Host Chris de Heer invited two foreign sport and breeding enthusiasts in his studio to share their vision on dressage breeding and the Dutch selection process. He was joined by Jens Meijer of Blue Hors and rider Jessica Lynn Thomas, who is among others known as the rider of the stallion Secret.

Jens Meijer frequently visits the KWPN Stallion Show and is enthusiastic about the Dutch selection system. “They are very strict here. If you get a good result here, you are definitely on the right track”, he explained. “I have seen many complete horses here. The influence of the Dutch horse is big in Denmark, so we love to come back here. The bloodlines are important to us, we also like to see a good canter, nice front leg technique in trot and good attitude. I am very proud of the offspring of our stallion Blue Hors Kingston. They have a lot of power in their hindquarters, and it is great to see the results the breeders have achieved with our stallion. I think the Dutch could pay more attention to the angle in the hind leg, but I find the improvement in the walk great to see. It is often said that Dutch horses generally do not possess a good walk, but yesterday and today I have seen that the Dutch breeders have improved on this aspect.”

Grateful

Jessica Lynn Thomas will enter the ring later today aboard the stallion Maddox Mart in the Stallion Competition. “I am very grateful I get to ride this competition. I really wanted to experience it myself and then his owner gave me the chance to try. I was immediately impressed. You have good competitions, and the crowd is eager to come watch, I think this is just as important. I love working with the Dutch horses, in my opinion they have more natural go than the German horse.” 

Photo: Dirk Caremans