Anniversary drinks during Foal Auction Prinsjesdag

September 8, 2017/in News/by bonsai

Anniversary drinks during Foal Auction Prinsjesdag

Foal Auction Prinsjesdag has become a household name at home and abroad. An auction where the very best foals in both breeding directions can be found and which never stands still in terms of development. This year Foal Auction Prinsjesdag is celebrating its 25th anniversary and that is reason for something extra. On both auction days, all breeders, VIP guests and the public are invited for a special anniversary drink.

On Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 September, 64 jumping foals and 62 dressage foals respectively will be auctioned at the National Equestrian Center in Ermelo. Both days the foals will be presented in the outdoor arena at 2.30 pm and the auction will start indoors at 5 pm. In the context of the 25th anniversary of the auction, there are several anniversary promotions this year. It was previously announced that there is free entry this year.

raising glass
The anniversary drinks are the icing on the cake. Something that fits perfectly with the prestigious auction where a good atmosphere is of paramount importance. On both days, around 4 pm, after the presentation and prior to the auction, everyone is invited to raise a glass to the 25th anniversary of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag in the indoor arena. Because whoever has a birthday, treats! The auction is pleased with a large loyal group of breeders, buyers and other stakeholders who are committed to the auction. The anniversary drinks are a good moment to briefly reflect on the development of the auction, which was partly realized thanks to these people, and of course a preview of the auctions in which two excellent collections are put up for sale.

Collections
All information and full collections of maternal line data, photos, videos and clinical reports are now available at www.prinsjesdag.eu† National Equestrian Center, De Beek 125, 3852 PL Ermelo.

"Arc and I grew up together, it's very special to have him from a foal."

September 6, 2017/in Background, News, To jump/by bonsai

Rider: Frank Schuttert

1. What makes Arc de Triompe so special to you?
“Arc de Triomphe is very special to me because we have had him since foal. When I was only sixteen I, the then five-year-old Arc, started driving myself. We actually grew up together. Arc is tall with his 1.75m and as a young horse it took a while before he was 'finished'. However, the successes soon came. We won the Vion Cup in both the six- and seven-year-olds and have had many international successes since then. I am very happy with him.”

2. What's the best thing you've experienced with Arc de Triomphe so far?
“That we became champions of the Netherlands in both the six- and seven-year-olds. One of the things I don't forget is that in 2014 we won the 1.50m in Maastricht. That was great, it was on the Saturday night and the stands were packed. It's great to win as a Dutchman in your own country with a very fast jump-off. Also the win in the 1.50m in Münster and the second place at the CSI3* in Varberg in Sweden were great! †

3. What is Arc de Triomphe like?
“Arc de Triomphe is a very easy horse. He is super calm and sweet in the stable.”

4. How is he to drive?
“It is an uncomplicated horse to ride. At home I don't jump much with him. He has a lot of experience and knows the game. I regularly go into the forest. At competitions I ride it quietly in the morning and try to peak at the right time during such a week. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.”

5. What are your plans with Arc de Triomphe?
“Arc has been and continues to be of great value to me internationally. He is now twelve and I hope he will last a while. The nine-year-old Chianti's Champion is becoming my best horse at the moment, but at this level you really need several horses. Arc de Triomphe and Winchester are still performing well at the highest level.”

6. Why do you advise people to buy a foal at the Prinsjesdag auction?
“The organization of the Prinsjesdag auction is very professional and highly regarded. Very well-bred foals are offered, many of which have now also proven themselves at the highest level.”

read HERE the interview with breeder Fred van Straaten.

read HERE the interview with buyer and owner Jan Schuttert.

“Arc de Triomphe was the best foal!”

September 6, 2017/in Background, News, To jump/by bonsai

Buyer and owner: Jan Schuttert

1. Why did Arc de Triomphe appeal to you at the time at the auction?
“I thought Arc de Triomphe was the best foal at the auction that year. He had quality and was a descendant of a good line of the Van Straaten family.”

2. How did the rearing and training of Arc de Triomphe go?
“We raised and trained him ourselves. That went without any problems. No matter how good a foal is in terms of model or pedigree, the training ultimately determines whether the horse becomes a good one or not. †

3. Did Arc de Triomphe live up to your expectations?
“Arc de Triomphe certainly lived up to my expectations. He has a super jumping technique with an excellent use of the foreleg. He is also reliable, his attitude and health are top notch. In the show jumpers he was champion of the Netherlands in both the six- and seven-year-olds. He also performs with great success at an international level, together with my son Frank. He has won many ranking tests, which count towards the world ranking.”

4. Do you have a special relationship with Arc de Triomphe?
“Yes, Arc has been with us for twelve years. It is a very sweet and easy horse to handle”.

5. What are other people saying about Arc de Triomphe?
“Other people like it when they hear that we bought him as a foal and that he has grown into such a good international top jumper.”

6. Was it exciting at the time with bidding?
“You select the foals that you like in advance. It is then exciting whether you can buy these nominated foals within the budget.”

7. Why do you advise people to buy a foal at Foal Auction Prinsjesdag? Why would you rather buy a foal and not a three or four year old?
“There is a lot of choice at the Prinsjesdag auction and the foals have a good pedigree. Organizing an auction for three-year-olds would also be a good idea.”

read HERE the interview with breeder Fred van Straaten.

read HERE the interview with rider Frank Schuttert.

“The buyer made a good investment at the auction at the time!”

September 6, 2017/in Background, News, To jump/by bonsai

Breeder: Fred van Straaten

1. What was Arc de Triomphe like as a foal?
“Arc de Triomphe was an enterprising, tough foal. Already when he was a few days old I saw that it was a topper. He was big, well put together and a strong canter with a lot of suppleness. These are traits that I see a lot in his maternal line. At the presentation at the auction, he sold himself.”

2. How is his mother?
“His mother is the 1.60m show jumper Una Bella S (by Calvados). At the age of sixteen she is still jumping internationally with the Italian Matilde Giorgia Bianchi. She also achieved many international successes with Hendrik-Jan Schuttert. I chose Triomphe de Muze at the time, because this stallion himself performed strongly in sport and with Chin Chin and Galoubet in his veins, he was a correct addition to the dam's line. Afterwards she had two more offspring from him. These two horses also perform at international level: Baretta S (2006) jumps 1.50m with the Italian Tommasco Conti and Ciao Bella S (2007) jumps 1.45m with Josta van Straaten. I still breed from the line of Una Bella S, because we also breed with Ciao Bella. She already produced the designated stallion Hazelhorst (by Cardento).”

3. How did you experience the auction at the time?
“Arc de Triomphe was a commercial foal. He looked good and was a fantastic canter. There was already a lot of interest during the presentation and many bids were made during the auction. †

4. Do you recommend other breeders to sell their foals through the Prinsjesdag auction?
“I certainly advise other breeders to sell through the Prinsjesdag auction. Good prices are offered and the organization has built up a lot of trust that you can benefit from as an entrant. Not only is the auction itself interesting, but as a breeder you also make use of the platform that the auction offers. The photos and videos of the foals are widely viewed on the internet and this gives your breeding fame. I myself have had several foals auctioned through the Prinsjesdag auction, but because I am not a member of the selection committee anymore in recent years.”

5. Do you follow Arc de Triomphe closely and has it met your expectations?
“Yes, the results are easy to follow via Horsetelex and I also keep track of everything via social media. I don't have much time to look at competitions on the spot. Arc de Triomphe certainly lived up to my expectations with its performance at international level. At the time, the buyer made a good investment at the auction!”

read HERE the interview with buyer and current owner Jan Schuttert.

read HERE the interview with rider Frank Schuttert.

Silver anniversary for Foal Auction Prinsjesdag

25 August 2017/in Background, News/by bonsai

Silver anniversary for Foal Auction Prinsjesdag

Piet Meinen: “The auction in Vechta, Germany, was my great example. I was an auctioneer myself for ten years and I loved doing this. The ambiance is very important. You have to draw attention to the ring, otherwise people will talk to each other instead of bidding.”

Elite Auction

Gerrit Deen, chairman from 1993 to 1998, wanted to give breeders from North Holland and the Netherlands a stage with this auction. Prinsjesdag had to become an elite auction. “I never doubted that it would succeed, we went for it. There was no real strategy and money had to be added in the first few years, but we didn't want to give up until we were the best in the Netherlands!” Herman Verhagen took over from Gerrit Deen and was chairman until 2014. Under his leadership, the motto 'The power of performance' started to play the leading role from 2002. “Beautiful foals with good bloodlines no longer made it through the selection. We wanted demonstrable sports performance in the mare line. The Prinsjesdag auction has started to excel in offering foals from the best stocks, both nationally and internationally.”

Ingredients for success

The auction continued to innovate and in 2015 the first embryo was auctioned online. Arjan van der Waaij is the current foreman of the auction. “We cannot guarantee a top sport horse, but all the ingredients for success are there. Over the years, many of the foals auctioned by us have performed at the highest level. We saw them at the Olympic Games, European Championships and in the Global Champions Tour. We will continue to innovate for the future, we follow the market and we see no limits.”

Junette RS2 KWPN Reserve Champion!

25 August 2017/in News/by bonsai

Junette RS2 KWPN Reserve Champion!

Another success for RS2 Dressage! Their mare Junette RS2 became reserve champion at the KWPN mare inspection. Junette RS2 was sold at National Foal Auction Prinsjesdag. Congratulations everyone!

The winners of the future will be sold at our auction. Looking for a dressage foal? Find your champion here.

Photo: Facebook Robin van Lierop

In conversation with Fred van Straaten Sr.

10 Aug 2017/in Background, News, To jump/by bonsai

In conversation with Fred van Straaten Sr.

What conditions must a (jumper) foal meet in order to be selected for Foal Auction Prinsjesdag?
“The foals must be correctly built. We want the people who buy the foals to be satisfied after many years. Sport and health are related to each other. If a foal does not have a good leg position, it will sooner suffer from wear and tear. But by correct we also mean a well-built, functional body. Top horses have a body that is suitable for top sport. A foal with a sunken back or a hock joint that is too straight is therefore not selected either.”

The power of performance?
“We look at the mother. What has he done in sports? We have a rule that the mother, grandmother and great-grandmother must have performed themselves in the sport or have offspring that perform remarkably in the sport. That is an indication of a horse's disposition and character. And it also says something about health. A large part of presenting is related to character. A top athlete is able to deliver great performances, even if they feel a pain. We are looking for horses that go for it, fight for you. We select with that in mind. The moment a foal enters the orbit and it is enterprising, it moves electrically and when you see that it does not stick to the mother but goes its own way, then you know; we must have it.”

Prinsjesdag has been auctioning the creme-de-la-creme among the foals for years, where can you find it?
“As a selection committee, we start at a very early stage. You speak to many breeders before the foals are born. You know what kind of mares they have and you keep an eye on what kind of stallions they cover. You do not select according to your own preference. During the selection, we really sit in the buyer's seat. You learn that through years of experience. I always go out with Willem van Hoof. As an auction team, we are very well attuned to each other. By properly evaluating, we improve the selection every year. We do not only select from the larger breeders, we are always looking for the most interesting material and also try to capture interesting foals from breeders with one or two foals. Our entrants are our distinctive character. We have built up a very strong group of loyal entrants. It is important that you make people feel good.”

What do you expect from this year?
“I think we selected very high-quality genetically this year. The pedigree structure just gets better every year, partly because we adjust our criteria every year and try to be even more critical of the material on offer. We really go for quality over quantity. We also worked really hard to get some interesting fillies into the auction and I think we succeeded. This year we have selected a number of For Pleasure offspring. They are doing very well in the sport now. Many people try to breed another foal from him, but the sperm is expensive and they run out at some point. At our auction people can now choose from four For Pleasure foals, all from top dam lines. Sometimes while selecting it feels like you are in a really big candy store. You just can't choose!”

“Brittsion already had great use of the foreleg as a foal!”

5 August 2017/in Background, Competitions, Dressage, News, Auctions/by bonsai

Breeder: Dirk van der Oord

1. What was Brittsion like as a foal?
“Brittsion was already very beautiful as a foal, could move well and had a good character. She became champion at the inspection in Hoofddorp and people really stopped to watch. Her use of the foreleg in particular was already very special. The foals inherit this from their mother, because I also see it in her brothers and sisters.”

2. How is her mother?
“Her dam Unassion (Krack C x Jazz) was very successful at the inspections. She became reserve champion of the Netherlands as a foal and third as a three-year-old. Because she has both Krack and Jazz blood, we went to Schockemöhle in Germany to look for a stallion and chose Sir Donnerhall. That combination worked well with Brittsion and I used this stallion three more times. She is now 16 years old, elite, preferent, performance and is pregnant from her 14^e foal. This year we are going to the national inspection with a Totilas foal of hers. Besides Brittsion there are two more children of her in the small tour, namely Ambission (by Sunny Boy) and Catosion (by Sir Donnerhall). We already breed with the sixth generation of horses from this line and all names end with sion. Brittsion is named after my wife Britt, her sister Catosion after my daughter Cato and her brother Kassion after my son Kas.”

3. How did you experience the auction at the time?
"It was exciting. Friends of ours also wanted to buy her, but at one point they were bid above their maximum price. Dirk Kat, the buyer, also knew Brittsion's mother well.”

4. Do you still follow Brittsion?
“Yes, I follow everything on the internet and sometimes I go to see Derk Schekkerman or at competitions. I watched all the international Junior competitions via the live stream.”

5. Why did you choose the Prinsjesdag auction?
“As a member of the breeding and study club Noord-Holland, I was involved in the establishment of the Prinsjesdag auction at the time, so I have a connection with this auction. Two years ago, Brittsion's full brother, Kassion, was also auctioned here. I also had a number of foals auctioned in Borculo and Dronten. I have good experiences with the Prinsjesdag auction. If breeders have a good foal, I definitely recommend the Prinsjesdag auction, although of course everyone has to decide that for themselves.”

read HERE the interview with buyer Dirk Kat from Primeval.

read HERE the interview with Amazon Zoë Kuintjes.

“In the show ring she does her best!”

5 August 2017/in Background, Dressage, News, Auctions/by bonsai

Amazon: Zoë Kuintjes

1. What makes Brittsion so special to you?
“Brittsion is a very nice horse to ride. In the show ring she even goes the extra mile for me and works just that little bit harder. I don't have to work that hard myself. She is also very nice at home in training. †

2. How long have you been a combination with Brittsion?
“I've been driving Brittsion for Dik Kat from Primeval for four months now. Before this she was ridden in the light tour by my trainer, Derk Schekkerman. I'm in his stable and he asked me if I wanted to ride her in the Juniors. I already rode another, slightly less experienced Junior horse, but with Brittsion I get the chance to ride at the top.”

3. How does Brittsion get along?
Brittje, as I call her, is very calm and affectionate in the stable. She is a real cuddly horse and loves it when you brush her for hours or take her for a walk. We always have a set ritual when I drive. First I brush her extensively, then I walk her by the hand for a while and then I get on.”

4. What's the best thing you've had with Brittsion so far?
“I thought the best thing so far was that we were allowed to be part of the Dutch Juniors team at the CDIO in Hagen, Germany and that we won silver here! I am also proud that the national coach has included us in the A-squad so quickly. It went super fast. I had only ridden a country test four times and by then I had already achieved the necessary three required scores.”

5. What do you hope to achieve with Brittsion?
“I hope that we can achieve many more international successes and that we can go to the European Championships next year. This year I was also in the race for the European Championship, but Brittsion suffered a minor injury for the Dutch Championship, which means she has to take it easy. We are very careful with her.”

read HERE the interview with breeder Dirk van der Oord.

read HERE the interview with buyer Dirk Kat from Primeval.

“Bidding at an auction is always exciting, especially on Prinsjesdag, where the best merchants are usually represented and you have to stay sharp.”

5 August 2017/in Background, Competitions, Dressage, News/by bonsai

Buyer and owner: Dirk Kat

1. Why did Brittsion appeal to you at the auction at the time?
“Dirk Reijne advised me Brittsion. He said she was one of the best foals in the auction. I shared his opinion and appreciated Dirk's advice. The breeder, Dirk van der Oort, had also set the necessary expectations in me with this mare line.”

2. How did Brittsion's rearing and training go?
“She has been reared at our house. Wijnanda van Brenk, my brother's rider, hit and trained her super. She has laid the foundation for her current achievements. At about the age of five she went to Derk Schekkerman. He drove her to the light tour.”

3. Did Brittsion live up to your expectations?
“Brittsion has become a beautifully elegant horse. She performs great in sports. She was recently admitted to the A-squad in the Juniors with Zoë Kuintjes. Together they are a fantastic combination that I am very proud of. Brittsion is in my top five foals I've ever bought. Eggs were collected from her via ICSI and she has now given me three foals by Rubinstein. Two foals were born this year and one last year. All three are top foals who look very good. †

4. Do you have a special relationship with Brittsion?
“Horses that perform with character really appeal to me. Brittsion is a good example of this, just like PrimeVal Wings back then! Every now and then I go and check on her at the stable. Even if there is a match nearby, I try to come and watch. I followed the international competitions that Zoë has ridden via the livestream.”

5. Was it exciting bidding at the auction at the time?
“Bidding at an auction is always exciting, especially on Prinsjesdag, where the best merchants are usually represented and you have to stay sharp. I wanted Brittsion, so I kept bidding until I got her.”

6. Why do you advise people to buy a foal at the Foal Auction Prinsjesdag?
“ The Foal Auction Prinsjesdag was an initiative of a number of entrepreneurs from North Holland and I was one of them. I bought about twenty foals at the Prinsjesdag auction, and I also bought a number of foals in Borculo. You take a risk buying a foal. You see the moves, know the bloodlines, but the character has to be good too. I have had foals that have grown into toppers, but have also sold a number of them again. All in all I am happy with the quality with the quality and the performance. If you choose to buy a foal, the Prinsjesdag auction is the best place to do so!”

read HERE the interview with breeder Dirk van der Oord.

read HERE the interview with Amazon Zoë Kuintjes.