Courtesy KWPN
Interview: Nicole Rietman - Reijn
Translation: Peter Stoepker

Excerpts of an interview with Alan Waldman, the 31 year old Californian born jumper rider who lives and works since 5 years in the Netherlands. One of his most well known results is the Reserve Championship during the World Championship jumping for young horses in Lanaken, Belgium with Cilthe Z (Cilton Z x Elton) This interview was published in "In De Strengen " January 13, 2005 by Nicole Rietman - Reijn

Maintaining breeding goals:
Alan has a lot of appreciation for the KWPN horses, but he is not without criticism. Alan: "During the first few years of my stay over here I saw more good young jumpers than I see now. I do see more and more things happening in the breeding industry that I do not understand. We do have excellent jumper lines and now all of a sudden dressage blood has to be added to these lines. I think breeders should be focused on their breeding goal. They have to breed either dressage horses or jumpers. " "It is difficult to answer the question what my opinion is about the Dutch horse. Anywhere in the world and in any equestrian magazine you will see that Dutch horses place in the top at every international competition. The Dutch have the best mare lines in the world and a number of very good stallions, but you do not always see the right match. On top of that we do need in my opinion some bigger and stronger stallions. We have a lot of mares of around 1.60 - 1.65 m that have a lot of quality, but they could use a bit more power in order to bring the breeding to a higher level. At this moment within the KWPN I do not see many stallions who have these additional qualities, except for a horse like Berlin. Berlin is big and strong, he has quality and is a real sporthorse and a true athlete. He can truly improve. This is the type of horse we need."

Work with young horses:
"In training young horses it is the same thing. You have to be able to evaluate the entire horse and to determine what needs work. When a horse is jumping well but has problem with the dressage, than you have to do more dressage work than jumping. That seems logical, but for a lot of people that is not the case. Weekend after weekend they will go to shows and watch where the ship will run aground. They do not think things through. For me showing is the least important aspect of training, but I have learned that shows are important as they tell you what you should work on. In a strange ring it is all very different. For that matter showing is an important test for yourself."

A system:
For a young horse I find it very important to take time in order to create a solid foundation in the dressage and to ensure that the horse physically and mentally is strong enough for the work he is asked to perform. Young horses are often overasked. A horse has to enjoy the work that he has to do. That is reflected at the highest level. The riders who are most successful are not necessarily the ones with the most perfect style or the most talented ones. The best results are obtained when there is good harmony between horse and rider and when the horse enjoys his work. Of course there is a correct way of riding, but there are many riders who breach all rules of correct riding and who are very successful. It has to do with training of course, but also with allowing the horse to keep its own personality."

Courtesy KWPN
Summary of an interview "In De Strengen" October 14, 2004
Translation: Peter Stoepker

The Witven Stud

The Witven Stud of the brothers Cor and Frans van der Steen has produced numerous successful jumpers both on national and international level. Following a look behind the scenes of this stud farm which is centered around quality and selection.

The Witven stud started about twenty years ago when the van der Steen brothers bought a piece of land. The next step was looking for a broodmare, preferably by Jasper. In their quest for such a mare they found the now well known mare "Zeggy", a daughter of Duc de Normandie, bred to Jasper and with a filly by Jasper on her side. Jasper competed internationally in jumping under the name "Little One" with Hugo Simon as rider.

The next step followed quickly, buildings were erected for stabling and an indoor arena. Frans assumed the daily responsibilities for the farm, Cor, an accountant by training, developed the business plan. In their business plan it was stated that the stud farm had to be profitable and therefor the van der Steen brothers developed the concept of an "open" stud farm. This means that the farm is open to be visited by groups interested in life and training at a stud farm. Through an initial video presentation in the meeting room, the development of the young sporthorse is presented. The presentation starts with the birth of a young sporthorse, shows the initial training till the horse has developed into a jumper ready to compete. Frans continues the program with a farm tour which also includes the non-equine residents of this farm. Owls and swallows provide an ecologically balanced fly and rodent control. The manure is also recycled and used for breeding worms which are resold.

Often the meeting room is rented by associations or businesses for meetings and training and in a few minutes this room can be transformed into comfortable space to enjoy a catered lunch or dinner.

Regarding the breeding farm proper professionalism is the first choice. The breeding program is centered around performance in the sport, jumping, and therefor they do not too often attend inspections. According to the van der Steen brothers the jumper has a quite different exterior than a dressage horse; for example the jumper has a shorter foreleg and a more horizontal neck . However these differences are not reflected in the score sheet where dressage horse and jumpers are evaluated according to the same criteria.

As far as movement is concerned the van der Steen brothers are looking for athletic abilities, shifting and quick reactions. They do not like to see a "big" trot on a jumper; that makes him often too slow for the top classes.
An other innovative idea is the creation of a syndicate that purchases the young jumpers from the farm and supports them during their sport career. At the moment seven investors are participating in the syndicate. None of the investors was previously involved in the equestrian sports.

The Witven stud produces five to six foals a year and is the only open stud farm in the Netherlands. The van der Steen brothers contribute to the Dutch Warmblood breeding not only by producing top quality jumpers, but also they try to generate understanding and enthusiasm for the equestrian sports by opening their stud farm to the general public.

The following article appeared in the Dutch newspaper Nederlands Dagblad:

Dutch Police Buy Hungarian Horses.

Driebergen. For about two weeks the National Mounted Police Forces have two horses of Hungarian origin in training. This was reported by a spokesperson of the forces Tuesday. According to the spokesperson only competition horses are being bred nowadays in the Netherlands. "These horses are very performance oriented; we want more quiet horses." One of the canine trainers informed the Mounted Forces about a stud farm in Hungary specialized in breeding horses for police work.

"If we like the horses, and we are very confident we will, we probably will replace more horses with Hungarian horses" according to the spokesperson. The Mounted Forces have sixty horses available. Each year a few need to be replaced. After the initial training which takes about two or three months, the horses will go out in the streets.
It is the first time in history that horses for the Dutch police are purchased outside the Netherlands.
(end of article)

Reactions in the Dutch equestrian community and amongst breeders have been plentiful and quite varied. Ranging form "Nothing to be surprised about; Hungary is now part of the European Community and can probably supply good horses for a relatively low price." to "Finally the Mounted Police Forces are the ones who are getting the better deal by not investing anymore in horses with unworkable characters. The Dutch breeders however are still messing around and produce useless horses and the riders are paying for it dearly. "

The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, quoted Mr. Hans Tartwijk speaking on behalf of the KWPN as follows: "We do regret this decision, but we do understand it at the same time. The Dutch horse is indeed bred with a temperament to perform better in the sport. We would like a Dutch horse, for example the Gelderlander, being trained for police work"

Also quite a few people did not share the opinion that a horse suitable for police work would not be capable to compete at the highest levels of equestrian sport. The name of Klaus Balkenhol and the many police horse he has trained and competed up to Grand Prix level was mentioned repeatedly.

If you are proficient in Dutch and want to follow this discussion go to: www.bokt.nl
under the heading: Forum: "Zover zijn we al afgezakt " (We went down this far).

Peter Stoepker

Excerpts of an interview with dressage rider Marian Dorresteijn*
"In De Strengen (June 10, 2004)

*note of the translator: Marian Dorresteijn is the sister of Coby van Baalen-Dorresteijn who with the KWPN stallion Ferro ( Ulft x Farn) was a silver medalist in the 2000 Olympics and most recently she published in cooperation with Johann Hinnemann "The Simplicity of Dressage". Coby van Baalen's daughter, Marlies van Baalen, who is now competing Idocus (Equador x Zonneglans) at Grand Prix level, owes a lot to the KWPN stallion Inspekteur mentioned in this article.

Prologue:
Dutch breeding established itself by very strict requirements for the stallions. But in order to breed consistently a better quality horse, the dam is as important as the stallion. And who determines the requirements for the mare? In one gender automatically only the best will continue, in the other gender there is no systematic selection. It is not the studbook, but the breeder himself who approves his mare for breeding. In such a system of breeding - with automatic progress through the stallions, there is a big question mark once it comes to the talents of a mare - the breeder's decision is crucial. Because his mare makes the difference.

Introduction:
Just like her breeder, Marian Dorresteijn, the mare Finesse descends from a very successful dressage family. The story of Finesse starts in fact a few generations earlier, and with the Kroon Preferent mare Zinni van Wittenstein (Luitenant x l'Invasion) who in return goes back to the foundation mare Otrichta (by Gonocraat), a line which originated at Mr. W.H. Krouwel from Echteld, the Netherlands. Other well known horses of the different branches of the Otrichta line are for example the Grand Prix dressage horse Grand Ami (Rechter x Saluut) and the international jumpers Opal (Olympus x Heidelberg) and Portofino ( Habsburg x Orthos). The different branches of Zinni van Wittenstein produced several approved stallions and international dressage horses. Especially through the offspring of her daughters, the three full sisters Gravin, Doornroos and Fresia (by Wachtmeester) , she lives on. The oldest of these three, the Star mare Gravin is registered as the grand grand dam of the KWPN approved stallion Inspekteur (Darwin x Amor). Doornroos has produced amongst many other horses the international dressage horse Chantor de Bohnce (Roemer x Fresco). Wendelien, Finesse's dam, is out of the Kroon Preferent mare Fresia. Fresia produced in addition to Wendelien, also the approved stallion Noordpool (by Fresco), his full sister Sansevieria and the mare Lies (by Eros) . Sansevieria is also the grand dam of the approved stallion Zevenster (by Alme). Lies on the other hand is at the base of the successful dressage breeding of Gerard Vervoorn from Brakel, the Netherlands. Just to mention a few examples of successful horses, this breeder has produced the international dressage horse Windsor (Roemer x Eros), his full sister and leader on the dressage index list Charites and her daughter, the national dressage horse Nadine (by Partout)

Interview:
The mare Finesse:
The Dutch dressage rider Marian Dorresteijn describes her home-bred mare Finesse (Aktion x Onyx) as follows: "An unbelievable strong mare, physically as well as mentally and a super competition horse with a tremendous amount of "go" ". She competed her successfully up to the highest level in dressage. Not only in the dressage arena, but also through her offspring is Finesse quite well known.

The story of Finesse starts with her dam the Keur Preferent Prestatie sport mare Wendelien (Onyx x Wachtmeester).
"At the time we bought Wendelien from my sister and brother-in-law Coby and Arie van Baalen. We were looking for a good broodmare and they did have quite a few mares. At that time Wendelien was in foal with Finesse", says Marian in retrospect. Finesse was Wendelien's third foal. "It was February 8 and minus 8 degrees Celsius. But the delivery went well. Finesse was from the first day on a strong foal. She was broad and compact and she had a very dapper look. She had also an appealing front and a lot of rhythm and power in her movement"

Keep her for a while:
In between foals, mother Wendelien was competed up to Z2 level ( 4th level dressage). As a brood mare she was bred to several different stallions; she was bred twice to Sultan (Marinier x Joost) which resulted in the two full brothers Graffiti and Joris. Joris was sold as a young horse to the USA and we never heard of him anymore.
"I myself have ridden Graffiti up to Z2 dressage (4th level) and through Johann Hinnemann he has been sold to the German dressage rider Irina Meyer. A few years ago we both competed in the Grand Prix at the CDI in Goes, the Netherlands and in the awards ceremony we stood just next to each other. Recently I saw some of his scores in a German Grand Prix class at national level; he got first place with Svenja Meyer, the daughter of Irina" adds Marian with a broad smile.

Same rhythm and power:
Back to Finesse. She grew up without any major problem and was presented at the inspection as a 3 year old. "As a 3 year old she barely made Star. Finesse was really the last one in the group Star mares; and for good reasons. Especially her walk was quite poor and she lacked size", remembers Marian. And she continues: "That was the same for her dam, Wendelien. At 1.62 m she was in fact not tall enough either. Under saddle however this lack of height was not noticeable at all. She made herself beautiful and tall."

As a 3 year old Finesse was bred to the Trakehner Chronos (Mahagoni x Matador). "At that time Chronos was performing very well in the sport and he had also a good disposition. During that period I took sometimes lessons from Jo Rutten and over there I saw Chronos in training. In making a choice for stallion it is in my opinion very important that the stallion himself is able and willing to perform. On top of that I hoped to get through Chronos a tidbit more blood," explains Marian her choice for Chronos. A year later Josefien was born, the first filly out of Finesse. "Josefien reminded me a lot of Finesse. She was perhaps a bit more slender, but in her movement she looked a lot a like her dam, the same rhythm and power. On top of that she was a very pleasant mare and very uncomplicated to handle. For that matter she was a bit easier than Finesse," says Marian. "I sold Josefien to Petra Brand from De Meern, the Netherlands. She also took lessons from me and in that way I saw Josefien on a regular base." This combination obtained 25 bonus points at the Z 2 level (4th level), but before the transition to the specialized competitions could be made the story was over. "Petra called me; Josefien stood with her head hanging low and dropped lips. There was an infection in the bone marrow which caused some paralysis and she had to be put down."

As a 4 year old Finesse retaliated at the Inspection. "Finesse was a year older and more developed. Also I rode a very good IBOP AA test with her and she had her first foal. She became champion at the CK in Utrecht, the Netherlands and was allowed to go on to the UTV. Also I got her selected for the category brood mares under saddle. The funny thing is that just like her dam Wendelien, she obtained the reserve Championship." After that Finesse was bred one more time. This time the choice was made for the Landadel son Frühling (Dam's sire Tim Rocco). "I had seen this stallion during his performance test and thought he was a very beautiful stallion with a lot of brilliance and a huge canter. I intend to breed a larger horse", says Marian. And she got results. A year later the large framed filly Kirby was born. In the meantime Kirby has obtained the predicates Keur and Preferent.

Flying changes:
"Ostara is the only offspring of Finesse that I still own.", states Marian. The full sister of Ostara, the mare Pirouette has been sold to the dressage rider Marjan van Veelen and she is competing successfully at Z2 level (4th level). "Marjan van Veelen is one of my students so I do see Pirouette on a regular base. Pirouettte is a mare who reminds me a lot of Finesse. Like her grand dam she has a lot of "go" in the arena. And she does her flying changes without any problem with a good jump and a lot of ease. That was always one of the strong points of Finesse." After her second foal Finesse started her career as a competition horse. Marian has very good memories of Finesse as a competition horse. "It went very fast with Finesse. I remember very well our first competition at M 1 level ( 1st level) at a national competition in Bunnik, the Netherlands. From the arena you could see the trailers at a distance. When we went direction trailers Finesse went immediately a bit faster. Away from the trailers she slowed her pace down. The judge did not notice by the way, but it was quite a hilarious feeling. For the rest she always performed very well in the arena. She just knew that that was the moment it had to happen and often she increased her efforts." In the barn Finesse was quite a personality. "She did not like to be groomed and she would look sometimes very upset; this while in fact she is such a sweet and honest mare. Also braiding was not her favorite. You first had to make sure you were holding her, then you could show her the braiding kit. The same was true for the veterinarian; she was never fond of him either. For the rest she could be a bit obnoxious."

Grand Prix:
"After that I started training Finesse for Grand Prix. That was a new challenge, which I loved to accept. Finesse was very talented for passage and pirouettes. In the piaffe she could be a bit marish, especially when she was in season." The strong character of Finesse became once more evident when she fell seriously ill after her first Grand Prix competition. "Finesse suffered from strong attacks of fever. We shipped her over to the veterinary clinic of the University of Utrecht, but the veterinarians could not determine what was bothering her. In fact they had given her up." But "to give up" is not in Finesse's vocabulary and the mare struggled for her life. After a bit of pressure from the side of Hennie, the veterinarians in Utrecht started again a thorough examination. Finally it turned out she had peritonitis. For weeks she was on IV's and she survived mainly thanks to her character. She was not really happy in the clinic in Utrecht, so I went down every day to groom her and to give her some attention. The grooms in Utrecht told me that she was really waiting for me. Once Finesse had recovered we resumed training and relatively quickLY the combination was back at competition level. "Finally I competed her for two years at Grand Prix level. My best results at that level are in my opinion a sixth place during the winter championships in Weert, the Netherlands and my last competition at Jumping Amsterdam where I finished third. Finesse was in the meantime 14 years old. Of course I could have turned her into a broodmare, but that would have been quite an expensive broodmare."

Just got on and rode away:
Sheila van Bregt does remember very well the first time she met Finesse: "It was love on first sight. I was immediately completely crazy of her. I just got on and rode away. She did everything, passage, piaffe, flying changes. She gave me immediately a fantastic feel." Meanwhile she has competed with Finesse in the first set of junior competitions.
"In fact it goes very well I am also planning on starting her pretty soon ZZ light. She is a very strong and healthy mare. I hope to be able to ride her a few more years and also to make the transition with her to Young Riders." says Sheila looking carefully into the future. "And if she is not able to compete anymore, then we will surely breed her and hope her foals are as good as the dam".

Courtesy KWPN
Interview: Karin de Haan
Translation: Peter Stoepker

Excerpts of an interview with Gelderlander breeder Piet Selten "In De Strengen"
(May 13, 2004)

Offspring:

Out of Irene I (by Cehadee):
1976 Swaasel (by Wahtamin xx) Prestatie Mare

1977 Ubora (by Wahtamin xx) International jumper

1984 Cesar (by Ivanhoe) 3rd Level dressage as a 5 year old, sold to England

1990 Irene II Keur, Preferent, Elite

Out of Swaasel (by Wahtamin xx)
1980 Windekind (by Farn)
As Sandrigo, International jumper and approved stallion by Swiss Warmblood Association

1981 ZsaZsa (by Gondelier) IBOP A, Keur, Prestatie mare Jumping Z (1.30 m ) / M2 dressage (3rd Level)

1990 Iris (by Purioso)
International jumper Virtual Village Double Dutch

Out of ZsaZsa (by Gondelier):
1989 Heraut (by Zandigo)
Z2 dressage with 22 win points

1990 Imposant (by Purioso)
Star gelding; leader at CK Veghel Jumping Z (1.30 m )

1991 Kazsazsa (by Belmondo)
Star mare Z dressage (3rd level)

Out of Irene II (by Purioso):
1993 Landlord (by Goodwill)
Star gelding ZZ light dressage (4th level)

1995 Norene (by Zichem)
Keur and Sport mare
Three times National Champion Gelderlander
Z-2 Dressage (4th level)

1998 Royal Irene (by Kennedy)
Keur mare (pending)

2000 Tip Top Irene (by Krack C)
Keur mare (pending)

Irene I is at the base of a remarkable line of horses. Daughter of Cehadee (by Wachtmeester) out of the Preferent Gelderlander Star mare Ebora (Oregon x Romburg) she received the predicate "Prestatie" (performance) based on her offspring. It is also very special that her daughter Swaasel and granddaughter ZsaZsa received the "Prestatie" predicate.

Three generations of "Prestatie", this can not be a matter of chance any more.

Irene I:
The Keur Prestatie mare Irene I was born April 20, 1967 at the Van der Ven's family farm in Bakel, the Netherlands. As a foal she went to Lenie Selten, at the time Lenie Swaanen, who got the foal as a present from her parents. Once the mare was of age Lenie competed her in L dressage (1st level) . Furthermore` Irene I was bred to Wahtamin xx.

The result was a beautiful filly who became a wedding present for Lenie and Piet Selten. This filly received the name Swaasel, a creative combination of the last names of Swaanen and Selten. Irene I stayed with Lenie's parents and Swaasel moved to the hog operation in Gemert. Swaasel was a fertile mare and had a foal almost every year. Sandrigo and Virtual Village Double Dutch are the most renown. The Farn son Sandrigo was born in Gemert, with the name Windekind. As a foal he got seriously injured. The veterinarians were very pessimistic about the recovery of this stud colt. Piet Selten sold Windekind and he expected never to hear anything more from this colt. Often the self healing power in a foal is underestimated and such was also the case with Windekind. He recovered from his lameness and this young stallion ended up in the stable of Egbert Schep. This born horseman recognized the qualities of this young stallion immediately and presented Windekind in 1980 as a three year old at the KWPN Stallion Inspection. Standing at only 1.60 m Windekind was a bit small and this was one of the reasons he was not accepted. Due to his qualities as a jumper the dark bay stallion ended up in the barn of Jan Tops. He sold Windekind to Switzerland where he became quickly the favorite mount of Aloïs Fuchs who started him in many Grand Prix competitions.
Windekind's name got changed into Sandrigo and in 1992 he was approved by the Swiss Warmblood Studbook.

A Fertile Change:
In Gemert Irene I replaced Swaasel as broodmare. As a 14 year old mare she obtained her certification as "Agricultural Horse" with scores of 8.0 and 8.5 . At the age of 23 she gave birth to a filly by Purioso. At the time of birth the name alphabet was that year back at the letter I and hence the filly was named Irene II. Despite her riding type bloodline, by means of Purioso, Irene II is the prototype of a modern Gelderlander mare. She is registered in the Gelderlander book with the predicates "Keur", "Preferent" and "Elite" . Irene II has never competed, but she passed the IBOP test with good scores. She is extremely fertile and has produced a few exceptional horses amongst which Landlord (by Goodwill), who as a four year old was leader in the group 4 - 7 years old geldings and stallions at the CK in Veghel and he finished also fourth in the Pavo classes in Veghel. Besides these results Irene II is also the dam of the multiple National Champion Gelderlander Horses, Norene (by Zichem).

Norene:
Norene was received in the Gelderlander Division of the Studbook with a score of 85 for type and 82 for movement. In the past Willemijn Selten has competed the remarkable Norene with good scores in the ZZ dressage ( 4th level).
They were also invited by the KWPN to the CHIO in Aachen, Germany. At that show the three different divisions within the KWPN studbook were presented and Norene represented with brilliance the modern Gelderlander horse. After a serious injury Mr. Selten decided to change Norene's career into that of a broodmare and in the meantime she has already had a filly by Krack C.
Mr. Selten: " I do feel sometimes guilty toward the Gelderlander Division. At the different inspections Norene obtained many titles and prizes, but I have not used a Gelderlander stallion on her. Within the present group of Gelderlander stallions I can not make a choice; in my opinion they are not a good match for Norene. Willemijn had planned to compete Royal Irene in order to obtain for Norene the predicate "Prestatie" too. Royal Irene, by Kennedy, out of Irene II, placed sixth during the KWPN competition in the group three year old riding horses. Unfortunately events do take sometimes a different turn and while going from the outdoor arena to the stable Royal Irene lost her footing and got such serious injuries that her career as a sporthorse was finished.

The Selten Horses:
Tip Top Irene is not easy, but that is not a hallmark of the Selten horses. This breeder from the Noord Brabant province formulates this as follows: "They are honest horses, full of temperament, they want to go on their own. The Gelderlander blood of the stallions Cehadee and Oregon gives our horses, besides a good carriage and an active hind leg that steps well under, also a lot of temperament. With patience and the right training you can transform temperament in a good attitude towards work." When selecting stallions for his mares an "easy character" has never been a criterion.
"Horses that ask for a lot of work are of course difficult for people who have not grown up with horses, but it is often a testimony to the quality of a horse. A horse that can not go is seldom difficult, because he has enough to worry about himself. A horse that is supple and elastic, yes such a horse can go anywhere he wants to."
What else is important in Selten's choice? "The looseness in the way the horse moves; I find that very important I do not necessarily want the most beautiful foals, but the front and the action that is what I am looking for. I do not select the stallions on their pretty picture, but on their movement. I love to see a stallion in a relaxed carriage, in walk and trot on the hard surface; in a relaxed atmosphere you can observe so much."

The Stallion Cehadee:
Cehadee, abbreviation of the name of his well known breeder Cees Hoogendoorn, is in the opinion of Piet Selten a stallion that has been underestimated. Cehadee passed on a good attitude towards the sport. In Cehadee you will find the blood of Caesar and Baronet and through that last stallion the famous Wittenstein line. According to Selten, Cehadee passed also an iron constitution on to his offspring. Irene II died at the age of 29 and Swaasel at the age of 24. They never had anything serious.

Courtesy KWPN.
Interview: Gemma Jansen
Translation: Peter Stoepker

Courtesy KWPN
"IN DE STRENGEN" May 13, 2004

Introduction
Last year's winner of the Pavo Cup, the charming and attractive chestnut gelding Robin Hood (Jazz out of a star mare from Zep*), bred by the late Mr. T van den Berg from Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands, has been sold to the USA. He has been withdrawn from the World Champion Selection for Young Horses in Verden, Germany and soon, he will be continuing his dressage career in Florida under Sue Blinks. Mrs. Annabeth Reesink-Brouwer will continue as owner of one third. Following is the exceptional story of the very deliberate gift of a favorite horse from one woman to another.

*Note of the translator:
- Zep is a Gelderlander Stallion
-The Pavo Cup is the Dutch National Championship for Young Horses

As a 2 1/2 year old Robin Hood was presented at the Stallion Inspection by Nico Witte resulting in a star predicate. His friend and business partner, Mr. Eugène Reesink became at that time owner, or rather his wife, Mrs. Annabeth Reesink. This rider from Eibergen, the Netherlands, has been always very careful with the attractive chestnut with his clear expression. First he was started under saddle, then gelded and send to pasture for quite a while. Only in November Robin Hood came back and Annabeth started slowly the training. From the very first moment she started working with Robin Hood , she had lost her heart. "Robin Hood gave you as a rider immediately so much feel", says Annabeth, "as green as he was, it seemed as if he knew already the work. He is truly a very special horse."

Everyone who watched the finals of the Pavo Cup last year will remember him; all looseness, blessed with a very special foreleg, a horse that showed such a natural talent for collection that it was hard to believe. The guest rider of that year, Mrs. Tineke Bartels, recognized also the proud look of Robin Hood, while he accepted his champion ribbon: "first class show stopper, like his sire Jazz."

"From the beginning I made Eugène promise me that Robin Hood could not be sold" according to Annabeth. "He was completely my horse. He agreed to that. But in fact I also knew from the beginning that with me, I would not be able to develop the unbelievable qualities of this horse. On top of that I am mentally not organized enough to compete in important shows. That is not my cup of tea. And at that moment I realized there was only person to whom I would entrust Robin Hood: Sue Blinks." For Annabeth Reesink the choice was either Sue Blinks, or nobody.

The process
Mr. and Mrs. Reesink have known Sue Blinks for quite a while. When they stay in Florida she lets them use a car and when Sue Blinks is in the Netherlands she will stay at the Reesink's home, and not in a hotel. Eugène Reesink and Sue Blinks co-own the eight year old gelding Orlando (Rohdiamant x Kristal) Orlando has in the meantime progressed to Intermédiare I and is quietly preparing for the more demanding work. If that will take one year, or two, does not matter to Sue Blinks; everything needs its own time. Sue Blinks' 17 year old Hannoverian Flim Flam (s. Wilhelm Tell) who helped win the Olympic Bronze for the US Team in Sydney, is now being spoiled and retired. His time of active work has passed. "And that is what appeals to me so much", says Annabeth, "Sue does not force any issues and she treats her horse very well. One horse is allowed to take his time and an other one gets the time for rest and recreation as a reward for all the work performed.
"I do know very well", continues Annabeth, "that by only going quietly step by step you do not get the ultimate results of a horse. But the other extreme that you force the horses continuously to perform to their utmost, I find that most distressing. I get very annoyed when I see that happen at competitions. How can a horse stay healthy in that way and keep enjoying his work? A natural talent like Robin Hood does never have to do his utmost, because he understands already everything. I am not well acquainted with the way of training and the management of the Dutch top riders, but I am well informed about Sue Blinks' way. And I like that way. Hence I only wanted Robin Hood to go to her." After all this praise from Annabeth about her way of treating the horses, Susan Blinks is for a few moments silent. But then she says: "I am always trying to make life very pleasant for my horses. That means not too many competitions, nice turn out for a few hours, riding some trails, and rest in time. When you have a horse like Robin Hood who has so much energy from himself it is so easy to keep things always pleasant. "

Female business
Sue Blinks met Robin Hood as a four year old. At the time she thought he was talented, but quite young and decided to keep him in mind. A year later after Robin Hood won the Pavo Cup, she was afraid her chances as a potential buyer were gone. She called weekly, rode him one time and then an other when she was in Europe and got more and more enchanted. Sue Blinks: "I recognized a lot in his sensitive character of what I have experienced with Flim Flam. When I tried out Robin Hood I felt he should be developed in a way that suits his special intelligence and his sensibility. You have to be able to put the pressure on in the correct way; a wonderful challenge. He feels like a potential international Grand Prix horse. The baby beginning of all the Grand Prix exercises do not give him any trouble physically and he gives me the feel that he understands them. But on the long road we have to go many bad things can happen and I need to have some luck. But it should be possible. I hope to be able to show him one day in Europe as a Grand Prix team horse."

Sue Blinks found Doug Leatherdale, president of the American Hanoverian Society and owner of the well known stallion His Highness, willing to participate as a co- investor in Robin Hood. Sue Blinks financed one third herself and when Annabeth Reesink wanted to stay part owner for one third the buy was sealed.
"Typical female business" called Eugène Reesink this story; he means that emotions reign over reason. But that does not matter to the ladies in question. They both have what they want: the most perfect care and training for their favorite horse.

Interview: Claartje van Andel
Translation: Peter Stoepker

Excerpts of an interview with test rider Ton De Kok "In De Strengen"
(April 29, 2004)

For almost 25 years Ton has run a training facility with his wife Mieke in the small town of Nootdorp, the Netherlands. Dressage horses are the heart of this facility in Nootdorp. "You can breed a dressage horse by specifically selecting certain qualities. If you look at the type of horses we started with and the type of horses we are riding nowadays you will notice a world of difference.

Different stallions
Years ago we rode the F1 products or offspring of the F1 products. These were horses that you could school up to good dressage horses thanks to their disposition. Often they were lacking in blood, suppleness and the ridability of the horses we have in our stable today. Now we have horses that are high in blood, that are built uphill, horses that are born as dressage horses" states De Kok. He knows what he is talking about. Not only through his many years as trainer and instructor in Nootdorp, but also before he started his own business he was for two years a rider at the performance testing. "I rode there the "R" and "S" editions . These were very different stallions however, with a lot less blood and athletic capabilities. Recruut ( Marco Polo X Apollo) was at the time a very good all around horse. And later he had good results. Also I rode there Pion (Abgar xx X Epigoon) as a 4 year old; a pleasant horse, but a horse with character.

"This was a fantastic period in my life. It gave me the opportunity to learn to work with young horses. I got a lot of experience there. The performance testing at that time was also completely different. In these days the stallions had to do it all. Dressage, jumping, work in harness, the cross country, etc." As De Kok remembers very well, "In the morning we rode the stallions and in the afternoon we helped with the maintenance and building of the cross country jumps."

Young talent
"We always enjoyed riding the stallions. It fits very well in the philosophy of our business: train and develop horses, more precisely, to develop young talent. And then I am not only talking about horses, but also about riders. An important aspect of our business is training and coaching of talented riders. In that way we are involved in the Rabo Talented Riders Program."

Character
For De Kok a talented dressage horse is a horse that has the right character, a natural balance, quick reflexes, and forward thrust in his gaits. "But the perfect horse does not exist, so you always have to compromise. However there is one aspect where I absolutely do not compromise and that is character, the disposition. A horse has to work with you and has to have enough desire to go in order to succeed as a dressage horse. You always will like to ride a horse that works with you. I hate cantankerous ones, horses who are behind the leg, or who go the wrong way once you put a bit more pressure on them. By the way a horse can be a bit more complicated, because he is more sensitive, but for that reason he is not a cantankerous one. Finally these types of horses are often required for the top sport. And this makes character the most important aspect, but also the most difficult aspect to assess for a dressage horse.

However it is very good that stallions are judged on disposition. I know from my own experience that the disposition often comes back in the offspring of the stallions. In my opinion breeders should also better evaluate the disposition of their mare when choosing the right stallion."

Decision making
"As test rider I do not look at the conformation or pedigree; that is simply not my task." De Kok has hardly any experience with disappointed owners. "In principle I do not make a decision; the committee does. So if there are questions regarding the decision it is of course very important that the committee gives a good explanation of their decision to the owners "

Courtesy KWPN.
Interview: Karin de Haan
Translation: Peter Stoepker

Introduction by the translator:
After 19 years as Director of World Cup Dressage Joep Bartels retired from this office during the last World Cup competition in Düsseldorf, Germany. The introduction of the freestyle as part of the World Cup Dressage is certainly one of his most well known accomplishments. Joep Bartels is married to the Dutch Grand Prix rider Tineke Bartels, who rides the KWPN approved stallion Broere Jazz, and their daughter, Imke Schellekens - Bartels with her KWPN approved stallion Gestion Lancet, is also an active Grand Prix competitor.

Joep Bartels Professor at an Agricultural College in Den Bosch, the Netherlands.
On April 29, Joep Bartels accepted his position as professor at HAS, an agricultural college in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. At this occasion he presented his inaugural lecture entitled: "On Horses and Men" .
"The horse shapes the human being", stated the new professor and "horsepositivo" Bartels for a captive audience. A statement that was well known to the Greek philosophers of before our era. "The horse observes us with the extreme alertness of a pray animal and notices what we really are, not how we present ourselves.", said Professor Bartels.

Of course his lecture was centered on the equine industry and the development of rural areas, especially the development in the province of Brabant. The college students will not hear Professor Bartels talk a lot more; he considers his professorial duties more in practical work with his students. "Build together and develop together", said Professor Bartels in order to create new opportunities for a new and healthy business climate especially in Brabant. Of course business opportunities in the equine industry. When you look, for example, at the numbers in Germany, you will notice that there is still sufficient growth possible for jobs in the equine industry in the Netherlands. "The Dutch equine industry itself has to develop well thought through solutions in order to create room for the amateur as well as for the professional", stated Professor Bartels to his audience.
"System innovation" was also the subject of Professor Dr. N. H. Douben's lecture "On Knowledge, Links and Networks".

At the end of his lecture Joep Bartels underlined his message by having horses actually enter the college. He did this by unloading mini horses, including two foals, from the van of Zegwaard Farms. The horses however were unloaded in the pasture adjacent to the college and well visible from the deck of the auditorium.

Courtesy KWPN (CvA)
Translation: Stoepker

Excerpts of an interview with the manager of Kasselmann Farms, Dr. Ulf Möller, published in "In De Strengen " March 25, 2004 by Claartje van Andel.

Child's play:
Möller himself does not have to look far to ride born talent. His favorite is of course the World Champion Sandro Hit. "Luckily a horse that shattered the hegemony of the image of WDR. This time not West Deutsche Rundfunk, but the stallions Weltmeier, Donnerhal and Rubinstein, the stallions that have determined the German breeding industry since the last ten years. (Note of the translator: WDR is the abbreviation for West German Public Radio)

"Sandro Hit covered only 25 mares during his first breeding season and from these 25 foals three Sandro Hit offspring placed within the eight best at the German National Championship for 6 year olds last year. From that first breeding season came also the famous mare Poetin, the World Champion that was bought by the Van der Zwan family last fall. Sandro Hit passes on his well balanced canter, he is not the best in his trot extensions, but he passes on expression in the collection and he has not had a single chestnut among his offspring yet", says Möller. "But what is the most enjoyable of Sandro Hit" , says Möller with a smile, " he gives me the feeling that I am a fantastic rider! For him too the work under saddle is just child's play."

Riding deep and round:
Regarding the discussion about riding deep and round Möller says: " I think you should not at first look at the neck, but at the rear leg." "Look at the Old Masters of years past. Alwin Schockemöhle is perhaps the best example. Schockemöhle might have made the neck shorter and rounder, what could be noticed by everyone, but at the same time he was capable of keeping the rear legs active and engaged. The same can be said for Isabell Werth and Anky van Grunsven; the head is often at the chest, clearly visible, but at the same time the rear legs are active and engaged, which makes the whole body as round as a bow and the back elevated. And it is that second aspect, the elevated back and the active rear leg, that people forget to notice.

Excessive demands on young horses:
In general Möller does not believe that young horses are worked too hard. Rather the opposite is true, he says. "In countries were dressage is relatively new, let us say the United States, I am afraid that in general people do not work their young horses enough. Our modern riding horses have a lot of blood, they do want to go and they do want to work. You can not often enough work or just ride the horse. However you can do it too long. It is nonsense to set your watch while training a young horse; the horse himself is your watch. As long as you feel strength and the horse is enjoying the work, you do a good job. If the horse looses his strength or his enjoyment, you have worked too long. That might be after 20 minutes or after 30 minutes. You have to stop at the moment the horse is still enjoying his work a lot. And the same day ride an other 20 or 30 minutes or walk the horse in hand or on the trail." The decisive factor is that the horse has to build the strength which enables him to carry himself, to shift the weight to the hind quarters and to make himself light in the bridle.
" Everything should be brief and the rider has to make sure that there is a lot of variety in the work. In Germany we have a proverb that says: "What little John does not learn, big John will not learn either" If a young horse gets bored and never has to work really hard for a few minutes, he will not learn to do so as an older horse. You can ask true talents much more without them considering these demands as excessive. This is true for humans as well as for horses.

Breeding goals:
Perhaps the breeding goal " winning at Grand Prix" is too far fetched ; how many riders are there in Germany and the Netherlands capable of training a horse completely to Grand Prix? In Germany of the 150 Grand Prix riders only about 50 or so are truly capable to train up to that level. And of the 30,000 foals born annually in Germany how many horses can these riders train? That is such a small percentage. In fact that is what I consider the most worrisome about our present times: the breeding goal of your KWPN and our German studbooks is top sport.

The vast majority of the horses however does not end up with a rider capable of realizing that goal. Our horses should especially be good natured, willing to work and a pleasure to ride, also for the amateur rider. And for that matter as KWPN, the largest studbook in the Netherlands, you have a big advantage. You do not loose time like we do in Germany, by competing against each other and you can work together to achieve that one goal of breeding a horse with character that is a pleasure to ride.

Courtesy KWPN.
Interview: Claartje van Andel
Translation: Peter Stoepker

Sometimes I forget that I am living in a real horse Eldorado. But I noticed it again in the past few weeks. Nowhere you can find so close to each other so many horse shows in so little time as in Holland! From early March till mid April every stud holder wants to promote his stallions at the beginning of the new breeding season. Every weekend you can visit 2 or 3 shows, most of the times with a big show in spotlights such as a dressage clinic or a jumping clinic with often the best riders.

The stallions will be presented in hand or be ridden, often with his offspring, always surrounded by music and a playful action, such as a race on cold bloods with riders picked out of the audience. Every show leaves its own mark.

And the audience? They are clapping their hands, regarding the stallions, considering and sometimes reconsidering their choice. Often the stallion choice is made very late. Even for the most experienced horse breeder it isn’t easy…. The more you know the harder it seems to get to choose. Considering and reconsidering is making breeding an exciting business.

And the best thing for the Dutch is…. It’s all for free!

Monique Seinen for the NA/WPN

Excerpts of an interview with Mr. Henk van den Berg "In De Strengen" (March 11, 2004)

Bodybuilders:
In Mr. van den Berg's opinion "Laurentz" is the only true Gelderlander stallion of the two. "Not only in his exterior, but also in his pedigree and disposition. "Laurentz" is a most honest and rider friendly horse; my youngest daughter can easily walk him out after a ride. He is my friend and my favorite, because of his character and expression, but not because of his performances in the sport. In my opinion a true Gelderlander is not capable of performing at the top levels of the sport, with the exception perhaps of one or two horses.
The Gelderlander is not an athlete, but a bodybuilder. When the work gets really demanding, they will quit, because their musculature is too short. In general bodybuilders are very nice people and the same is true for that type of horse. It is not that serious that they are not able to perform at the top levels, because in the Netherlands already we do not have enough top riders to ride the existing top horses. "

Hamburgers:
According to Mr. van den Berg too many people in the Netherlands dream about breeding top horses. "You can always dream about breeding a world champion, but in reality there is much more demand for a good rider friendly horse for the average rider. We as members of the KWPN have to ask ourselves the question: " Do we want to breed the best horses?" In that case we are on the right track. But if we ask ourselves the question: "Can we do anything with these horses ?" In that case my answer is : No. We are getting further and further away from the route of a thousand riders of whom only ten can ride really well and any horse. That is why I am not too much in favor of specialization in the breeding program. O.K., just a bit of specialization is all right, but you should not lose sight of the main objective. Because if by any chance, the horse does not turn out to be the ultimate top horse, what will happen to him? In case he is lacking seriously in exterior, movement or rider friendliness? Yes indeed, in that case the horse ends up in my shop as hamburger. And what is truly specialization? Look at "Kigali"; he has been approved as a jumper stallion, but at this moment he is successfully in training as a dressage horse with Coby van Baalen.".

Courtesy KWPN.
Interview: Gemma Jansen
Translation: Peter Stoepker