjento D’Hillco (by Kjento) has produced multiple approved stallions. The Nashville Star son Tonic comes directly out of the granddam of the renowned horse Imothep. The only mare in the collection is Sara Michaella BB, a daughter of the Grand Prix stallion Kyton. Recently started under saddle, she already shows great quality. Try-outs Interested buyers have the opportunity to try the horses prior to the auction. Contact details for the responsible DDT partner are listed for each horse, allowing appointments to be scheduled directly. Auction closes April 2 The collection is now online. Bidding opens on Monday, March 30, and the auction will close on Thursday, April 2, from 20:00 onwards. For general questions about the auction, please contact Sjaak van der Lei. For specific questions about the horses, buyers can contact the respective selector directly. Collection

With €18,000 paid for the Vitalis embryo out of the mare Roletta PS (s.Revolution), the KWPN Online Broodmare & Embryo Auction, which concluded yesterday, proved successful. The dressage-bred embryo, originating from a strong dam line including Sandro Hit and Diamond Hit, was purchased by a buyer from Portugal. Two lots were sold for €15,000. The seven-year-old Oillily (s.Eldorado van de Zeshoek), in foal to Newmarket VM and from the renowned Walve line, remained in Dutch ownership. The same applied to the embryo by Dynamic Dream out of Bretton Woods (Bretton’s Bijou), which comes from a highly influential dressage family. Above €12,000 Richenelle (s.Fontaine TN) and Rock Daranka MB (s.Taminiau) also surpassed the €10,000 mark. Richenelle, in foal to Viva Vitalis and related to Olympic dressage horses, sold for €14,000. The five-year-old Rock Daranka MB, in foal to Renzo and from a proven sport family, was sold for €12,000 to a buyer from the United States. The average price for the in-foal mares was €9,076, while the embryos averaged €13,500. The collection consisted of fifteen in-foal mares and three embryos and attracted buyers from several countries, including Cyprus, Spain and Finland. View the results Source: KWPN Photo: Dirk Caremans  

Breeders take note: bidding on the sixteen in-foal mares and three embryos in the KWPN Online Auction closes tonight at 8:00 PM. A great opportunity to start the foaling season on a strong note. Interested parties from, among others, France and the Netherlands have already discovered the collection and placed the first bids. The collection consists of in-foal mares by sires such as Jazz, Eldorado van de Zeshoek, Vitalis, Fürst Romancier, and De Niro. Investing in the future At the start of the foaling season, this is the perfect moment to purchase an in-foal mare, with a foal expected in the near future. An interesting option is the Vitalis daughter Riverdale VG, who scored 80 points in the EPTM and was bred out of a half-sister to the international Grand Prix stallion Chagall D&R and the keur-awarded Small Tour stallion Bretton Woods. Riverdale VG is in foal to Sénégal de Fontaine. Another valuable addition is the elite mare Jurella B (s.Desperado), in foal to Roman Empire. She is a half-sister to the national Grand Prix winner Upset and the Small Tour horses Emily and Casanova B. The five-year-old Rock Daranka MB (s.Taminiau) also comes from a strong damline and is a half-sister to the Intermediate II horse Ivanhoe MC and the Small Tour horse Newton MC. This promising elite mare is also related to the WEG dressage horse Aranco V and is in foal to Renzo. One of the interesting embryos is sired by Dynamic Dream, bred out of a half-sister to no fewer than three Grand Prix dressage horses, including the approved stallion Willingapark Sky Diamond. The granddam is the full sister to the Grand Prix sport and breeding legend Diamond Hit. Time extension rule in final minutes Bidding activity usually peaks in the final hour of the auction. The auction begins closing at 8:00 PM tonight, with horses closing in small groups. If a new bid is placed in the final five minutes, the time will automatically extend by three minutes. Are you not yet registered to bid? Signing up is quick, easy, and free. You'll also receive updates on all upcoming KWPN auctions. More information All horses have been assessed by a KWPN inspector and have undergone veterinary examinations. These reports are available online. Our partner Horses2Fly is available to assist with international transport. For any questions about the collection or the auction process, please contact salespromotion@kwpn.nl or +31 (0)341-255511. The collection Source: KWPN Photo:  Liza Artamonova