Harold Thinking: The Story of Mr. Europe already started with us when he bought his mother at the Prinsjesdag auction

Breeder: Harold Renken (Renken Stud)

1. How was Mr. Europe as a foal and when did you see that it was a topper?

“I saw that from day one. As a foal he was already a muscular powerhouse with a lot of charisma. He was also very athletic and had a dream canter with a lot of balance and a lot of looseness. The real quality as a sport horse naturally only manifested itself with Marc Houtzager under saddle. As a breeder you also have to be a bit lucky that your horse ends up with a good owner who wants to invest in the sport. In the case of mr. Europe this happened. It is of course fantastic that such an experienced top rider like Marc Houtzager takes the time to train him calmly and prepare him for the big sport!”

2. Do you follow Mr. Europe closely and has it met your expectations?

“We closely follow all sports performance of our breeding products, so of course also the developments of Mr. Europe. So far he has certainly lived up to our expectations. We still hope for an upward trend in these developments; taking part in a major championship would be the icing on the cake. And you can with Mr. be in Europe, especially in combination with Marc Houtzager!”

3. How is his mother Z-Livia RV?

“The Story of Mr. Europe starts for us with the purchase of his dam Z-Livia, which we also bought at the Prinsjesdag auction. His mother is a very chic Cassini mare with a lot of power, charisma and scope. She has a very good and balanced character. We chose mr. Blue because it is able to add sharpness, print and quality. mr. Blue offspring are always a bit late maturing and will come closer to you as they get older. at mr. You can also see this clearly in Europe. mr. Europe has a clear mix of traits from both parents. We still have the mare and her foal from last year has also been sold to the Lodewijk family, the current co-owner of Mr. Europe. Z-Livia is now in foal to Untouchable Z. With this we have again chosen to add sharpness and quality to the mare. The intention is to use her for embryo transplantation next year.”

4. Why did you decide to let Mr. to enter Europe for the Prinsjesdag auction?

“As a foal there was already a lot of demand for him and this way we could give all buyers a fair chance to buy him. In addition, we have great confidence in the Prinsjesdag auction. This confidence was justified, for Mr. Europe was one of the most expensive foals at the auction and ended up in top form.”

5. How did you experience the auction at the time?

“Of course, an auction is always very exciting beforehand, but in the case of Mr Europe the bidding went very quickly, so at a certain point you come to the point where you can look at it calmly and enjoy the auction!”

6. Do you recommend other breeders to sell their foals through the Prinsjesdag auction?

"We have had a fruitful and reliable collaboration with the auction for many years and can certainly recommend the collaboration to other breeders."
Image: Portrait photo Harold Renken