After an intensive search for the very best foals, the jumping and dressage collections for Foal Auction Prinsjesdag are complete. From an offer of more than 1,000 foals, 73 show jumping and 63 dressage foals were selected for the auctions on August 4 in Ommen and September 11 and 12 in Ermelo.

The organization of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag is grateful for the enormous number of registrations and with it the unwavering confidence of breeders from home and abroad. Every year it is a great challenge to put together collections that meet the high standards and live up to the motto 'power through performance'. As a result, strict selection was inevitable and, unfortunately, interesting foals were also missed this year. The top of the year will be auctioned at Foal Auction Prinsjesdag.

Potency and pedigree
In the jumping direction, all current top progenitors and interesting sport stallions are represented, and without exception every foal comes from a strong dam line. Dams who have performed internationally themselves, and dams who have already produced Grand Prix horses. In the dressage foals there is also an interesting mix between foals descending from young promises and proven sires. With their excellent movement form and already convincing dressage talent, a great future also awaits them. And that future can be captured at Foal Auction Prinsjesdag.

Online soon
The full collections will be published later this month on www.prinsjesdag.eu† Also keep an eye on our Facebook page for the most current updates and reveals of the selected foals.

Foal Auction Prinsjesdag and the Schuttert family have joined forces for the upcoming edition of CSI Ommen. On Saturday 4 August, ten very interesting jumping foals will be auctioned during the evening program. An excellent opportunity to capture the future between two international jumping classes.

The idea of auctioning foals at the renowned competition in Ommen arose about a year and a half ago, but at the time it was too short a day to set everything up. Because both parties agree, if you do something you have to do it right. That is why the first auction will take place in 2018. “We have known the Schuttert family for many years as a loyal buyer at our auction, and we have already discussed a collaboration like this. In Germany, it happens more and more often that a select group of foals are auctioned at international competitions, and we are very confident that this initiative will bring success," says Arjan van der Waaij as chairman of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag.

Own character
The four-star competition at the Driehoekhoeve in Stegeren – Ommen attracts many visitors every year, and Saturday evenings invariably have a wonderful program. An auction between the ranking test and the Medium Tour final contributes to this on all fronts. “On the one hand, the auction at CSI Ommen is a nice preview of our auctions in Ermelo on September 11 and 12, on the other hand it will be an auction with its own character and audience. There are many riders and sports people at the competition, and the foals can be seen in the stable all day and during the presentation in the afternoon,” explains Van der Waaij. The exact collection will be announced two to three weeks prior to the auction. “This will mainly concern older foals. We have already selected a number of foals and can become part of this collection after our photo and video days. In addition, there is still room for a few new foals for this auction, as we are almost ready for our regular auctions.”

Start and end product together
Hendrik-Jan Schuttert also has high expectations of the auction during the international competition. “It has every potential to become a success. Foal Auction Prinsjesdag guarantees quality and service, and we want to offer that with this auction. Most foals grow into sport horses, so what could be better than bringing the initial product and the end product together in this way at an international competition”, says the rider and trader enthusiastically. “As a family, we have had success buying foals ourselves many times, so it is an initiative that I fully support. Buying a foal is a long road, but often the best way to get your hands on quality horses. The selectors of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag have also proven for many years that they have captured the top of the crop for their auction, so we are looking forward to the collection and the auction.”

More information about this exclusive Prinsjesdag auction and the collection will soon be available at www.prinsjesdag.eu and www.jumpingdedriehoek.nl.

Every year the selection committees of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag are faced with an enormous challenge. Putting together an excellent dressage and jumping foal collection, preferably using the superlative. More than half of the foals in both breeding directions have already been definitively registered and the collections seem to be meeting sky-high expectations.

The foals will be auctioned at Foal Auction Prinsjesdag on 11 and 12 September. For the dressage foal auction, Bert Poppelaars is one of the selection members who does everything in their power to register the best foals for the auction. “We are about halfway through our collection and we are incredibly enthusiastic about the foals that we have been able to select. The contribution of the scouts is also striking, because in this way we were able to attract new breeders with interesting foals," says Bert Poppelaars. “In addition, over the years we have built up a very loyal network of breeders, and we have been able to select striking foals from a lot of them. In terms of selection, we can say that it is even easier than last year to register the best foals for our auction. The good results and reputation of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag also play a role in this.”

Peaks at the auction

In addition to selecting top foals, the selection committee also takes on an advisory role when desired, with a view to preparing for the auction. “Because no matter how good your foal is, a dressage foal has to convince on the spot on auction day, otherwise it won't work. The breeders are well prepared when the foal is presented in optimal condition and we try to guide them in that. Because it is a win-win situation when a foal shows what it has to offer on auction day.”

Superior sports genes

The selection committee is also bursting with enthusiasm in the jumping direction. “It seems really good. We are half way through and we have established quality foals with excellent bloodlines. Overall, I think it's even better than last year," says selection committee member Fred van Straaten. “We don't have to make many concessions in terms of origin and the quality of the foals on offer shows that the breeders have already selected well themselves. We can fish from a very interesting pond and we have a group of loyal breeders who keep their best foals for auction. That is a great starting position!” A first look at the pedigrees of the selected foals makes it clear that breeding responds well to what the big sport demands. “We have selected foals from very strong sport lineages, with a lot of sport in the first three generations. In addition, they descend from interesting stallions that now stand out in the sport themselves or as progenitors, such as Halifax van het Kluizebos, Quabri de L'Isle, Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Nixon van 't Meulenhof.”

International reputation

It is also striking that several foals from foreign entrants have already been selected so far. “For example, from breeders from Italy and Saudi Arabia. They mostly operate their breeding in Europe and we are pleased to note that Foal Auction Prinsjesdag is the first choice for them”, says Fred van Straaten.