The World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden were a huge success for Dutch breeding this year. Four medals went to the Netherlands: two gold, one silver, and one bronze. Red Viper, Proud James, Most Wanted Nero von Bellin, and Ilegro demonstrated that Dutch breeders continue to produce top-quality horses with potential for the highest levels of sport. For the breeders themselves, these were unforgettable moments, full of pride and satisfaction.

The Championships returned to Verden this year, where they will also be held for the next two years. The six-year-olds kicked off the competition, and this group turned out to be one of the most exciting of the entire event. Expectations were high for Red Viper, who won the five-year-old title last year under Bart Veeze. In the qualifier, the top three were extremely close, and Red Viper narrowly placed third. However, in the final, Dinja van Liere took control. The enormous dark chestnut stallion delivered an outstanding performance, brimming with potential. "I am certain he will become a Grand Prix horse. He is incredible in every way", said Van Liere after the final. “He is the kindest and easiest horse I know. Thankfully, because he is huge.” The Romanov son even hinted at piaffe at the start of the turn, showing that work at home is already paying off. The jury commented: “What a horse! He has everything, a true horse for major championships in the future.”

Proud James shines
The impressive record of the five-year-old Proud James was further extended with a world title. The grey stallion had already been champion of his age group in the KWPN performance test, became a premium stallion in Denmark, and last year won the four-year-old category at the WK in Ermelo. He was bred by Yolien van Maasacker from Cuijk out of Cyraniek (elite PROK by Johnson) and sold as a two-year-old, shortly before the KWPN Stallion Show in Den Bosch, to Andreas Helgstrand. In Verden, he was expertly ridden by Mette Sejbjerg Jensen, who guided him to the title with a broad smile on her face. Proud James moved through the arena with power, uphill movement, sharpness, and willingness, showing the perfect balance between engagement and relaxation. “I am very grateful to ride such a horse. With him, delivering a good test is easy. In Verden, I could just sit, ride, and enjoy. Proud James is so handsome and has the perfect color”, praised Sejbjerg Jensen. Breeder Yolien van Maasacker was present in Verden and enjoyed watching her breeding product shine. “I am very proud. Proud James has the best of both his sire and dam; he is perfect.” She initially bought Cyraniek because she connected well with her under saddle. When her first foal from Cyraniek immediately became the KWPN-approved stallion Inverness (s.Everdale), she discovered her passion for breeding. “Before Inverness was approved, I had no experience in breeding, but I found it fascinating and very interesting. Once the breeding went so well, I wanted to do it again, more consciously. That’s why I kept Proud James initially.” Proud James was sold as a foal to Mercedes Verweij, prepared for the KWPN Stallion Show, and later sold to Helgstrand a week before the Den Bosch show. Van Maasacker does not regret the sale: “What he achieved yesterday would never have been possible if I had kept him, so this was amazing.” From Cyraniek’s daughter Nyniek (s.Desperado), she has now bred a two-year-old McLaren. This year, Nyniek is pregnant with an embryo by McLaren out of Cyraniek.

Silver for Most Wanted Nero von Bellin
Among the seven-year-olds, the silver and bronze went to two KWPN-registered stallions: Most Wanted Nero von Bellin and Ilegro. The silver medal for Most Wanted Nero von Bellin was particularly special. The stallion qualified for the final by winning the small final and maintained his convincing form. The handsome and willing Most Wanted Nero von Bellin (Morricone out of Cuwensie stb-ext by Donnerball) was bred by Carla Bruin from ’t Harde. German rider Leonie Richter sat in the saddle of Most Wanted Nero von Bellin, who was initially the first reserve in the Dutch selection, a position she understood. “A year ago we started from scratch. He was still very green and behind his peers. He learned a lot over the winter, and we decided to give it a try. That the selection committee recognized his qualities and inexperience was encouraging”, she explained. Over the weekend, the stallion gained confidence and became more relaxed in the ring. “In the final, it was even easy to ride him”, she said of the striking black stallion. The jury was full of praise: “The trot is elastic and rhythmic, with great balance. The extended walk was good, and the canter is beautiful. This horse always moves uphill, was very relaxed, the frame was good, and he showed excellent potential for collection”, said jury spokesperson Sven Rothenberger.

Vacation
Breeder Carla Bruin had originally planned a vacation but decided to attend the qualifiers on Friday. After somewhat disappointing scores, she continued her vacation but kept a subscription to ClipMyHorse to watch the final after Nero von Bellin won the small final. “We are so happy and proud. This is amazing, really something every breeder hopes for”, she laughed. Cuwensie, the dam, had been used for hobby breeding after an injury. “She is now eighteen and has a foal by Kjento at her side. We hope to get her pregnant by McLaren. She has had seven foals in total, even though breeding was never our main focus.” Most Wanted Nero von Bellin was retained by Bruin to experience the journey toward a licensed stallion. He was prepared for the stallion approval by Marcel van Tamara van Manen, but when he was not selected in the second KWPN inspection, Bruin sold him to clients who had previously shown interest. “We could never have achieved this ourselves, so I have no regrets”, she said.

Bronze for Ilegro
Valegro’s nephew Ilegro emerged in Verden under Charlotte Fry as a Grand Prix horse in the making. The Inclusive son was bred by J.L. Hanse from Burgh-Haamstede and Van Olst Horses from Den Hout out of Jalegrofleur (ster pref PROK by Negro), a full sister of Valegro. After the WK in Verden, the stallion was also KWPN-approved. Fry guided him with a particularly impressive trot tour to a score of 78.65%. “He is amazing and has a lot of Grand Prix talent but still little experience. I hoped the WK would not be too much for him, so I am especially proud of how he handled the arena. He truly gives an incredible feeling”, she said.

KWPN recognizes World Championship medalist Ilegro
Following his performances at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses, the KWPN stallion selection committee for dressage has nominated the Inclusive son Ilegro for recognition. The General Board has formalized this recognition. Born in 2018, Ilegro is sired by the Grand Prix stallion Inclusive, who in turn is a son of the Grand Prix stallion Everdale. The Grand Prix talent in his pedigree does not stop there: his dam Jalegrofleur (ster PROK) is a daughter of Negro, the preferent sire who appears twice in Ilegro’s pedigree. Jalegrofleur is the full sister of Valegro, the double Olympic champion. She is also the dam of the KWPN stallion Nalegro, a son of Painted Black who performed well in the stallion competition and is now competing at Small Tour level. The damline continues with the Gershwin daughter Maifleur, who produced the international Small Tour horse U-genius (s.Uthopia). Great-granddam Weidyfleur, a keur mare by the preferent stallion Heidelberg, produced a 1.30m showjumper and a Z2-level dressage horse. As a six-year-old, Ilegro finished second in the Pavo Cup, and a year later he made his Small Tour debut with a score of 71.76%. At the World Championships in Verden, he placed second in the qualifier with 77.63%. In the final, the stallion—bred by the Hanse family from Burgh-Haamstede together with Van Olst Horses, secured a beautiful bronze medal with 78.65%. Ilegro meets the radiographic requirements set by the KWPN. The endoscopy, genomic breeding value, and conformation assessment revealed no remarks. Ilegro has a genomic breeding value of 100 (with 48% reliability) and a relatedness percentage of 2.1% (classified as average-high). His pedigree is proven on both the sire’s and dam’s side. Ilegro is not a carrier of the WFFS gene.

Text: Bettine van Harselaar
Photos: Dirk Caremans