During the show evening of the KWPN Stallion Show, no fewer than four dressage stallions were awarded the prestigious Keur predicate: United, Ampère, his son All At Once, and Ferguson.

The first stallion to enter the arena was the now 25-year-old United (Krack C out of Nessica ster pref prest PROK by T.C.N. Partout, breeder J. Verputten). Many years ago, United himself stood fourth in the championship inspection in ’s-Hertogenbosch and later achieved very high scores in the performance test. United has made an enormous contribution to breeding, including producing the preferent stallion Bordeaux. In sport, United left a strong legacy with no fewer than 30 horses competing at Grand Prix level and around 50 at Small Tour level. Among them are MDH Avanti with Anne Meulendijks, who helped the Dutch team win silver at the 2019 European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam, Olympic horse Aquamarijn, and Pavo Cup winner TC Athene. United also sired more than 100 predicate mares. United was presented in-hand in the Brabanthallen and, at the age of 25, even showed a remarkably fit extended trot. Breeder J. Verputten and owners Joop van Uytert and Marthijs Brouwer were present for the ceremony.

Ferguson
The KWPN stallion Ferguson (Floriscount out of Liebelei by Lauries Crusador, breeder Erica Luetjen) has made a strong impact on Dutch breeding through his offspring. Sadly, Ferguson passed away far too young in 2023 at the age of 12, just as the Small Tour stallion was about to make his Grand Prix debut. Many of his offspring excel in young horse competitions, and his first progeny are now reaching Grand Prix level. Two of his successful Grand Prix offspring entered the arena: Kyton with Emmelie Scholtens and European Championship horse Lord Platinum with Curro Benitez Sanchez, who also competed at three World Championships for Young Dressage Horses. World Championship horse Nero, ridden by Hans Peter Minderhoud, also appeared. In addition, Ferguson’s sons Lex Luthor-YT and Kunz are knocking on the door of top-level sport. My Precious and Lightning Star won the Pavo Cup. Together with his three approved sons, including Ritmo de la Noche and Sensation Gold, this impressive record earned Ferguson the Keur predicate. For owners Harald Bruinier and Rom Vermunt, the Keur declaration came as a complete surprise. While Hans Peter Minderhoud entered the arena with Nero, Vermunt and Bruinier were called forward to receive the honours for Ferguson.

Ampère
Ampère (Rousseau out of Larivola keur pref by Flemmingh, breeder A.T. Rensen) made a huge impression as a young horse and was crowned champion in ’s-Hertogenbosch. A full sport career never truly followed, as breeding took priority and with great success. Ampère is the sire of no fewer than 60 Grand Prix horses and 60 approved stallions, including the well-known KWPN stallion Franklin. In the arena, his double Olympic son All At Once appeared under Lara van Nek. Other outstanding offspring include Olympic horse Flambeau with Larissa Pauluis and Times Kismet with Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. Despite the absence of a major sport career of his own, Ampère has clearly proven his ability to pass on top-level sport genes. During the show evening in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Keur predicate was awarded to the now 21-year-old stallion, who has been stationed in the United States for some time. Breeder A.T. Rensen was present to receive the honour.

All At Once
The KWPN stallion All At Once appeared under his rider Lara van Nek with a beautiful Grand Prix-level freestyle, after which he was declared Keur, just like his sire Ampère. All At Once (out of Wynona RB elite pref prest IBOP-dres sport-dres by Gribaldi) competed at two Olympic Games under Yessin Rahmouni, as well as several other major championships. Lara van Nek, daughter of breeder Willeke Bos of Stal 104, has since taken over the reins and now successfully competes the stallion at U25 level. All At Once does not have large numbers of offspring. During his early years as a breeding stallion, he was stationed in Germany, and from his first crops came eight Grand Prix horses, predominantly German-bred. He passes on his talent for piaffe and passage. At Jumping Amsterdam, Alive and Kicking with Charlotte Dujardin was seen, while in the Netherlands Limited Edition competes successfully at Grand Prix level with Marie-José Calis. Some of his most notable offspring are also successes for his breeder Willeke Bos: Jatilinda, a national champion who already produced the KWPN stallion Obsession Taonga, and Opoque, who showed striking sons from his first crop.

BvH for KWPN
Photo: All At Once – HippoFoto