“Alicante was a very athletic and light-footed foal”
Buyer: Egbert Schep
1. Why did Alicante appeal to you at the time at the auction?
I found Alicante very interesting bred. It was one of the first crops of foals from his sire Casall and his offspring were just beginning to distinguish themselves. Furthermore, it was a very athletic and light-footed foal. As a three-year-old, after his approval by the KWPN as a breeding stallion, I sold him to my brother Jan Schep (HBC stable).
2. Did Alicante live up to your expectations?
Yes, of course! Alicante was late in its development and remained slack for a while. However, this has been handled with care and the Casall stallion has grown enormously in the work. I remember seeing him jump at the CSI Zandhoven in 2015 after the sale to Tal Milstein and I was amazed at how well he jumped in the 1.45m. Then it picked up speed. He has the right rider at the moment with Jérôme Guéry. In Lanaken he jumped really great, where he triumphed at the Sires of the World. He has developed a lot!
3. Do you advise people to buy a foal at the Foal Auction Prinsjesdag?
Everyone has to make their own assessment, but I buy foals at the auction every year. The advantage of an auction is that the horses are pre-selected. You already start with the best foals of the year and they are interestingly bred. These horses are usually no longer for sale as 4- or 5-year-olds. Once in professional hands, they will not be released on the market until they have developed in the sport. It is admittedly a little more difficult to recognize the talent in showjumping horses than in dressage horses, but if the model is good, they have a very light-footed canter and athletic ability, this gives expectations for the future.
“Alicante has exceeded my expectations”
Buyer: Jan Schep
1. When did you buy Alicante?
“I bought Alicante from Egbert Schep as a three-year-old after his designation as a breeding stallion.”
2. How did Alicante's training go?
“He was slightly hit by a car the first year with us. After that he went to Marc Houtzager and Julia Kayser where his training was professionally provided by them. The quality came later than we thought. It turned out that he had some difficulty with the combination of the breeding and the practice of the sport. Alicante had trouble building muscle. Then we decided to take the nine-year-old stallion out of stud. This worked out well and he got stronger and stronger. Alicante was then sold in 2015 and is now owned by Tal Milstein where the stallion is ridden by Jérôme Guéry.”
3. Did Alicante live up to your expectations?
“We bought Alicante for the stud farm. We are real line breeders. The stallion Cantos had done a very good job with us and we were looking for a new stallion for the mares. Alicante lived up to our expectations. He has a very stable character and good descendants are produced. He has certainly fulfilled his expectations for breeding, there are very best horses from him. In terms of sport, Alicante has more than exceeded my expectations.”
4. Do you advise people to buy a foal at the Foal Auction Prinsjesdag?
“I think that the auctions are developing well at the moment. At the beginning of the auctions I was a bit skeptical, because you still had to look at the foals individually with a critical eye on leg positions, etc. Nowadays the selection has become much stricter. I think that a buyer should be able to blindly trust that he is buying a good foal. So yes, if the selection remains as strict as it is now and the foals are impeccable, then I'm in favour. Even then, it is of course an adventure and there are many factors in rearing and training that determine whether a foal becomes a topper or not.”
read HERE the interview with breeders Ronald and Els Nowee
read HERE the interview with rider Jérôme Guéry
