Distinguished with vision and experience

For many breeders, foal auctions are the sales channel for their breeding products. Foal Auction Prinsjesdag has proven for more than 25 years to be an excellent bridge between buyers and sellers of foals in the higher quality segment. More than once the strict selection applied proves to be the key to success.

The list of successful references continues to expand for several reasons. Thanks to the trust that Foal Auction Prinsjesdag has built up over the past decades, the selection committees are given the opportunity to select the very best foals. And a satisfied buyer often turns out to be a returning buyer, which is how the Prinsjesdag Foal Auction has built up a strong international sales network.

Vision

“When selecting the dressage foals, we really pay attention to appeal. We want to immediately get the 'wow feeling' when the foal comes out of the stable. That there is a foal with appearance and attitude. Then we pay attention to the correctness and that the foal is well put together. As soon as the foal starts moving, we want that first impression to be confirmed, that a foal immediately shows what you can expect from a good dressage horse”, explains selector Jacques Verkerk. “Then we pay attention to the technique in movement, self-carriage, flexibility and behavior. Because if they have that naturally, it provides certainty for the future. The pedigree is supportive. We have selected quite a few fillies for the July auction, so it is very valuable that they all come from good stocks, so that they are also interesting for breeding. But a very well-bred foal that does not convince us in movement will not be added to the collection at Foal Auction Prinsjesdag.”

Pedigree and presentation

With the jumping foals the emphasis is more on the pedigree, but only athletic, correct and good canter foals are selected. “Purchasing a good foal is often quite an investment, so we want it to be worth that investment. Today's top horses are often only available as foals," explains selector Fred van Straaten. “Since we started to focus even more on the performances in the dam's line with Foal Auction Prinsjesdag, the successful references of our auction have really increased. A pedigree with a lot of sport really offers more certainty for jumping foals. But we also regularly visit breeders who have foals with an absolute dream pedigree, but that does not guarantee a high-quality foal. As a result, we regularly have to disappoint breeders, because we only want to sell our buyers foals that meet all our requirements. We have arrived in an era where you can sit in front of the computer with a mouthful when it comes to pedigree, and we want the buyers from us to be able to really trust that they are buying a good and correct foal. Only in this way can we continue to distinguish ourselves for the next 25 years in this world full of auctions”, says Fred van Straaten.